Popular Music (Joint Honours) BA/BSc (Hons)

Course Content

• Course Details

  Popular Music Joint Honours at the University of Northampton is split into three stages. In the first stage you’ll develop proficiencies across all three domains of the music: production, performance and critical analysis.

  In the second and third stages you’ll have the opportunity to specialise; choosing from a range of areas, including music production, composition, performance and sound for media and gaming industry, sound design, and music education.

  Partnerships and Accreditation

  This programme is accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES)

  Our modules are informed by staff actively researching, composing, performing and publishing in their specialist areas within the music industry. These modules introduce you to music principles and techniques which will help you develop the necessary analytical and creative skills, to aid you when evaluating and implementing real-life practise.

  Music’s role in culture is critically and philosophically examined throughout this course. Using musical examples, you will learn to engage with esoteric and difficult concepts around inter alia genre, gender, race, politics, capitalism, culture, power, evolution, and science.

  The first year focuses on fundamental principles across our three areas of music production, performance and academic study, critical listening skills, and reasoning, writing and debating. In the second and third year you are able to specialise and focus on areas that you are particularly interested in.

  Methods of Learning

  You will be taught through lectures, seminars, workshops and practice sessions.

  Assessments

  Assessment includes practical project work, seminar presentations and essays, as well as examinations. Final year performance assessments take place in a public venue in Northampton in front of a live audience.

  Collapse
• Fees and Funding

  21/22 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 21/22 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  • UK – Full Time: £9,250
  • UK – Part Time: £1,465 per 20 credit module
  • International – Full Time: £13,000

  Additional Costs

  • 1TB portable hard drive (approximately £50)
  • a good pair of closed back headphones (approximately £60-100)
  • core texts for first year modules:Bennett et al. The Popular Music Studies Reader – £28.99
    John Storey, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction – £27.99
  • consumables for individual instruments (jack leads, capos, plectrums, drum skins, drum sticks, reeds, strings etc.)
  • USB Flash drives (data sticks) for submitting coursework (£10-20 for two)
  • £50 towards travel costs across three years

  2020/21 Tuition Fees

  Fees quoted relate to study in the Academic Year 20/21 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.

  • UK and EU – Full Time: £9,250
  • UK and EU – Part Time: £1,450 per 20 credit module
  • International – Full Time: £12,900

  Additional Costs

  • 1TB portable hard drive (approximately £50)
  • a good pair of closed back headphones (approximately £60-100)
  • core texts for first year modules:Bennett et al. The Popular Music Studies Reader – £28.99
  • John Storey, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction – £27.99
  • consumables for individual instruments (jack leads, capos, plectrums, drum skins, drum sticks, reeds, strings etc.)
  • USB Flash drives (data sticks) for submitting coursework (£10-20 for two)
  • £50 towards travel costs across three years

  For information on the scholarships available to you, please see our scholarships page.

  Collapse
• Subject Futures Week

  Since 2013 we have invited creative industry guest speakers to share invaluable knowledge and insights with our students about the reality of working life after University. See below the 2016 Subject Futures Week video, which highlights just some of the creative industry guests who visited.

  Collapse