Industry accreditation is music to creative students’ ears

Students’ career prospects have been boosted after a prestigious industry body gave the University of Northampton’s Popular Music course the seal of approval.

Accreditation of the course by JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Support) confirms it is relevant and responsive to the demands of the music industry, and gives employers confidence its graduates are work-ready.

In addition to studying an industry-approved degree, the accreditation means students will have direct access to a wide range of industry professionals and will benefit from a series of masterclasses.

JAMES executive director, David Ward, said: “JAMES is delighted to confirm our industry accreditation for the Popular Music course.

“We especially commend the practical industry focus as well as the high emphasis on creativity which both make for not only a rewarding student experience, and but also excellent work prospects.”

JAMES is a collection of industry professionals ensuring that, through accreditation, course delivery, resources and outcome are relevant to a student aiming to work in the music, audio and media industries.

Programme Leader, Mark Thursby, said: “Accreditation from JAMES is a real feather in the cap for the University of Northampton. Many applicants wanting the very best grounding in the industry look specifically for courses which are JAMES accredited, and so we are proud to be able to say our training offers the very highest standards required by the organisation.”

Students on the Popular Music course will be able to take advantage of some fantastic new studio facilities, which will open in time for the new academic year. The facilities include three recording studios, three rehearsal rooms and two Mac suites which run all of the latest music production software.

Find out more about accreditation on the JAMES website.

Find out more, and apply for, our Popular Music course – and the new BA (Hons) in Music Production, which will be starting in September 2021, subject to validation.

Popular Music students get to play the main stage at Northampton’s Roadmender venue, as part of their course. Watch a video from 2018, below.