Intro

Explore the dynamic world of popular music with our forward-looking Music Business and Media degree. 

 This course offers a blend of theory and practice, allowing you to dive into the history of music’s influence on society and develop essential skills for a career in the music industry.  

You'll gain hands-on experience in music management, marketing, and media production, guided by expert lecturers and industry professionals. Tailor your studies to your passions, work on real-world projects, and benefit from 91快活林's vibrant creative scene, just a short train ride from London.

This innovative degree will ensure you begin your music career in one of the UK’s leading creative hubs.

Key facts

Location 91快活林: Moulsecoomb

UCAS code W392

Full-time 3 years

What are my next steps?

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

A-levels or BTEC
Entry requirements are in the range of A-level BBB–BCC (120–104 UCAS Tariff points), or BTEC Extended Diploma DMM–MMM. You will be considered if your predicted grades fall within this range.

International Baccalaureate
30 points, with three subjects at Higher level.

Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 60 credits overall. At least 45 credits at level 3, with 24 credits at merit or above.

Foundation degree/HND
May enable you to start the course in year 2 or year 3.

Foundation diploma
Pass. A foundation diploma is not a requirement for entry – it is just one of the qualifications that we accept for admission to the course.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

Studied before or got relevant experience?
A qualification, HE credits, or relevant experience may count towards your course at 91快活林, and could mean that you do not have to take some elements of the course or can start in year 2 or 3. 

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Contextual admissions

When you apply to 91快活林 we want to hear about who you are. Grades are never the whole picture; we're interested in things like creativity, resourcefulness, persistence and the capacity to think big and find new ways of doing things. And we recognise that not everyone has the same background. That's why we treat everyone who applies as an individual. We recognise many qualifications and we care about all of your achievements and the experiences you've had that set you apart.

Find out more about contextual admissions.

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Course content

Top reasons to choose this course

  • Graduate ready to take on a wide variety of roles across the music industry, from PR to A&R.
  • The subject matter is a fascinating and ever-evolving mix – you will examine how the music and media industries intersect, investigating the social, cultural, economic, political and technological changes associated with their development.
  • Excellent work placements organised by our dedicated placements team.
  • Opportunities to work on live industry projects.
  • Option modules in areas such as branding, journalism, public relations and sustainability enabling you to tailor your degree to your specific career ambitions.
  • 91快活林 is a fast-growing creative media hub and home to a thriving music scene.
  • The course team are experts in their field who are passionate about sharing their knowledge with a new generation of media and music professionals.
  • Develop valuable transferable skills including practical media skills, critical thinking and writing, independent research and analysis and excellent presentation, written and oral communication skills.
Crowd at a rock concert with the act on stage in front of them

  

Year 1

In your first year you will study methods of understanding and theorising the media and music industries. You will also examine the social, cultural, economic, political and technological changes associated with their development.

Modules

Core modules

  • Business, Creative/Digital Industries and Innovation

    On this module you will develop a sense of commercial awareness, including key entrepreneurial skills and knowledge required to engage with innovation in the creative and digital industries. You will work as a part of a team to recognise trends and opportunities and then develop your ideas into a business plan. You will reflect on your ideas, considering issues around collaboration, innovation, sustainability and intellectual property.

  • The Music Business

    This module introduces the character of the music industries and the activities associated with the music business, including recording, publishing, live performance, marketing and management. You'll explore and analyse popular music as both a cultural and industrial form., alongside considering popular music within the context of media industries, examining relationships between production, distribution and consumption.

  • Popular Music: Histories and Contexts

    The module introduces the cultural contexts of popular music genres, styles, issues and debates – enabling you to place popular music within key historical developments. You'll explore the key formal debates of popular music studies and how they relate to popular music studies research.

  • Critical Approaches to Media 1

    This module will introduce you to a range of critical academic approaches to media. It tackles the most cutting-edge topics in media studies and introduces canonical approaches used in their analysis. An introduction to these approaches will enable you to understand the workings of media audiences, industries and texts. The module will focus on media experiences that are relevant to your everyday life, ensuring that as well as academic development, the module will give you the tools to analyse your own engagement with, and consumption of, the media.

  • Critical Approaches to Media 2

    This module introduces key media studies theories and concepts and applies them to the analysis of real-world issues. You will develop skills and techniques to critique media representations, showing the importance of media analysis in everyday life. By analysing media technologies, you will engage with the most innovative media content, forms and practices of the day. By questioning mediation, the module will bring to life the role of media in society and enable you to critique the media in terms of culture, politics, innovation and environment.

Options*

  • Video Production 1

    This module will equip you with the essential skills and practical experience required to create short-form non-fictional audio-visual content, suitable in form to contemporary web-based - as well as more traditional - delivery platforms and audiences. It covers all three stages of video production: pre-production research and planning, production and post-production, including editing. It will introduce the fundamentals of video and sound-recording techniques as well as give you the skills required for successfully engaging with contributors/participants.

  • Photographic Practice 1

    In this module you will explore the role and use of photography in visual media. You will engage with various aspects of the language and production of promotional and editorial photography. You will respond to set briefs and create your own website that includes an online portfolio as well as learn the core skills in which to consider, articulate and document reflections on your practice.

  • Film, Language and History

    This module introduces how  the formal language of cinema (cinematography, editing, sound, shot composition, etc.) contributes to establishing a film’s narrative. You'll explore the history of mainstream Western cinema, through reference to the key technical, institutional and economic developments of the medium.

  • Community Media for Social Action 鈥� Decolonising Media

    Tools, spaces and processes of community communications form the basis of inquiry into community media and social action. You will engage with theories of empowerment and voice as well as engaging in introductory practices of community media for social action. Your outputs from the practice component will be presented in class before being archived on the student learning space. You will also learn to reflect critically on your experiences and the processes of contextualised content generation through online communicative learning.

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.


Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through .

Year 2

In your second year of your Music Business and Media degree you'll focus on an industry placement as well as looking at research methods for live projects, which will equip you with the knowledge and skills to execute independent research.

Modules

  • The British Music Industry
  • Popular Music Industries
  • Media Placement
  • Research Methods and Methodology

Options*

  • Specialist Portfolio
  • Video Production 2
  • Community Radio – Empowering Voices for Inclusion
  • Media Project Management
  • Photographic Practice 2
  • Social Media for Activists and Community Groups
  • Brands and Public Relations

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Placement 

In your second year you will complete a four week placement in an external organisation. You will receive guidance and support from a dedicated placement team. Placements are usually around four weeks and are academically assessed. 

The placement enables you to:

  • apply your learning to real life situations and challenges
  • make confident and informed decisions about the direction of your media career
  • get an insight in to how businesses and organisations  function
  • develop your existing skills and discover new ones
  • explore career options    
  • make professional contacts, create an effective CV and digital media presence
  • build confidence and organisational skills.

Our media students have been on placement with organisations including:

  • Ricochet
  • Creative Assembly
  • BBC Good Food and Olive Magazine
  • Absolute Radio
  • 91快活林 and Hove Green Party
  • Lowkey Films
  • Drop4Drop
  • Integrity Music Europe
  • YDN Radio
  • Life Water
  • Electric Square
  • ITV Potato
  • Renewable World
  • Deluxe
  • ILOVEDUST
  • Bauer Media
  • 91快活林 Dome
  • 91快活林 Fringe.

Final year

You will work in creative partnership with music innovation labs and gain practical understanding of digital media marketing as well as conceptual knowledge of the celebrity economy. With the university’s support you will undertake a live project and go into industry and complete an independent research project.

Modules

  • Music Innovation: Design and Development
  • Digital Media Marketing and Innovation
  • Live Project

Options*

  • Television Production
  • Sustainability and Innovation in Digital Culture
  • Community Project

*Option modules are indicative and may change, depending on timetabling and staff availability.

Facilities 

  • Digital and analogue stills equipment, including DSLRs and a range of lenses plus an offsite darkroom
  • Video recording equipment, from Canon DSLRs to Blackmagic cameras, in a dedicated TV studio
  • Audio recording kit and facilities, including bookable sound/radio booths 
  • Dedicated video editing suites including Mac and PC computers with specialist software.

Meet the team

Staff who teach on the course include:

Iestyn George (course leader) lectures in media studies and is a journalist, who previously worked as an editor at NME, GQ and Golf Punk. He was marketing manager of the Manic Street Preachers between 1999 and 2003. 

Dr Shara Rambarran is a musicologist who worked (performing, composing, production, and music PR) in London, before returning to the academia to specialise in popular musicology. Shara has extensive experience in delivering programmes in popular music, music history, music industry/business, and cultural studies at various universities. She co-runs the , and serves on the editorial boards for the , Journal of Popular Music Education, and the . Shara is also the musicologist for Spotify’s Decode music podcast series, and author of Virtual Music: Sound, Music, and Image in the Digital Era (Bloomsbury).

studied political and social sciences at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (BA, MSc) and the University of Sussex (MSc, PhD). He has taught sociology, politics and media, and cultural studies in the University of Sussex and University of Portsmouth. His research interests encompass creative labour, popular music cultures, and social and cultural theory. He currently researches fan creativity and the materiality of popular music.

Summer shows 2024

Every year our brilliant art and media students show their work at the University of 91快活林 Summer Shows. The shows are finished for 2024 but you can still take a virtual wander and explore our student’s creative work.

More about this subject at 91快活林

Careers

Prepare for your career 

Studying Music Business and Media will provide you with subject knowledge and expertise plus opportunities to put what you learn into practice with work-related experience. 

You will develop valuable transferable skills, including practical media skills, critical thinking and writing, independent research and analysis. The course will equip you with excellent presentation, written and oral communication skills.   

Option modules span areas such as branding, journalism, public relations and sustainability in digital culture enabling you to tailor your degree to your specific career ambitions.  

The course aims to develop versatile and creative music business innovators and leaders, and with graduates well-equipped to enter careers in the media and creative industries. The course will prepare you to engage critically across a range of key debates in the field of music and media studies.

The placement and your live project experience will help you and your CV stand out as you start your career.

Image of a live recording light outside a recording studio

What can I do with a media degree?

This course is the newest addition to our well-established programme of media-related degrees.

Graduates from 91快活林 media courses have gone into work in fields including marketing, PR, social media and production. They work for organisations including the BBC, Channel 4, Ricochet, Universal Pictures, EMI and Vogue. This course opens up opportunities across the music industry in areas including A&R and promotion.

Our students often secure full-time jobs with the organisations that provide their industry placements and live projects.

Graduates from the University of 91快活林's media programme area have been recruited in roles such as:

  • Journalists
  • Editorial assistants
  • Social media managers
  • Runners
  • Production assistants
  • Subeditors
  • Talent coordinator
  • Digital content producers
  • Presenters

Professional advice and support 

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and re-discover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick, and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that's not just while you are a student, our support carries on after you've graduated.

Find out more about our Careers Service...

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Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,535 GBP

International (full-time) 17,250 GBP

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that are included and any extras that you may be expected to pay while studying a course  in the School of Art and Media in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Typically, practice-based courses incur more costs than text-based subjects. For many courses you will need to budget for the cost of specialist materials, equipment and printing and are likely to spend between £50–£300 per year.
  • For some courses you may also need to budget up to £100 for specialist personal protective clothing which, with care, will last for the whole of your course and beyond.
  • For most courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits, for example to galleries, exhibitions and studios both in the UK and overseas. These are optional and are not required to pass your course. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken, and typically range between £100 and £700 across the duration of your course.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software at City campus and Moulsecoomb campus and at other locations across the university. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning. Students may choose to buy their own specialist equipment, these may include cameras, or computers and software, university/student discounts are available for some equipment and software. Budgets can range from £50–£2,000. Buying specialist equipment is best undertaken in consultation with our academic and technical staff. This expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
  • For some courses you will need to budget up to £200 for printing and publishing. Photography courses may incur higher costs (£500–£2,000) when printing and framing images of professional standard for public presentation.
  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies, but if you wish to, you should budget up to £200 over your course to buy them.
  • For courses in which there is an optional placement year, you will need to budget for living costs (rent, food, travel etc) in that city/country, as if you were on site at the university.
  • For some courses you will need to budget up to £150 for stationery.
  • Final-year graduation shows are opportunities to present your final, independent project work to the public. Practice-based courses will typically incur higher costs. Depending on the specific nature of your final project you will need to budget between £20–£2,500.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Moulsecoomb campus

Two miles north of 91快活林 seafront, Moulsecoomb is our largest campus and student village. Moulsecoomb has been transformed by a recent development of our estate. On campus you'll find new Students' Union, events venue, and sports and fitness facilities, alongside the library and student centre.

Over 900 students live here in our halls, Moulsecoomb Place and the new Mithras halls – Brunswick, Goldstone, Hanover, Preston and Regency.

Moulsecoomb has easy access to buses and trains and to all the exciting things happening in our home city.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

91快活林: Moulsecoomb

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Mithras Halls are stylish new high-rises in the heart of the student village at our revitalised Moulsecoomb campus with ensuite rooms for more than 800 students.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Moulsecoomb campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently?
We can help – find out more about private renting.

Relaxing in halls

Modern accommodation at Moulsecoomb

Mithras halls room with a view

Relaxing in halls near the campus

Student Union social space

Student Union social space at Moulsecoomb

Local area

About 91快活林

The city of 91快活林 & Hove is a forward-thinking place which leads the way in the arts, technology, sustainability and creativity. You'll find living here plays a key role in your learning experience.

91快活林 is a leading centre for creative media technology, recently named the startup capital of the UK.

The city is home to a national 5G testbed and over 1,000 tech businesses. The digital sector is worth over £1bn a year to the local economy - as much as tourism.

All of our full-time undergraduate courses involve work-based learning - this could be through placements, live briefs and guest lectures. Many of these opportunities are provided by local businesses and organisations.

It's only 50 minutes by train from 91快活林 to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from 91快活林
91快活林 Beach sunset

Maps

Moulsecoomb campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our 91快活林 Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at 91快活林

Sport 91快活林

Sport 91快活林 brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91快活林 student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

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Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

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Stay in touch

Ask a question about this course

Statistics

Find out more about how the academic year and degree courses are organised, and about learning and assessment activities you might get to grips with at 91快活林. More specific information about this course is detailed in the programme specification (linked below). You can find out also about the support we offer to help you adjust to university life.

Course and module descriptions on this page were accurate when first published and are the basis of the course. Detailed information on any changes we make to modules and learning and assessment activities will be sent to all students by email before enrolment, so that you have all the information before you come to 91快活林.

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Course specification

Course specifications are the approved description of each course. They contain a breakdown of the content and structure of the course, learning outcomes and assessment. Course specs are updated following course changes.

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