Music and Popular Music BA (Hons) Add to your prospectus

  • Offers study abroad opportunities Offers study abroad opportunities
  • Opportunity to study for a year in China Offers a Year in China

Key information

  • Course length: 3 years
  • UCAS code: W301
  • Year of entry: 2018
  • Typical offer: A-level : ABB / IB : 33, with no score less than 4 / BTEC : Applications considered
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Career prospects

Studying Music opens up many career opportunities. As well as jobs in music (from performance, composition, and production, through teaching, music therapy and community arts, to arts management and industry, and a lot more besides), employers in many sectors are increasingly seeking arts and humanities graduates for their transferable skills. As a music student you achieve creative flair and imagination, confidence in expressing yourself, an openness to new ideas, a capacity for hard work and an ability to analyse data. You learn the value of working with others towards a shared, finished product and a whole range of flexible, professional skills.

We work closely with the University’s award-winning Careers & Employability Service to offer a 30 credit, year-long module (SOTA300) which incorporates placement with a local company, group or institution related to your subject, providing practical/vocational experience. We have well established links with a number of partners that are relevant to future career opportunities: National Museums Liverpool, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra,  local clubs and venues, local musicians from a wide variety of musical and cultural traditions, local independent cinema FACT, and local schools.

Recent employers

Companies employing our graduates in recent years include:

  • Aldeburgh Music
  • BBC Cardiff
  • Celebrity Cruises
  • The Globe Theatre
  • Liverpool Biennial Festival of Contemporary Arts
  • Manchester Orchestra
  • Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
  • Promotions Companies – ‘Everisland’ & ‘Fiesta Bombarda’
  • Republic Medi
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
  • Wirral Academy of Performing Arts.

Work experience opportunities

In the final year, the School of Arts offers students the opportunity to participate in Widening Participation projects, which involve going into local primary and secondary schools as part of an accredited module, reflecting our commitment to a modern and vocationally oriented education. There are also some work placements and volunteering roles available with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, as well as the RLPO’s outreach programme In Harmony.

Postgraduate opportunities

Our graduates have gone on to study in a range of postgraduate areas including MMus Performance/Composition/Musicology, NCTJ course in Journalism, PGCE, Postgraduate Performance Diploma, MA Popular Music Studies and MA Music Industry.

Samuel Garlick
Popular Music BA (Hons)

Director and Events Curator
Fiesta Bombarda and The Kazimier and Constellations

Before beginning Popular Music I had very little academic experience within music, however my programme gave me an insightful introduction and a great grasp on how the music industry works. More importantly it put me in a positive mindset of how to approach a career within music. The best thing about studying music at Liverpool is the unmistakable music scene and community that surrounds it; whether it’s indie, techno or afrobeat that floats your boat, we have a wide array of promoters, press, venues and like-minded musicians who can collaborate and accommodate.