Music and Popular Music BA (Hons)

Key information

  • Course length: 3 years
  • UCAS code: W301
  • Year of entry: 2020
  • 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 to teaching, music therapy and community arts), employers in many sectors are increasingly seeking arts and humanities graduates for their transferable skills. As a music student you will 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 will learn the value of working with others towards a shared, finished product and a whole range of flexible, professional skills.

According to the latest available data, 97.0% of our UK first-degree graduates were in work and/or study 6 months after graduating (DLHE 2016/17).

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’ and ‘Fiesta Bombarda’
  • Republic Media
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Wirral Academy of Performing Arts.

Work experience opportunities

We work closely with the University’s award-winning Careers & Employability team to offer a 30-credit, year-long module (SOTA300) which incorporates a placement with a local company, group or institution related to music, providing practical and vocational experience. There are also some work placements and volunteering roles available with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO), 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 performance/ composition/musicology, journalism, teacher training, popular music studies and music industry.

Many of our students also stay on at Liverpool to study one of our master’s programmes:

Jessica Riches
Popular Music BA (Hons)

Orchestra Coordinator
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

I studied at the University of Liverpool at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, thoroughly enjoying both. I was a classical musician, hoping to get into classical music management as a career. The Music degree enriched my knowledge of repertoire and musical trends, and my MA in Music Industry studies gave me an insight into the business side of modern music management.