Prepare to be one of the next generation Music Industry leaders with this prestigious, personalisable degree. Taught across the Department of Music and the Management School, our programme allows you to specialise in your areas of interest while gaining wider insight into the principles and strategies of management across the creative industries. Suitable for those looking to launch a management career in the music industry and for music creators wishing to enhance their prospects of success.
You can choose modules in management practices (finance, marketing, entrepreneurship) and specialise in several areas of arts management (festival management, music branding, audience development, arts funding) giving you the chance to develop an independent programme tailored to your needs ensuring your final dissertation project can be used to take you to the next level.
Practical work is embedded in our programme and we have close working relationships with a range of arts organisations including Music in the Round, Tramlines Festival and many others in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene. A range of exceptional facilities and opportunities will support your learning, including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces. The University of Sheffield Concerts Series provides opportunities to get actively involved as an intern or volunteer in staging events, and we support a local and international placement scheme.
As the music industry rapidly changes, private and public sector organisations are looking for graduates who can bring a high degree of flexibility and critical insight. The University of Sheffield's Music Management MA provides you with the essential knowledge, skills and experience needed to be a future leader in this environment.
Music at Sheffield attracts world-leading academics and musicians working in a wide range of specialist fields. This is reflected in the diversity of the MA programmes we offer, both on campus and by distance learning. Our courses are taught by experts and backed by world-class research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 84 per cent of our work was rated internationally excellent or world-leading.
We are influential in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, performance, music technology, music management and psychology of music. Our MA programmes allow students to take advantage of the department’s distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and to be part of a strong postgraduate community by taking modules from other specialist areas. Our three research centres, Music, Mind, Machine; Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre, and Music and Wellbeing provide a hub for research collaborations in music psychology and audience research.
Performance is an important part of our work. You will have the chance to participate in orchestras, music theatre, contemporary music, folk and world traditions. We have strong links with the community, giving you the chance to volunteer with local arts organisations.
Our graduates are employed by universities, colleges, concert agencies and music promoters. Many work in education; others are performers in various genres, in the UK and abroad. Some work in recording studios.
We have a postgraduate research suite and several studios for advanced compositional work, software development, sound recording, laboratory and field experimentation, transcription, music notation and other research applications. You will have access to scores, books, periodicals, recordings and online resources.
Through a series of graduate study days you will be able to use the tools for digital recording, video and film. We also have excellent practice facilities and collections of historical and world music instruments.
Our team of professional musicians bring performance expertise to the department – including clarinettist Sarah Watts, pianist Inja Davidovic, jazz guitarist Ronan McCullagh and North Indian tabla and santoor performer John Ball.
University and faculty funding is available each year. The closing date for applications is mid-January. The department has a number of studentships available for our strongest candidates. The closing date for these is the end of April. You can also apply for a small grant to support your postgraduate research project. More details available here
See http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/taught
Seminars and individual tutorials. Projects may see students undertaking consultancy and promotions work with national partners.
Assessment takes a variety of forms such as reports and essays.
Music is art, but also a cultural and economic resource. Music professionals, music producers and agents constantly have to keep up with technical innovations and successfully define themselves in the creative industries.This part-time advanced master’s program supports motivated students and professionals to qualify for rapidly changing national and international music markets, combining theory and hands-on practice of music with media studies, economics and legal competences. Due to its international focus the program is fully held in English.
International top academic lecturers as well as music business professionals prepare the students for dynamic shifts in creative, operational and commercial requirements for the global music market. Interactive teaching atmosphere, international excursions and intensive networking stimulate the individually specialized development of each student. The program’s modular strucuture enables full-time students and working professionals alike to study at their own pace while maintaining or building their careers. Global competitiveness, continuous professional development, self-management, professionalism, and economic performance are considered core objectives in the program with the aim to enhance the graduates’ employability and careers.
The Austrian Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) supports the Music Management program by granting partial scholarships.
Selected topics from the master’s program:
Combine your knowledge and skills in music with managerial training with this distinctive and diverse degree.
Taught by the School of Music and Leeds University Business School, this programme will allow you to specialise in an aspect of music that suits your interests and talents while gaining an insight into the principles and strategies of management across the creative industries. You’ll also study modules designed specifically for this programme which bring music and management together, giving you the chance to connect with professionals in the music industry.
You could specialise in music management and promotion, performance, composition, music psychology, electronic and computer music or source studies while exploring strategic management, marketing and entrepreneurship. Whether you’re looking to launch a management career in the music industry or you want to enhance your skills and promotion prospects, you’ll learn from experts in both subjects to gain the diversity of skills to succeed.
We have a variety of excellent facilities to support your learning, including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces, a lab for studying the psychology of music and studios for sound recording, software development and computer music composition. We also have good working relationships with a range of prestigious arts organisations: we host BBC Radio 3 concerts, Leeds Lieder and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, as well as enjoying a close partnership with Opera North and many others in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.
Leeds University Business School is internationally recognised for the quality of its teaching and research. It’s among just 1% of institutions offering business degrees to be triple-accredited by the world’s best-known accreditation bodies.
Read more about Leeds University Business School
The focus of the degree will be a major project: working with a tutor, most of our students devise a music and management project to combine and reflect upon music management theory and practice. This could include, for example, organising an event, acting as a consultant during a work placement you organise, or managing a musical group. Alternatively, you can complete a dissertation on a topic of your choice.
A core module throughout the year will introduce you to research methods in music, equipping you with the skills to support the rest of your studies. You’ll also choose from optional modules to specialise in one of computer music, aesthetics, musicology, editing, psychology of music, performance, composition, artistic management or live music promotion.
In both semesters you’ll study core modules run by Leeds University Business School. These will introduce you to strategic management, marketing for managers and how businesses in the creative industries are actually run and managed, applying concepts and theories to understand the business models of media companies, as well as the impact of digital technologies and the rise of exciting new markets.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
You will choose 15 credits from Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Creation, and Intellectual Property Management, and complete your enrolment by choosing one module from the list below.
Because this programme is so diverse, you’ll come across a range of teaching and learning methods. These will include lectures, seminars and tutorials as well as group learning. You’ll also take instrumental or vocal lessons in some modules, depending on your choices. Independent study is also vital to this programme, allowing you to build a variety of skills and express your creativity
You’ll also be assessed using a range of methods, including presentations, bibliographic exercises, essays and group project work. LUBS modules may include written exams. Specialised music modules will also use relevant methods of assessment, such as compositions, recitals, critical editions and commentaries on musical sources.
This programme will equip you with in-depth knowledge of economic and management issues, both within and beyond the music industry. It will also equip you with transferable skills in research, analysis, interpretation, communication, cultural and commercial awareness that are valuable to a wide range of employers.
All of this will put you in a great position to succeed in the music industry, as well as other related areas of arts and creative industries management .
We also offer additional support as you develop your career plans: the School of Music boasts a unique Alumni Mentoring Network, where students can be supported by past students as they start to plan their next steps.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
This course is highly regarded in both music business education and the industry at large. It will prepare you to become one of the next generation of music industry leaders and entrepreneurs. All teaching staff on the course are currently working in the music industry, and every week there are a number of high-level industry guests. You will need to be a self-motivated and open-minded student, as this is an intense course, but one which can help you to progress your career across a wide range of music business disciplines.
Working with music industry leaders and organisations, the course has developed a unique curriculum. You will be able to combine a strong underpinning of key business skills (entrepreneurialism, leadership, organisational management, and marketing with essential music industry management knowledge (strategic innovation technology, intellectual property and copyright) and academic concepts and theories relevant to the industry today.
Formal teaching is conducted through sessions which each include a formal lecture, industry guest speaker and seminar exercises. Each of the six modules has a minimum of two assignments. The final project (equivalent to three modules) is a report of a minimum of 12,000 words.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core modules
The course is globally recognised and industry leaders are weekly guests to the Central London Cavendish teaching campus for guest speaking , Q&A sessions and networking with students . Furthermore , our alumni are working across the international music industry on all continents, in areas of the industry ranging from music companies to live music and publishing , artist management to tech start up, with a wide variety of companies and organisations, large and small, including:
Course graduates have gone on to work in a wide variety of creative industries, from mobile marketing through to the Arts Council. Many of our graduates are working in the music industry, with companies including Apple , Spotify Universal, Sony Music , Pledge Music , Kobalt , Shazam and PIAS. Our international students are working around the globe in music and music –tech related companies, including EMI Holland , PIAS European office and Outdustry in mainland China .
Today's music industry organisations need graduates with both strong degrees and skills relevant to the workplace. The MA Music Business Management course is committed to developing employable graduates by ensuring that:
The MA in Music (Popular Music Research) engages with scholarly debates and public controversies around popular music, while examining and developing both traditional and innovative ways of researching popular music.
The Masters provides a grounding in the development of popular music research as a subfield of musicology, and encourages critical thinking about:
The course addresses contemporary issues of significance to academics, musicians, industries and organisations involved with popular music.
You'll develop research skills, critical thinking and rigorous methodological expertise with a range of applications both within the academy (at doctoral level) and outside (in music related industries, marketing, arts management, museums and archives, the sciences).
Although a knowledge of and passion for popular music is vital, it is not essential that your first degree is in music or popular music.
We welcome applicants from a wide range of disciplines: the course is designed to be of benefit not only to those wishing to continue their research at doctoral level, but also those wishing to reflect on their experiences as musicians, listeners, or media and arts industry professionals.
Ben Assiter, a student on the MA in Music (Popular Music Research) was awarded the prize by the International Association for the Study of Popular Music for an essay written as part of his coursework. Read his award-winning essay here.
Find out more about the MA in Music.
Core module
Option modules
You choose two modules from a selection that currently includes:
Dissertation
The MA in Music (Contemporary Music Studies) examines aspects of methodology, repertoire studies and cultural theory within a wide-ranging programme of investigation into the role of contemporary music in the society for which it is created.
You'll explore the key methodologies appropriate for scholarly study of the music of the present and recent past, such as oral history and contrasting approaches to musical ‘close reading’.
Musical repertoires, and notions of repertoire, are examined, and you are encouraged to ask such questions as whether the boundaries often considered to exist between, for example, ‘contemporary concert music’ and ‘popular music’ are still meaningful for practitioners, listeners and scholars today.
Various approaches to cultural theory are viewed in the light of what they might bring to the study of contemporary music of different kinds.
The understandings developed in your coursework culminate in the methods and approaches demonstrated in your dissertation.
This gives you the opportunity to address particular challenges of studying and writing about the music of our time arising from your own musical and theoretical enthusiasms.
The programme appeals to a wide range of students concerned to develop their understanding of today's music and keen to harness this to relevant intellectual skills.
While designed as an open-ended programme of study that can subsequently be applied in many ways within, and outside, the musical profession, it will be of special value to those preparing for further postgraduate research, and those considering careers in teaching, journalism, arts administration or the culture industries.
Core module
Option modules
You choose three modules from a selection that currently includes:
Dissertation
You'll develop:
The programme is designed with careful consideration of the opportunities, challenges and intellectual demands presented by careers in music, such as:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
This MMus builds on our international reputation in the popular music field, as seen in the success of our BMus graduates.
The programme offers you the opportunity to reflect critically upon your own creative practice – whether that consists of performance, songwriting, arranging, production, or collaboration – and to integrate theoretical perspectives from contemporary popular music studies.
You’ll also be able to extend your own practice through options in sonic and studio art, advanced music technology, exploration in audiovisual media, and ethnomusicology.
The MMus in Popular Music is intended for music creators who integrate these elements in the compositional, recording and performance work.
You’ll acquire graduate-level training in creative practice and subject-specific skills that could set you up for a career as a composer-performer or studio practitioner/producer, as well as other employment within the popular music sector.
This programme is distinguished by:
Core modules
Elective modules
You choose two modules from a list that currently includes:
Employability and cultural entrepreneurship is in our DNA
Graduates may progress to be composer-performers, studio practitioners/producers and music industry employees within the popular music sector. Older students who have returned to advance their knowledge and practice base will be better positioned in the job market.
We are also able to offer a series of employability/placement/internship style opportunities to include:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
Are you fascinated in early music - not just the music of a particular period, but also the approach to performing and thinking about music?
Are you interested in learning how the music performance of the past can be used to enhance our understanding today?
The University’s £16m Bramall Music Building has a world-leading Centre for Early Music Performance and Research (CEMPR), with state-of-the-art facilities. Those wishing to write a dissertation on early music will benefit from access to these facilities, as well as the expertise of staff on a wide range of topics in early music, from the Middle Ages to c.1800.
You will receive specialist supervision as well as training in specific critical and analytical skills to equip you for further study. You will also have the opportunity to participate in one or more of our CEMPR ensembles and receive tuition from the professional performers on our staff, providing an invaluable context for your work.
Early Music studies have always been a centrepiece of Birmingham’s offerings, and the department includes two early music specialists:
Amy Brosius, specialist in seventeenth-century vocal music; and Andrew Kirkman, scholar of late medieval music and director of early music projects from the fifteenth to the early nineteenth century. In addition, CEMPR has some twenty professional early music performers of international standing on its staff who not only teach early vocal and instrumental techniques and repertoire, but also engage in practice-led research.
You will study two core modules:
You will also choose two optional modules from a range which typically includes:
Full descriptions are available below.
Assessment
Modules are typically assessed by written assignment, and some also require a presentation, examination or practical component. You will also complete a 15,000-word musicology dissertation.
Your learning will be enhanced by our extensive facilities, including the Bramall Music Building.
Support with academic writing
As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.
International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: Music
Birmingham's Music postgraduates work in a wide range of careers within and beyond the music world. A postgraduate degree in Music develops a broad base of skills including general skills such as communication, problem solving and research, and also specific skills developed by practice and performance such as self-management, team work and presentation.
Over the past four years, 91% of Music postgraduates were in work and/or further study six months after graduation. Whilst some graduates pursue music-related careers, or go on to teaching and lecturing roles, others choose to use their transferable skills to follow career paths in fields including finance and the public sector.
2019 start
This distance learning course combines annual residential weeks in Sheffield with longer periods of internet-supported study which means students can be anywhere in the world.
Traditional and world musics and their associated cultures are studied through practical methods such as fieldwork and direct participation in music-making as well as library research and theoretical interpretation. You'll gain both a deeper knowledge of the music and a set of skills for discovering and communicating new knowledge about music.
The courses are intended for musicians, educators and enthusiasts who want to know more about traditional and world musics and about ways of studying and understanding music in its social and cultural context.
The course shares various modules with MA Traditional Music of the British Isles, while allowing students to specialise in an area of their choice. World Music Studies is interpreted quite literally as encompassing, in principle, the study of any and all musical activity in the world: Western as well as ‘exotic’, popular as well as classical, amateur as well as professional.
Music at Sheffield attracts world-leading academics and musicians working in a wide range of specialist fields. This is reflected in the diversity of the MA programmes we offer, both on campus and by distance learning. Our courses are taught by experts and backed by world-class research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 84 per cent of our work was rated internationally excellent or world-leading.
We are influential in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, performance, music technology, music management and psychology of music. Our MA programmes allow students to take advantage of the department’s distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and to be part of a strong postgraduate community by taking modules from other specialist areas. Our three research centres, Music, Mind, Machine; Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre, and Music and Wellbeing provide a hub for research collaborations in music psychology and audience research.
Performance is an important part of our work. You will have the chance to participate in orchestras, music theatre, contemporary music, folk and world traditions. We have strong links with the community, giving you the chance to volunteer with local arts organisations.
Our graduates are employed by universities, colleges, concert agencies and music promoters. Many work in education; others are performers in various genres, in the UK and abroad. Some work in recording studios.
We have a postgraduate research suite and several studios for advanced compositional work, software development, sound recording, laboratory and field experimentation, transcription, music notation and other research applications. You will have access to scores, books, periodicals, recordings and online resources.
Through a series of graduate study days you will be able to use the tools for digital recording, video and film. We also have excellent practice facilities and collections of historical and world music instruments.
Our team of professional musicians bring performance expertise to the department – including clarinettist Sarah Watts, pianist Inja Davidovic, jazz guitarist Ronan McCullagh and North Indian tabla and santoor performer John Ball.
The University offers a range of scholarships and funding for the brightest students and the Department of Music offers a number of studentships for the strongest candidates. Small grants are also available to support postgraduate research project.
For more information about funding opportunities including application deadlines visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/funding
Find information about scholarships and funding for international students at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/money/scholarships
This course is taught by qualified ethnomusicologists who have both scholarly and practical expertise in traditional and world musics: Fay Hield, Simon Keegan-Phipps and Andrew Killick.
See http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/taught
Lectures, seminars, world music performance workshops and email tutorials with supporting course texts and guidance notes. Assessments take a variety of forms such as reports and essays, fieldnotes and recordings, and a final dissertation or folio.
Distance learning means most of the teaching is done through online course materials and readings supported by email, phone or Skype tutorials. You will need to attend the University for one residential each year.
Events managers of the future need to be versatile and confident, managing a wide array of events in innovative ways. This degree equips you to take your place in the events industry, leading the way in events and experience management for the fast-paced creative and cultural industries.
From immersive theatre performances to pop-up gigs, there is an increasing demand for events management skills and knowledge to bring these projects to life. The MA in Events and Experience Management at Goldsmiths is a truly unique course that will focus on creative and cultural industry events experiences. Combining theoretical knowledge and practical experience this degree is specifically aimed at enabling you to run creative events in this constantly changing environment.
The MA in Events and Experience Management at Goldsmiths is rare in its close linkage with the creative and cultural industries, and offering modules across three departments. This approach will allow anyone wishing to pursue a career in the cultural and creative industries to gain valuable and cutting edge experience and knowledge.
You’ll benefit from close connections to the events industry throughout your time at Goldsmiths, from opportunities for practical work experience to learning from the experiences and insight of our guest speakers. Practical experience built into the content of the course allows you to apply your theoretical and strategic knowledge to real events, honing your planning, organisation and marketing skills. You’ll work with an arts organisation or events manager to put on an event that meets their needs and there will also be opportunities to support the running of festivals like Bestival at Goldsmiths.
You also study one other 30 credit option modules, allowing you to tailor the programme to your specific interests, from areas such as tourism, project management, arts management and music
As a graduate from this degree you will be perfectly placed to enter the events industry as an events manager, particularly in the exciting creative and cultural sectors.
This could include:
2019 start
This distance learning course combines annual residential weeks in Sheffield with longer periods of internet-supported study which means students can be anywhere in the world. Traditional and world musics and their associated cultures are studied through practical methods such as fieldwork and direct participation in music-making as well as library research and theoretical interpretation.
Students gain both a deeper knowledge of the music and a set of skills for discovering and communicating new knowledge about music. The courses are intended for musicians, educators and enthusiasts who want to know more about traditional and world musics and about ways of studying and understanding music in its social and cultural context.
The course shares various modules with MA World Music Studies, while allowing students to specialise in an area of their choice. Traditional Music of the British Isles takes advantage of Sheffield's position as a major hub of both English and 'Celtic' musical activity to pursue in-depth studies on British and Irish traditional musics.
Music at Sheffield attracts world-leading academics and musicians working in a wide range of specialist fields. This is reflected in the diversity of the MA programmes we offer, both on campus and by distance learning. Our courses are taught by experts and backed by world-class research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 84 per cent of our work was rated internationally excellent or world-leading.
We are influential in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, performance, music technology, music management and psychology of music. Our MA programmes allow students to take advantage of the department’s distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and to be part of a strong postgraduate community by taking modules from other specialist areas. Our three research centres, Music, Mind, Machine; Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre, and Music and Wellbeing provide a hub for research collaborations in music psychology and audience research.
Performance is an important part of our work. You will have the chance to participate in orchestras, music theatre, contemporary music, folk and world traditions. We have strong links with the community, giving you the chance to volunteer with local arts organisations.
Our graduates are employed by universities, colleges, concert agencies and music promoters. Many work in education; others are performers in various genres, in the UK and abroad. Some work in recording studios.
We have a postgraduate research suite and several studios for advanced compositional work, software development, sound recording, laboratory and field experimentation, transcription, music notation and other research applications. You will have access to scores, books, periodicals, recordings and online resources.
Through a series of graduate study days you will be able to use the tools for digital recording, video and film. We also have excellent practice facilities and collections of historical and world music instruments.
Our team of professional musicians bring performance expertise to the department – including clarinettist Sarah Watts, pianist Inja Davidovic, jazz guitarist Ronan McCullagh and North Indian tabla and santoor performer John Ball.
The University offers a range of scholarships and funding for the brightest students and the Department of Music offers a number of studentships for the strongest candidates. Small grants are also available to support postgraduate research project.
For more information about funding opportunities including application deadlines visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/funding
Find information about scholarships and funding for international students at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/money/scholarships
The course is taught by qualified ethnomusicologists who have both scholarly and practical expertise in traditional and world musics: Fay Hield, Simon Keegan-Phipps and Andrew Killick.
See http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/taught
Seminars, individual tutorials and fieldwork. Assessment takes a variety of forms such as reports and essays. They are usually individual assessments, even if they concern the processes and outcomes of group work.
Distance learning means most of the teaching is done through online course materials and readings supported by email, phone or Skype tutorials. You will need to attend the University for one residential each year.
Sheffield may be one of the best places in the UK to take a course like this. The percentage of people working in the creative industries here is much higher than the national average. We have the best theatre scene outside London, the largest independent cinema, and galleries with links to the Tate and the VandA.
This course provides general training in management with the emphasis on understanding and managing creative enterprises and cultural organisations.
We recommend that you go on at least one of two organised field trips. – The Management School will pay for travel and accommodation. – You'll need to pay for food and drink. For each field trip, you'll need to provide a £50 deposit, which will be refunded after the trip.
Four of the following:
We teach management from a truly global perspective, and our courses are based on pioneering research into the challenges faced by businesses everywhere. We use a combination of lectures, seminars, case studies, group work for collaborative learning, and web-based discussion groups. You'll be assessed through Individual assignments, group projects, end-of-semester examinations and a dissertation.
We’ll teach you how to identify opportunities, solve problems and inspire others. Many of our teaching staff are world-class researchers working in policy-relevant areas. Our courses are based on their research. We also bring in guest speakers from business, local government and industry. You can apply to carry out a project with an external organisation as part of your course. We also offer you the chance to spend the summer at another university overseas.
At Sheffield University Management School, we are committed to focusing on employability and our postgraduate students’ future career prospects. We have two specialist careers advisors in the School, dedicated to providing full-time career support throughout your course.
You will have many opportunities during your course to engage in personal and professional development. Our courses are designed to enable you to acquire the transferable skills essential for employment: communication, organisation, and the ability to deal with complex issues creatively and systematically.
Our dedicated Employability Hub acts as a key interface between students and employers. Its staff will help you access employability support, skills development and opportunities throughout your masters.
Our graduates work for companies such as Adidas, ASDA, Boots, ExxonMobil, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, Pepsico International, Sainsbury’s and Vodafone. Their job titles include Head of Business Enhancement, Management Consultant, Product Marketing Manager, Web Marketing Consultant and Campaign Manager.
We recommend that you go on at least one of two organised field trips. The Management School will pay for travel and accommodation. You'll need to pay for food and drink. For each field trip, you'll need to provide a £50 deposit, which will be refunded after the trip.
Part-time, distance learning
Drawing students from all over the world, these courses focus on the application of psychological research to musical experiences and professions and attract graduate musicians who work in the fields of music therapy, performance, or teaching.
We provide you with training in the research methods used by psychologists, together with the conceptual framework within which these methods can help to inform and explore musical expertise and understanding.
You will also benefit from newly-written online materials, and from the department´s extensive resources of books and journals in music education.
Music at Sheffield attracts world-leading academics and musicians working in a wide range of specialist fields. This is reflected in the diversity of the MA programmes we offer, both on campus and by distance learning. Our courses are taught by experts and backed by world-class research. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 84 per cent of our work was rated internationally excellent or world-leading.
We are influential in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, performance, music technology, music management and psychology of music. Our MA programmes allow students to take advantage of the department’s distinctive interdisciplinary research environment and to be part of a strong postgraduate community by taking modules from other specialist areas. Our three research centres, Music, Mind, Machine; Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre, and Music and Wellbeing provide a hub for research collaborations in music psychology and audience research.
Performance is an important part of our work. You will have the chance to participate in orchestras, music theatre, contemporary music, folk and world traditions. We have strong links with the community, giving you the chance to volunteer with local arts organisations.
Our graduates are employed by universities, colleges, concert agencies and music promoters. Many work in education; others are performers in various genres, in the UK and abroad. Some work in recording studios.
A number of graduates from our Masters programmes develop their research interests further and continue on to PhD study. Visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/research-degrees
We have a postgraduate research suite and several studios for advanced compositional work, software development, sound recording, laboratory and field experimentation, transcription, music notation and other research applications. You will have access to scores, books, periodicals, recordings and online resources.
Through a series of graduate study days you will be able to use the tools for digital recording, video and film. We also have excellent practice facilities and collections of historical and world music instruments.
Our team of professional musicians bring performance expertise to the department – including clarinettist Sarah Watts, pianist Inja Davidovic, jazz guitarist Ronan McCullagh and North Indian tabla and santoor performer John Ball.
The University offers a range of scholarships and funding for the brightest students and the Department of Music offers a number of studentships for the strongest candidates. Small grants are also available to support postgraduate research project.
For more information about funding opportunities including application deadlines visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/funding
Find information about scholarships and funding for international students at: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/international/enquiry/money/scholarships
Our tutors Nikki Dibben, Stephanie Pitts, Vicki Rowe, Renee Timmers and Victoria Williamson are renown for their expertise in the field and have been published widely in music psychology and education.
See http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/prospective-pg/taught
Much of the course is taught online in online discussions and tutorial groups, email and telephone tutorials.
You’ll also attend lectures and seminars at annual residentials and optional study days. Assessments take a variety of forms such as reports and essays. They are usually individual assessments, even if they concern the processes and outcomes of group work.
British Music Studies is a fast-growing research field in today’s musicology.
This pathway takes the broadest perspective on modern British art music, offering case studies in the work of the ‘great composers’ of the tonal idiom such as Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten, evaluation of the Anglican choral tradition and the British symphonic tradition, examination of the problematic status of modernism in British music before 1960, and criticism of modernist and postmodernist composition since World War II. Approaches are critical, analytical and sociological, with some reception history as well.
British Music Studies is a fast-growing research field in today’s musicology.
This pathway takes the broadest perspective on modern British art music, offering case studies in the work of the ‘great composers’ of the tonal idiom such as Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Britten, evaluation of the Anglican choral tradition and the British symphonic tradition, examination of the problematic status of modernism in British music before 1960, and criticism of modernist and postmodernist composition since World War II. Approaches are critical, analytical and sociological, with some reception history as well.
You will study two core modules:
You will also choose two optional modules from a range which typically includes:
Full descriptions are available below.
Assessment
Modules are typically assessed by written assignment, and some also require a presentation or examination. You will also complete a 15,000-word musicology dissertation.
Your learning will be enhanced by our facilities and music-making opportunities, including the Bramall Music Building and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.
Support with academic writing
As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.
International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: Music
Birmingham's Music postgraduates work in a wide range of careers within and beyond the music world. A postgraduate degree in Music develops a broad base of skills including general skills such as communication, problem solving and research, and also specific skills developed by practice and performance such as self-management, team work and presentation.
Over the past four years, 91% of Music postgraduates were in work and/or further study six months after graduation. Whilst some graduates pursue music-related careers, or go on to teaching and lecturing roles, others choose to use their transferable skills to follow career paths in fields including finance and the public sector.
Taught Masters degrees in History, Art History, Philosophy and American Studies at Sussex, a top 20 University
