This practical course covers all areas of the music industry but has performance at its heart. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities to perform in the range of renowned venues across the South West, and beyond. Participants also hone their craft through live broadcast sessions, participation in the department’s Rock Choir and the staging of shows throughout the year. This programme also focuses on employability, and has been tailored to support students in their professional music-making through specialist workshops, one-to-one lessons, studio trips and group instrument tuition with experienced session musicians.
As well as the chance to improve your musicianship, create a professional body of work and develop a performance persona that stands out from the crowd, this programme also covers the key aspects of music marketing, and provides real experience of live sound and events management. Completion of the course will set you up to work as a session musician and also help you understand what it takes to get a publishing or recording deal. This Foundation Degree also acts as great preparation for progression to UCW’s BA (Hons) Top-up in Professional Music Performance and Production – an attractive pathway for those looking to gain full Honours at Level 6.
Foundation Degrees are Level 5 qualifications equivalent to the first two years of a full Honours Degree. They are designed with employer input and combine academic study with work-based learning, so students on this course gain the knowledge and experiences that businesses are looking for from the candidates they hire. They often also include a work experience element, which our placement specialists can help our students arrange. UCW’s commitment to great graduate outcomes is also underpinned by our students having access to a Careers Coaching service for the whole time they are enrolled with us.
UCW’s Foundation Degree in Popular Music is taught in the professional-standard studios, rehearsal rooms and classrooms of our Loxton Campus. You’ll collaborate with students across our music degrees and also work in your own areas of interest to produce a promotional package of recordings and performances. Students on this course are also regularly invited to perform with the Musical Theatre students based at our Knightstone Campus as part of a pit band for musicals, and have full access to the dedicated higher education library, extended opening hours and state-of-the-art teaching learning facilities at the redeveloped Winter Gardens.
The philosophy of the course is versatility, so we encourage students to explore musical genres and write and compose for a range of popular and contemporary styles. It is taught by experienced and highly qualified music industry professionals from a range of backgrounds, including song-writing and composing, performance styles, pre and post-production, and events and promotions. Students on this course are also regularly invited to attend guest lectures with music industry experts. In the past, this has included a special talk by an Emmy Award-winning composer for film and visits from representatives of important industry organisations such as the Musicians Union.
Students on our music degree pathways are also invited to attend optional studio visits and residential trips at an additional expense subsidised by us. UCW students have been recorded playing at Abbey Road Studios, Monnow Valley Studio, Rockfield Studios, Modern World Studios and Sawmills Studio.
Please click on the next tab to find out more about what you’ll learn on this programme how it is taught and assessed. The dropdowns below deal with our partnership with Bath Spa University and what is and isn’t covered by the tuition fees. Please contact the FdA Popular Music course leader Susannah Scott or UCW’s HEART team if you have any questions. It would be great to see you at our next Open Day. We can also arrange bespoke visits so you can meet our teams and have a look around our facilities.
Students who pass this course will be awarded a Foundation Degree from Bath Spa University. The agreement between Bath Spa University and UCW is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure academic standards are maintained.
Full-time tuition fees: £8.250 per year.
This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for you to complete the course.
It also includes:
- The use of UCW recording equipment and specialist software.
- Attendance at guest lectures at UCW.
- Additional instrument and equipment tuition, provided on an ongoing basis at UCW’s discretion.
- Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students.
- The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
- The loans of books from our libraries.
- Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.
It does not include:
- Optional studio visits at an approximate cost of £35 each.
- Optional UK residential visits at an approximate cost of £25 – £50 per night.
- Extra printing and photocopying above the £10 limit.
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
- Accommodation and other living costs.
UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.
You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.
All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth 40 credits each. Successful completion of all of the modules in the first year is worth 120 credits at Level 4 and equivalent to a Certificate of Higher Education. Successful completion of the second year is also worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Foundation Degree.
Year 1:
Performing (40 credits)
Studio musicianship (40 credits)
Understanding popular music (40 credits)
Year 2:
Contemporary composing and songwriting (40 credits)
Music enterprise and entrepreneurship (40 credits)
Performing 2 (40 credits)
This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars and skills practice. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework and exams.
This course has an average of 12 hours scheduled teaching per week.
At UCW, we also understand that some students benefit from more contact time with lecturers than is the norm at a traditional university, so we do all we can to make sure academic staff are available for their students when they are needed.
Assessment is via a combination of practical exams and coursework. The assessment breakdown is 35% practical exam and 65% coursework. There are no written exams on this Foundation Degree.
Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more.
- Many of the students who pass this course choose to progress to the 1 year Level 6 Honours Top-up Degree in Professional Music Performance and Production at UCW.
- Graduates can also seek to work in numerous formal roles in the music industry; embark upon your their music career by writing songs for other performers or making and selling their own recordings; or seek freelance work as a touring or session musician.
A minimum of CDD at A Level, or a BTEC Extended Diploma at MMP, or equivalent, preferably in a related area. Applications from those studying two A Levels or alternative Level 3 qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
