Popular Music: Music Industries MLitt

This Masters in Popular Music: Music Industries programme introduces and develops your critical understanding of popular music and prepares you for a role in the music industries.

  • The programme is unique in the UK, offering the only postgraduate placement involving a tailored research project within a music industries organisation. You will spend semester two on placement with one of a number of music industry employers.
  • You do not have to be a musician to apply. The programme has been designed to appeal to a range of students.
  • This programme is multidisciplinary: we employ a variety of academic approaches and draw upon the University's expertise in a range of disciplines including sociology, cultural studies, musicology and literary studies.
  • You will benefit from access to our facilities including seminar and practice rooms, a small library, two audio labs and an electroacoustic music studio, the University’s concert hall and attached studios.
  • You will be studying in the city of Glasgow with its vibrant and exciting music scene – the UK’s first UNESCO city of music. Our programme benefits from access to a range of theorists and practitioners from within both academia and the music industries.

Programme overview

  • MLitt: 12 months full-time; 24 months part-time

Core courses

  • Popular music theory
  • Popular music history
  • The music industries
  • Music industries placement
  • Dissertation of up to 20,000 words.

The music industries placement gives you the chance to work within a music industries environment as part of a placement. You will undertake a project supervised by the host organisation in conjunction with academic staff.

Careers

The music industry placement has been designed for those seeking a career in the creative industries, and more specifically, the music industry including record companies, management companies and promoters. Other graduates have combined the degree with other studies to pursue careers in areas such as law and education.

Further information: Dr Martin Cloonan
email: Martin.Cloonan@glasgow.ac.uk or music-enquiries@glasgow.ac.uk

Entry requirements for postgraduate taught programmes are a 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification (for example, GPA 3.0 or above) in a relevant subject unless otherwise specified.

English language

If your first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. See English Language Requirements.

Further information regarding entry requirements: student.recruitment@glasgow.ac.uk

We ask that you apply online for a postgraduate taught degree. Our system allows you to fill out the standard application form online and submit this to the University within 42 days of starting your application.

You need to read the guide to applying online before starting your application. It will ensure you are ready to proceed, as well as answer many common questions about the process. 

Guide to applying online

Apply now