MA Music Business

The MA Music Business course is focused on the development of a deeper understanding of the modern music industry and how to successfully shape a long-term career strategy. It takes you on a journey of critical reflection and facilitates the development of your professional practice through an industry work placement or specialist mentoring. You will develop autonomy whilst learning to apply critical thinking and research skills to your work, culminating in the completion of a major commercial project.

The course is constructed to focus on three fundamental elements: 

• Your past: 

You will reflect upon and document your experience and knowledge. 

• Your present: 

You will define and hone your skills, to sharpen your commercial edge. 

• The bridge to your future: 

You will become a recognised expert in your field. 

This course is approved and awarded by Falmouth University, one of the UK’s leading specialist universities for the creative industries.

This course is for creatives looking to develop the commercial and entrepreneurial side of their careers. Career paths from previous alumni include artist managers, publishers, songwriters, musicians, technicians, and educators. Regardless of your specialism, you will upskill in areas such as digital marketing, social media and other aspects of the modern music professional’s life. Whatever your reasons, gaining the MA will give you more professional choices, more potential income streams and those all-important letters after your name. The two- year part-time online option is even more suited to those with busier lifestyles and interested in greater flexibility in their study programme.

The 1-year MA Music Business course consists of 3 study blocks, each of 15 weeks. Your timetable of structured activity is made up of seminars, lectures, 1-1 mentoring and support sessions, for both on-campus and online students, throughout the duration of the course. You’ll get access to all content and materials via WaterBear’s dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and you’ll also be able to participate in tutorials, discussions and meetings remotely, or in person. 

You’ll get the chance to engage with lots of additional activity going on at WaterBear throughout the duration of your course too.  How much you want to get involved with up to you. The Music Industries teams are there to help you with work experience* and career development opportunities, live performance slots, festivals, conferences and industry showcases. There are also social events, clubs and societies, virtual meetups, networking opportunities, development weeks, songwriting camps, masterclasses and various kinds of other activities to explore.  

Along with the opportunity for an industry work placement or specialist industry mentoring, the MA Music Business course also includes the option to put on your own shows and events at one of WaterBear’s dedicated music venues.  

  In summary, regular teaching and learning activities include:  

• Lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops 

• One-to-one mentoring 

• Assignments, assessments and feedback sessions 

• Masterclasses 

• Special events and conferences 

• Performances and gigs 

• Peer collaboration 

• Networking and social events 

Work Placement T&Cs

This course is designed to further and develop careers in music and the wider creative industries. These career pathways typically include: 

• Music business and artist management 

• Tour management 

• Event management  

• Journalism and PR 

• Digital marketing 

• Digital content creation 

• Publishing and record label services 

• Music performance and production (e.g. touring, studio, digital, etc.) 

• Education and teaching 

• Research 

• Live sound 

Initial applications for the MA Music Business 1-yr course can be made via the Apply Now button above. 

We consider all applications on their own merit and potential. We’ll invite you to a 1-1 session, either in person or by video conference. This is where you’ll have the opportunity to find out all about WaterBear and talk about your interests, achievements and career goals.

Falmouth University Terms and Conditions can be found at https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/student-regulations.

Typically, you’ll have an undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject area and a clear interest in your subject. If you don’t have an honours degree, you may be able to satisfy entry requirements through the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) process. This provides an entry route for those who have a significant amount of music industry-relevant experience but may not have a degree. 

The MA Music Business full time course tuition fee is £10,750, or £5,750 per year for the 2-year part-time option. UK residents may be eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan. For the part-time course, other claimed benefits such as Universal Credit may continue to be available whilst accessing a part time tuition fee loan. 

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. Falmouth University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or UK Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. For more information on fees and finance, please visit Falmouth’s tuitions fees page here. 

For more information on funding and finance visit https://waterbear.org.uk/application-guide/funding-and-finance/

The MA Music Business course is available to international students if they are based in the UK with settled status (no restrictions on how long you can stay). The course is also available to study as a 2-year online only option for students located outside of the UK. 

Language requirements 

If English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to achieve an equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.5 overall score, a minimum of 5.5 in Reading, Writing and Listening, and a minimum of 6.0 in Speaking. We accept a range of equivalent approved tests too. Visit the English Language Requirements page of the Falmouth University website for more information. https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements.

Typical course costs 

There are no mandatory costs for this course, but students are advised to bring their instruments with them (where applicable). We would also recommend that students equip themselves with notebooks and pens. A laptop with Microsoft 365 is useful, but computers and music software are available in our Mac suites for onsite students . 

If you would like additional information regarding the above, please contact the admissions team. 

We offer various scholarships which can be applied for by anyone studying related courses at WaterBear. Our scholarships are reviewed yearly, with applications generally opening 3-6 months prior to the course starting. Scholarship awards generally cover the cost of all course tuition fees.