IS ONLINE STUDY FOR YOU?
At WaterBear, your degree isn’t just academic it’s a launchpad for your artistry. You’ll work on your own music, projects, and ideas, guided by tutors who are active in the industry. It’s hands-on, relevant, and designed to move with you. Our online degrees are made for real musicians living real lives. Whether you’re gigging, parenting, producing, teaching, or returning to music later in life — this is a place for you to grow. You don’t have to fit into one mould. Our online students include:
- Tour-managing drummers with kids
- Bedroom producers with big visions
- Guitarists teaching by day and creating by night
- Artists carving new creative paths in their 40s and beyond
What connects them all? Independence, creativity, and the desire to study on their own terms without compromise.
YOU CHOOSE HOW TO ENGAGE
We know one size never fits all. That’s why our courses are flexible by design you can tailor your learning experience to fit your lifestyle, energy, and goals. Whether you’re fully independent or want to immerse yourself in every opportunity, your engagement is your choice. We’ll guide you to the right level of support — and adapt as things shift.
You’re proactive and self-led. You’ll work through pre-recorded classes, guided tasks, and assignments at your own pace. With everything housed in our virtual campus, it’s all there when you need it. And when you do want support, it’s just a message or a tutorial booking away.
You like a rhythm, but on your terms. Alongside your self-paced study, you’ll drop into live module webinars, schedule one-to-one tutorials, and build a study pattern that supports your creative flow without overwhelm. Ideal for structured learners or those who thrive with a check-in.
You’re all in. You want to join every session, masterclass, and opportunity going and maybe even travel to Brighton or Sheffield for in-person Development Weeks. You’ll craft a journey that blends live and recorded learning across songwriting, production, technique, content creation, and more.
WHY STUDY A BA AND MA ONLINE?
Our online BA (Hons) and master’s degrees in music, validated by Falmouth University, are designed to support your creative goals and career path, wherever you are in your journey. You’ll learn through doing, developing your own music and projects, deepening your skills, and building real connections between your artistry and the industry. It’s hands-on, meaningful learning that is designed to flex with your schedule and fuel your next step.
Our 2-year online BA (Hons) degree courses are accelerated, saving you time and money without compromising quality. Additionally, without the need for accommodation and travel costs, you’ll benefit from further cost savings. Online undergraduates also receive £750 to invest in musical equipment, along with a choice of DAW software and Slate plugin bundle to aid your home study and music-making.
We offer two 1-year online master’s degrees in MA Songwriting and MA Music Education, as well as MA Music Business 2-year part-time. Each course option can also be studied on-site in Brighton or Sheffield. Since some of our programmes are open to music industry professionals as well as graduates, you may not even need an undergraduate degree to join us. MA students also receive bursaries and other benefits to support your studies.
