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Course starts: 14 September 2026Apply now
Learn in Sunderland's cultural quarter at the Northern Academy of Music Education. Study key practices and ideas associated with commercial music production. Pursue a career in commercial music and associated fields.
BA (Hons) Modern Music Industries covers the skills needed to succeed as a professional in the modern music industry. The course is designed and delivered by current industry professionals and covers the areas of recording, marketing, event planning, composing, genre studies, and music performance.
By studying this course, you’ll gain practical skills that enable you to pursue a career in the live or recorded sectors of the music industry, or related sectors such as media or music teaching. You’ll also develop critical thinking skills that'll enable you to further your academic journey and better understand your practice.
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This course allows you to lead on your own artistic progression by focusing on your vocational interests in the field.
In year one and two, you'll learn about event management and production, with elements of genre studies at the core of the course. You'll also have the option of studying music theory and music business. Alongside your studies, you'll follow a personal progression pathway, where you can choose a topic in your own area of interest to develop as a research project.
In the third year of this course, your studies will become more learner-led. You'll present an investigation on your personal practice, while learning to teach your specialist field, and creating your own professional portfolio.
At the end of the course, you'll have developed skills that will help you with future employability.
We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.
You'll also be required to prepare an audition piece in a specialist field. We can consider those coming from a non-traditional entry route and a case may be made for entry onto the course if your audition is outstanding or if you have experience in the music industry. In this case, a sample of written work must be submitted to ensure that you're capable of the academic rigour of the course.
Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you in studying with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
If you already have a Foundation degree, HND, or HNC qualification in music or a music-related course, then you may be eligible to join us as a direct applicant into stage 2 or stage 3 of this degree. This will be using our Accreditation of Prior Learning route. For more information on how to apply to join Stage 2 or Stage 3, please contact Northern Academy of Music Education.
If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.
The annual, full-time fee for this course is:
Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.
Please note, this course isn't open to international students.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
This unique course prepares you for roles in music-related industries including music performance, venue and band management, event promotion, music recording, and content creation.
A degree in modern music provides many different employment routes upon graduation, from performance roles, including recording artist and session musician; production roles, including songwriter, arranger, producer, and studio engineer; and roles in the live music industry, including live sound engineer and promoter.
Dan Donnelly is one of the directors at NAME. He's a songwriter, solo performer, and lead guitarist for the Folk Rock band, The Levellers. He has written and recorded chart-topping records and singles, touring the globe multiple times. He has 14 years of experience running courses and teaching music in the UK.
Barry Hyde is one of the directors at NAME. He's a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and lead singer of The Futureheads. He's written and recorded chart-topping singles and albums, toured as a solo artist and with his band, and also supported bands such as The Foo Fighters, Oasis, and Muse.
Peter Brewis is a producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. As one-half of Mercury Music nominated act Field Music, he's been making records for many years including the UK top 30 album Open Here. He continues to record and play music while also teaching composition and production for NAME, where he is a senior lecturer.