Our music courses ranked 15th out of 66 other UK institutions for student satisfaction (NSS 2019).
Looking to start a career in music and sound production? Whatever your background, Solent University’s popular music production programme will enable you to deepen your skills in a wide range of areas – preparing you for a fantastic career as a music producer of the future.
The course explores three main areas of study: technical and musical foundations, music and sound production in studio and live settings, and employability in the music industry. These varied subjects enable you to gain a broad understanding of the industry, so when you graduate you’ll be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to kick-start your career.
Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to use a range of facilities including our specialist recording studios – each with top of the range software, facilities and instruments including: Pro Tools Ultimate and Logic digital audio workstations, Microphones by Neumann, AKG and Shure. Analog processing includes Neve, Universal Audio, Focusrite, Empirical Labs, and Portico. Instruments provided included Drums by DW and Mapex, a Moog Synthesiser, Korg Kronos, Marshall, Fender and Vox valve guitar amplifiers. Software includes Native Instruments Komplete, and Plugins by Sonnox, McDSP and Celemony. Live sound mixers include Allen and Heath DLive, Soundcraft Si, and Midas M32.
Thanks to the academic teams close links with industry, you will have the opportunity to attend guest lectures from visiting industry professionals. Speakers have recently included: Mike Moran, composer; Trevor Horn, Grammy award-winning producer; Sam Skirrow, Bass player; Rob Da Bank, DJ and festival organiser; Gary Langhan, sound engineer; and Mark Lawrence, CEO of The Association for Electronic Music.
As a popular music production student you’ll also have the chance to visit the legendary Abbey Road studios, probably the most famous studio in the world, and talk to engineers at the top of the industry during a real recording session.
Solent provides a creative hub where students can meet film makers, animators, game designers, musicians, and video video producers and work on combined projects.
What does this course lead to?
Recent graduates have gone on to work in diverse areas such as live sound, game audio, recording studios, film and television sound, and technical support – working at organisations such as Bang Post-Production, Sony Music, Envy Post-Production, Global Documentary, Columbia Records, Metropolis Studios, EMI Music Licensing and Stage Miracles.
Who is this course for?
Solent’s music production programme is ideally suited to students who want to combine that unique mix of technical and musical skills, while developing an understanding of the industries that await them. Applicants should previously have studied music technology or a related subject, or be able to demonstrate some music making experience.
YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Principles of Sound
Introduction to Studio Recording 1
Principles of Music
Introduction to Studio Recording 2
Creative Music Industries
Sampling Synthesis and Midi
YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Advanced Studio Recording 1
Advanced Studio Recording 2
Creative Sound Design
Live Music Production
Music Portfolio Careers
YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Advanced Live Music Production
Music and Sound for Games
YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Major Project
Advanced Music Production
Live Project Brief
YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Surround Mixing
Live Event Technology
Live Sound Technology
Experimental Music Production
This course is assessed via recordings, presentations, written assignments, a live event portfolio, a website or blog, and one timed technical assessment. There may also be video presentations or other forms negotiated with your tutor.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Southampton, Solent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
For information about applying to Solent as an International applicant, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/entry-requirements/help-for-international-students
• Direct entry to years 2 (Level 5) or 3 (Level 6)
We welcome applications from students currently studying a Foundation Degree, DipHE, HNC, HND or modules of an undergraduate degree course at another university, who wish to enter directly into Years 2 or 3 of one of our undergraduate degree courses.
• Level 5 (year 2) entry
To directly enter the second year of this course you will need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 120 undergraduate credits at Level 4 or a CertHE in a related subject area.
• Level 6 (year 3) entry
To directly enter the third year of this course you need to show appropriate knowledge and experience. For example, you are an ideal candidate if you have 240 undergraduate credits (at Levels 4 and 5), a DipHE, Foundation Degree or HND in a related subject area.
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | with 5.5 in each individual component. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | with a minimum of 20 in each individual compoenent. |
We understand that each student is unique. At Solent we encourage individuality and have adopted a balanced approach to Admissions, by considering exam results alongside portfolios / interviews or auditions.
Our contextual offer scheme allows offers below our standard academic entry criteria to those who have faced challenges which has impacted their performance and predicted higher grades, by taking into account additional selection criteria such as a strong portfolio, interview or audition.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
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Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries
Email:admissions@solent.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0) 23 8201 5066
Email:student.funding@solent.ac.uk
East Park Terrace
Southampton
SO14 0YN
At Southampton, Solent University
