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Music Business (Part-Time) (Taught)

Course details
  • MA
  • 2 Years
  • Part-time
  • September 2026
  • Postgraduate
Course location
High Wycombe Campus

Course summary

Sharpen your music business and management skills and gain the confidence to pursue your career goals with the MA Music Business. With topics including the live music industry, intellectual property and talent management, alongside other key business skills, this course provides you with an opportunity to develop your personal organisation skills, self-discipline, time management, and dedication to succeed in a competitive field.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?
BNU has been delivering courses in the music industry for over 25 years, and therefore we have a wealth of expertise from within our network of lecturing staff, guest speakers, and alumni, all with a track record of success in a wide variety of roles in the music business internationally.

The MA Music Business programme allows you to develop deep knowledge and advanced skills to enhance your career in the music industry, in both employed and self-employed capacities. You’ll be able to develop a detailed understanding of the professional environment of the music and media sectors and the entrepreneurial skills necessary to exploit current opportunities as well as instigate new lines of professional activity.

All our music degrees at Buckinghamshire New University come with membership of UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP), a ground-breaking collaboration between educational institutions and UK Music, designed to maximise the relationship between the industry and educational institutions in order to inform the next generation of industry professionals.

UK Music is the collective voice of the UK’s world-leading music industry. We represent all sectors of our industry – bringing them together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music. The members of UK Music are: AIM, BPI, FAC, The Ivors Academy, MMF, MPA, MPG, MU, PPL, PRS for Music. UK Music also has an informal association with LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment).

What will I study?
The course combines core modules that develop your understanding of the modern music and entertainment industries. You’ll explore areas such as A&R development, talent management, music business entrepreneurship, research methods and an independent research project. These modules focus on discovering and developing talent, managing artists, building entrepreneurial skills and understanding current industry practices.

Optional modules allow you to specialise further in areas including contemporary industry issues, intellectual property, social media marketing and the live music industry, helping you build both creative and commercial expertise for a professional career in music and audio production.

What are my career prospects?
Graduates from this course pursue careers in numerous roles and areas of the music business, for example; artist management, artist and repertoire representative, music marketing executive, booking agent, music publishing executive, record company executive, the live music industry, music entrepreneurship, music business educator, music publisher, social media, tour manager, further postgraduate study or research.

Modules

For course module information, please visit our website: bucks.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-music-business-pt

Year 1
Core
Managing Talent
Music Business Entrepreneurship
Contemporary Industry Issues

Year Two
Core
Research Methods
Research Project
Optional
Artist & Repertoire Development
Intellectual Property for Music Professionals
Social Media Marketing
The Live Music Industry

Assessment method

Summative and formative assessments are used in all modules and the following types of assessment activity may be used on this programme subject to the pathway chosen. These include:

  • practical assignment
  • report
  • essay
  • portfolio
  • reflective commentary
  • research proposal
  • dissertation
  • practical project.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Course does not award QTS

How to apply

International applicants

For information about applying to Buckinghamshire New University as an International applicant, please visit bnu.ac.uk/study/international

Entry requirements

A typical applicant will hold a 2:1 and have an interest in pursuing a career in music, or have several years’ experience in the industry at an appropriate level.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6We require an IELTS score of 6.0 (with no element lower that 5.5) or a recognised equivalent.
If English is not your first language or if you have studied in a non-majority English-speaking country, then you will typically be required to demonstrate your English language ability (speaking, listening, reading & writing) by way of a test such as IELTS.

BNU English Language Requirementshttps://www.bnu.ac.uk/study/general-entry-requirements

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

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.

Additional fee information

For fee information, please visit our website: bucks.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma-music-business-pt

Sponsorship information

Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit bnu.ac.uk/bursaries

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