Program Overview

Commercial Music

MA

Postgraduate degree

Overview

Whether you're a recent graduate or an industry professional, develop your skills on our Commercial Music MA.

• Flexible, adaptive and designed for both recent graduates and current professionals.
• Opportunity to specialise in Music Production, Music Business or Songwriting.
• Work alongside tutors with the highest level of experience in the music industry.

What you'll learn

• You'll carry out research into your specialist area of study and contextualise your own practice through the study of seminal productions, song recordings or business developments.
• In addition to this you'll focus on specific skills development in your specialism:
  • Music Production
    • You'll learn traditional studio techniques of recording electric bands and acoustic music.
    • You'll also expand your skillset into experimental practice and electronic sound design.
  • Songwriting
    • You'll work with multiple tutors all with professional songwriting experience studying a range of practical techniques relating to lyric writing, song form, application of harmony, writing effective toplines, stylistic referencing and alternative creative approaches.
  • Music Business
    • You'll study the most up to date business models and practice across a range of music industry areas including management, digital marketing, promotion, publishing and record companies.

Course modules

• Our Commercial Music MA course includes or offers the following modules. Please check the Programme Document for more information on which modules are core, required or optional.
  • Research Methodologies and Context
  • Songwriting Skills
  • Music Production Anatomy 1
  • Music Business Analysis
  • Song, Culture and Identity
  • Professional Collaboration
  • Music Production Anatomy 2
  • Digital Marketing in the Music Business
  • Major Project
  • Workstation Song Production

How will I be assessed?

• There are no formal exams. Your assessed material will be relevant to your specialist area and will include audio recordings, visual material, written work, presentations and viva (discussion of your work).

How will I be taught?

• You'll be taught in a variety of ways including lectures, online video material, online lectures, practical workshops, and individual tutorials.

Opportunities

• Access lectures from our undergraduate course
• Work placements, industry links and internships
• We don’t just teach you about the music industry, we bring it to you. Music Think Tank is an annual ten-week lecture series that brings you into contact with practitioners from a wide spectrum of the industry.

Careers

• Recent graduates have gone onto roles such as:
  • Professional signed artist
  • Published songwriter
  • Working in a record company
  • Music publisher
  • Music agent
  • Music promoter
  • Studio producer/engineer
  • Music manager.

Facilities and resources

• Where the subject is taught
  • The majority of module workshops, seminars and tutorials are held at our Newton Park campus but we offer a 'blended learning' approach giving you access to all lectures online.
• Resources
  • You'll have access to our music technology facilities including recording studios, rehearsal rooms and production pods.
  • Students can hire out equipment using SISO, Bath Spa University’s free equipment loan service. Commercial Music students can hire our instruments, PA systems, recording equipment, video cameras and laptops for their creative projects.

Fees

• 2025 entry
  • Student | Annual tuition fee
    ---|---
    UK full time | £9,225
    UK part time | £4,613
    International full time | £17,835

Additional course costs

• You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits. Please check the course Programme Document for details of any additional costs.

Funding opportunities

• Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.

What we look for in potential students

• We're looking for graduates who want to build on their existing skills to professionalise their creative practice, as well as existing professionals who want to galvanise their industry experience in order to enhance and widen their career prospects.

Typical offers

• You will normally have a good undergraduate degree in a relevant subject or equivalent music industry experience. You'll need to provide a digital portfolio of your creative/business work and we'll then interview you online to discuss your suitability for the course.

How do I apply?

• Ready to apply? Click the "apply now" button in the centre of this page. Need more guidance? Head to o ur how to apply pages.

When to apply

• Many of our postgraduate courses have a limited number of student spaces. To avoid the disappointment of the course being full, we recommend that you apply now.

Late applications

• Late applications (generally those made after 31 July) will only be considered if places remain on the course.

Contact us

• Admissions:
  • +44 (0)
• Course leader: James Dickinson
• Email:

Related courses

• Composition
• Creative Producing
• Music Performance
• Sound Production

Key facts

• Award: MA Commercial Music
• School/s: Bath School of Music and Performing Arts
• Campus or location: Newton Park
• Course length: One year full-time or two years part-time.

Entry requirements

• Entry requirements for our postgraduate courses vary. We're generally looking for a good honours degree or equivalent.
• Some courses also require an interview or the submission of a portfolio of work.
• Please contact our admissions team for more information: .