Program Overview

Introduction to the Master's Program in Popular Music and Sonic Cultures

The Master's track in Popular Music and Sonic Cultures at the University of Groningen is a unique program that examines music and audio cultures within global and local contexts. This program combines attention to creative practice and music analysis with a wide array of methodological and theoretical approaches.

Program Description

The MA track Popular Music and Sonic Cultures is open to students with a BA in Arts, Culture and Media. University of Groningen students with a BA in various fields, including American Studies, Communication & Information Sciences, Dutch Languages and Cultures, English Language and Culture, European Languages and Cultures, History, Media Studies, and Minorities & Multilingualism, with a Faculty Minor (30 ECTS) in Arts & Culture, Popular Music and Sonic Cultures track, are also admissible to this Master's track.

Curriculum

The program focuses on cutting-edge developments in popular music, including the impact of new media on modes of creativity, distribution, and reception. Through applying a range of theoretical approaches, the program offers students an in-depth understanding of how such processes affect musicians and the music industries in light of rapidly changing economic, political, and technological structures.

• Music Identities and Sound Ecologies (10 EC)
• Music Industries and Digital Cultures (10 EC)
• Songs and Music Genres (10 EC)
• MA Internship (10 EC)
• MA Thesis (15 EC)
• Music Research and Action (5 EC)

Admission Requirements

Specific requirements include:

• Previous education: The Master's track Popular Music and Sonic Cultures is open to students with a BA in Arts, Culture and Media.
• Language test: Additional requirements English: A VWO diploma or a subject certificate for VWO English (mark 6 or higher), minimum requirement of TOEFL iBT 90 (with a minimum of 21 on all items), or IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 on all items) or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency.

Tuition Fees

Nationality | Year | Fee | Programme form ---|---|---|--- EU/EEA | | € 2601 | full-time non-EU/EEA | | € 19200 | full-time EU/EEA | | € 2695 | full-time non-EU/EEA | | € 19900 | full-time

Research and Staff

The music staff is internationally recognized as experts in their fields. Their research appears in leading international journals and with high-ranking publishers. Recent publications include books and articles on European and British hip hop, crossover European jazz cultures, experimental vocal practices, German popular music and national identity, EDM and rave music cultures, online fan communities, queer DJing aesthetics, and the role of music in contemporary dance and theatre.

Job Prospects

Our students have found jobs in the music and cultural industries in the Netherlands and abroad. They are active as music programmers and cultural critics, festival and event organizers, project managers, journalists and policy advisors, content creators and coordinators, in music studios and marketing and as academics and cultural educators.

Study Support

If you have any questions or doubts about your studies, you can always contact the study advisor. They know the ins and outs of the programme and can assist with your academic planning. Study advisors are impartial and everything discussed with them is treated confidentially. They can also help connect you with the necessary persons or departments to resolve your problems.