Music and Management MA

Course overview

This course caters for a wide range of musical interests and tastes and enables you to build the specialist skills necessary to progress in the music-management business.

Core modules in live music management and promotion, recording business, and creative industries management will develop your understanding of the industry through real-world examples, leading to a major music management project. Supported by a supervisor you will devise, manage, and deliver a music management project, applying the theory and skills you’ll have developed across the course in a practical way.

You’ll explore digital business, entrepreneurship or intellectual property law, gaining knowledge and skills that you can then apply in your project work and in your future career. You’ll also have the opportunity to pursue modules in other areas of music such as performance or music publishing business, or write a short dissertation on a topic you choose.

The University of Leeds is ideally situated for studying music and management owing to our city’s great musical diversity. Leading venues include the First Direct Arena, O2 Academy, and Leeds Town Hall. We also have existing relationships with the Leeds International Piano Competition and Opera North.

The course is ideal if you wish to pursue a management career in the music industry, and for existing music-industry managers wishing to enhance their skills or undertake continuous professional development.

Your Music Management Project will give you the chance to put all of your learning and research into practice, as well as offering you an opportunity to develop your music-management CV.

Whether you’re looking to launch a management career in the music industry or you want to enhance your skills and promotion prospects, the content and experience gained on this course will help you to attain the diversity of skills you need to succeed.

Our staff have substantial practical experience working in the area of music management, and we also have a variety of excellent facilities to support your learning including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces, and studios for sound recording.

Additionally, we have good working relationships with a range of prestigious arts organisations: we host BBC Radio 3 concerts, Leeds Lieder and the Leeds International Piano Competition, as well as enjoying a close partnership with Opera North and many others in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.

Our courses are supported by our own Industrial Advisory Board comprising of experienced practitioners operating in all major music industry sectors.

Course details

The focus of the degree is a major Music Management Project that combines and reflects upon music-management theory and practice. This could include, for example, organising an event, acting as a consultant during a work placement you organise, or managing a musical group or artist. Core modules in Live Music Management and Promotion, Recording Industry Now and Creative Industries Management will equip you with the skills and knowledge to undertake your major project; you’ll also be introduced to research methods in music to support your academic studies.

In addition to the core Creative Industries Management module run by Leeds University Business School, you’ll select one further module offered by the Business School – in the area of Digital Business or Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Creation – or the School of Law – looking at Intellectual Property Management – the content of which may be applied to your specific area of expertise through your Music Management Project, the optional music publishing business module How Songs Makes Money, and beyond the MA degree.

You might also choose other optional Music modules, enabling you to write a short dissertation on a musical subject of your choice, or to specialise in performance. If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Music and Management MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Music and Management MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Learning and teaching

This course is diverse, so you’ll come across a range of teaching and learning methods.

These will include lectures, seminars and tutorials as well as group learning.

You might also take instrumental or vocal lessons if you take a performance module. Independent study is vital to this course, allowing you to build a variety of skills and express your creativity.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed using a range of methods, including presentations, reports, bibliographic exercises and group project work. Leeds University Business School modules may include written exams. Specialised music modules will also use relevant methods of assessment, such as concerts, recitals, podcasts, recordings and commentaries on musical sources.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in music, business, management or a related subject.

We will consider other relevant professional (or similar) experience in lieu of formal musical qualifications where a high level of suitable practical experience can be demonstrated at the point of application.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component . For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Business Management and Enterprise (6 weeks) and Language for Business: Business Management and Enterprise (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. You could study a part-time online course starting in January, or a full-time course in summer. Find out more about online pre-sessionals.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Application deadline

We will consider applications from 1 October – 1 September.

However, we recommend you apply as early as possible, especially if you are planning to apply for external funding. You will usually be expected to have an offer of a place on a course before you apply for funding.

You may also need to leave time to make arrangements such as visa applications or relocating to Leeds.

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Documents and other information you will need

• Your degree certificate and transcript, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying. Please also include official translations in English if applicable.

• If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide evidence of your English language qualification.

• A personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form. Please note that statements which do not provide detailed answers to the questions below will not be considered. The list of questions is outlined below:

  [1] Why are you applying for this MA programme in Music and Management? Please explain in detail how you think the programme will support your career aims.

  [2] What specific aspects of music and management most interest you, and why? (Have you studied any of these topics already?)

  [3] What experience do you have of music management or the music business (for example: event, artist or venue management, recording or music publishing business, research and development, music marketing), and have you studied the academic theory behind any of these areas already?

  [4] Do you have any specific ideas about what you want to do for your Music Management Project as part of the programme?

  [5] Do you have any specific thoughts on what other modules you might want to take as part of the course, to develop the skills and expertise you need for your future? Please let us know the reasons why you are interested in particular modules.

• If you are an international applicant and have previously studied in the UK on a Student Visa, please provide a copy of your Visa (and Residence Permit if applicable) to cover all the dates of your time in the UK, a copy of your CAS summary, and a copy of your completion/award certificate if applicable.

• Please note that there are some optional modules available as part of our courses for which new students may be required to provide an example of their work, audition, or liaise with the relevant Module Leader first in order to assess suitability for entry on to the optional module. Assessment for optional modules with pre-requisites is not part of the admissions process. Offer holders are normally contacted by the School regarding optional modules in advance of their studies.

• References may be requested.

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023

This course is taught by

School of Music

Contact us

Postgraduate Admissions

Email: pgtmusic@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Fees

UK: £14,500 (total)

International: £27,250 (total)

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Find out more about scholarships and funding opportunities available in the School of Music.

Career opportunities

This course will equip you with in-depth knowledge of business and management issues, both within and beyond the music industry. It will also equip you with transferable skills in research, analysis, interpretation, communication, cultural and commercial awareness that are valuable to a wide range of employers.

All of this will put you in a great position to succeed in the music industry, as well as other related areas of arts and creative industries management. We also offer additional support as you develop your career plans: the School of Music boasts an Alumni Mentoring Network, where students can be supported by past students as they start to plan their next steps.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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