Hereford College of Arts
Popular Music BA (Hons)
Hereford College of Arts

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 70 graduates of Popular Music BA (Hons) and other courses in CAH25 at Hereford College of Arts for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in CAH25.

Overall student satisfaction
70 /100
70 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in CAH25

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of CAH25 at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £21000 £15500 £18000
25-75 percentile range £16000 - £23500 £11500 - £18500 £14000 - £22500


Salary of all UK Graduates of CAH25

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £21455 £18360 £22141
25-75 percentile range £17911 - £25024 £13492 - £22848 £16777 - £27979

Course Description

Follow in the tradition of some of the UK’s greatest musicians and start your creative music career at an art school. We nurture students to develop their own voice and practice and then connect them to the ever expanding opportunities in the world.

It’s a well-known secret that some of the greatest musicians studied music at arts school. Some of our best-known original thinkers and innovators have developed their musical creativity in an inspiring environment that allowed them to think differently. At HCA we support you to do the same. We’ll support you to be musically curious, to break down barriers and amaze yourself with your own daring. In a collaborative environment of like-minded individuals, in a community that allows you to develop at your own pace due to small group tuition. We give you the opportunity to discover your authentic voice while studying a wealth of musical styles. Music at HCA will equip you with the skills and experience to allow you to enter the industry on a professional level: as a performer, songwriter, event producer, soundtrack designer, to name a few.

Popular music at HCA is a vocational course designed for performers, songwriters and producers who wish to graduate with all the creative skills, knowledge and experience needed to have a successful career in the music industry. From mainstream to underground, this degree embraces music in its many forms – from rock, pop, folk, urban, jazz and to the experimental. Study on an industry-focused program in an inspiring art school environment

Industry Links

Herefordshire has a vibrant community of musicians, producers, recording studios, venues, music festivals and community music outlets that contribute to an exciting live scene. The course will enable you to connect with the rich music ecology within the city and the wider region.

After this Course

This dynamic, innovative, industry-facing course is designed for students whose ambition it is to work in the music industry. Throughout your journey at HCA you will have the opportunity to develop innovative ways of achieving a portfolio of skills that are relevant to employment opportunities within music and the allied creative industries. Career destinations of a BA (Hons) graduate might include performing, producing, song writing and the wider creative industries such as digital marketing, live event management and publishing.

Highlights

  1. You will be taught by a strong team of industry focused lecturers combined with regular masterclasses from professionals that are designed to educate, stimulate, and motivate.

  2. Access to rehearsal rooms, acoustically designed and fully equipped. Whether it be high-end digital or retro analogue, you will be able to produce and create a diverse range of professional sound recordings.

  3. Develop an expertise in a business relevant to your musical interest and discover opportunities for industry based internships and graduate placements.

  4. Small class sizes provide highly personalised levels of supervision and support. This will enable you to develop your own specialist practice you need for working within this dynamic sector.

  5. Opportunities to collaborate with other creatives in a dynamic arts school environment.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Popular Music BA (Hons) at Hereford College of Arts

20% Managers, directors and senior officials
20% Teaching Professionals
15% Administrative occupations
10% Business and public service associate professionals
5% Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
5% Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
5% Skilled trades occupations
5% Elementary occupations
0% Protective service occupations
0% Secretarial and related occupations

Entry Requirements / Admissions

We are unable to accept applications from international students (including EU/EEA) for this course.
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Popular Music, BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Popular Music BA (Hons)

England UK £9000 year 1
Northern Ireland £9000 year 1
Scotland £9000 year 1
Wales £9000 year 1
Channel Islands £9000 year 1
Ireland £9000 year 1

Additional fee information

In addition to the degree fees, the nature of creative arts practice means you will need to allow for additional costs, such as the materials you choose to use in your work and for trips to external events & exhibitions. The courses at HCA have been designed to minimise the impact of additional costs; all course leaders have an annual budget with some trips & materials fully funded by the College or heavily subsidised. However, typically, a student will choose to spend an additional £250 in the first year, £375 in the second year and £400 in their final year, depending on nature of their work and materials chosen.

We appreciate that not all students will be able to invest the same money in their work, and staff assessing it will not judge work by the cost of materials or resources. The college shop includes many specialist materials at good value and digital equipment can be borrowed from the media stores at no cost to students.

Students are offered an optional Adobe Creative Cloud subscription for use outside of college. In the 2022-23 academic year this cost £16.24 per month. NB: Adobe Creative Cloud is provided free to use for any student working within the college.

Students on all courses will also have the chance to take part in optional trips that require payments towards their costs. Again, non-attendance will not incur assessment penalties, though trips are designed to help students develop their practice. There is an optional annual cross-course residential trip abroad. In the 2023-24 academic year, the trip was a four-day visit to Paris at a cost to students of £425. This fee included a shared dorm room and all travel costs from Hereford to Paris including Eurostar tickets.

Support Available from Hereford College of Arts

The HCA Cash Bursary: is designed to benefit students who are starting Higher Education for the first time; are ordinarily resident in England; the student must be liable to pay the full £9,000 tuition fee for their course and be from a low-income family (£25,000 a year or less). The student must also be in receipt of the full Higher Education Maintenance Loan. Each cash bursary is £1,000 which students receive in their first year only.

Care Leaver Bursary

Care leavers will be offered free accommodation with City Heart at Station Approach accommodation for their first year only. Care leaver students will be able to stay there until the end of their first year (not over the Summer) and will also receive the Cash Bursary of £1,000. Care leaver students will also receive a Care Leaver Bursary of £1,000 in both their second and third year. Evidence of being a care leaver must be in the form of an original letter showing Care Leaver Status from your local authority.

Partner Colleges Progression Bursary

A Progression Bursary of £500 is available to students from our progression partner colleges*, in their first year only, who have successfully completed a Level 3 or equivalent course within the last 2 academic years and progress on to a degree programme at HCA.

*Partner Colleges:

Bath College, Belfast Met College, Bourneville, South & City College, Cirencester College, City of Bristol College, Coleg y Cymoedd, Dudley College, Evesham College, Gloucestershire College – ALL Campuses, Gower College, Grantham College, Halesowen College, Heart of Worcestershire College, Hereford College of Arts, Herefordshire & Ludlow College, Hereford Sixth Form College, Malvern Hills College, Newent Sixth Form College, NWRC Derry, NPTC group, Plumpton College, Shrewsbury College, South Gloucestershire & Stroud College, Stratford Upon Avon College, Swindon College & Worcester Sixth Form College

Internal Progression Bursary

All students who have studied & successfully completed a Level 3 course within the last two academic years at HCA and progress to undergraduate study at HCA will be eligible to receive a bursary of £500 in their first year.

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

About Hereford College of Arts

Hereford College of Arts is a specialised art school located in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom. Students can expect to work in an environment that values and respects their artistic vision, thanks to the college’s philosophy of interfering as little as possible with the work that students wish to create.

List of 21 Bachelor and Master Courses from Hereford College of Arts - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Hereford College of Arts

undergraduates:
postgraduates:
Total:
0
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Where is this programme taught

Main Site
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