Commercial Music BA (Hons)

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Course Summary

Develop your talent as a producer and performer through the practical and theoretical study of popular music. On this very practically based degree, you will also have the opportunity to develop extremely useful skills such as recording techniques, mixing, live sound engineering, songwriting and arranging – all essential for working in the music industry. Our course provides a unique opportunity for you to excel in performance and production while developing a critical mind and becoming an intelligent, multi-skilled musician.

Additional enhancements to the course include links with live music venues, musicians and professionals within the region, as well as events such as Creative Futures, where students gain invaluable insights into the industry from industry professionals, musicians and academics through the delivery of performances, masterclasses and workshops.

A group of music students performing on stage.

Music at the University of Chester

What you'll Study

Modules on the BA Commercial Music course are all core. However, modules are large and overarching, and often contain a lot of choice within them. In Year 1 (Level 4), students gain a foundation in the subject in the context of undergraduate level study, focusing on fundamentals of performance, recording, computer music creation, popular music studies, music harmony, and other key areas of study.

Year 2 (Level 5) builds on the foundation in terms of production and performance and broadens out the learning to include additional areas of study, which may include songwriting and composition and the music industry.

Year 3 (Level 6) is focused on the mastery of your specialism, critical thinking and working in collaboration.

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How you'll Learn

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The majority of teaching takes place in lectures, workshops, studio sessions, other practical sessions and peer-led seminars

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This course is designed around in-person study

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You will be assessed in a variety of ways

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Collaborate with students from related courses on a common first year

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, students typically study 40 credits comprising one overarching module which may cover a variety of topics. Students can expect to take part in lectures, workshops, studio sessions, other practical sessions and peer-led seminars.

Students should expect to spend approximately 30-34 hours per week on independent study, which might include tutorial time with staff, studio practice time, instrumental practice, using the University’s library, working with peers and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching will be delivered by experience academics and practitioners in the subject. This is likely to be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.

There will be a broad range of assessment methods so that students are exposed to the different types of task they might encounter in the workplace. These are likely to include practical performances, portfolios of music production and creation work and presentations, amongst other methods of assessment. We continuously review the assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare students for graduate level employment.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Entry Requirements

104UCAS Points

UCAS

104 UCAS points

GCE A Level

104 UCAS points from GCE A Levels or equivalent. Typical offer - CCC/BCC

BTEC

BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM

T Level

Pass (C or above on the core)

Irish / Scottish Highers

Irish Highers - H3, H3, H3, H4, H4

Scottish Highers - BBBB

International Baccalaureate

28 points

Access requirements

Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, 30 of which must be at Merit

OCR

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - DMM

Extra Information / General Entry Requirements

Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer.  We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.  We accept the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma.

Applicants will be required to attend an audition.

ABRSM Grade 8 or equivalent on your instrument (or voice), and the ability to read music, would be preferred. Do not let this put you off applying; reading music is not essential and if you don't have grade 8 we will probably still offer you an audition.

Candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements, or who have non-standard qualifications and relevant music experience, are encouraged to apply and will be considered if they can demonstrate appropriate ability through their audition. 

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

  • IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
  • Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

Fees and Funding

£9,535per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,535 a year, or £1,590 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

The University may increase these fees at the start of each subsequent year of your course in line with inflation at that time, as measured by the Retail Price Index. These fee levels and increases are subject to any necessary government, and other regulatory, approvals.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

£14,450*per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £14,450 per year for a full-time course. This fee is set for each year of study.

The University of Chester offers generous international and merit-based scholarships, providing a significant reduction to the published headline tuition fee. You will automatically be considered for these scholarships when your application is reviewed, and any award given will be stated on your offer letter.

For courses with a Foundation Year, the tuition fees for Year 1 are £10,750 and £14,200 for Years 2-4 in 2025/26.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes. 

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials.

Students often elect to purchase a laptop, where students choose to do so, the cost it likely to be around £800-£1000.

Additional costs are likely to be small and infrequent, but there may occasionally be optional trips and small specialist equipment such as headphones may need to be purchased.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills. 

Who you'll Learn from

Jim Mason

Programme Leader for BA Music Production and Co-Programme Leader for BA Music Production & Performance
Jim Mason

Dr Ruth Dockwray

Associate Professor
Dr Ruth Dockwray

Associate Professor Ben Broughton

Head of Communications, Screen and Performance
Associate Professor Ben Broughton

Where you'll study Creative Campus, Kingsway

Join our Creative Community

Home to courses in Art and Design, Music, Media, and Performance; Kingsway presents fantastic opportunities for collaboration between artists, designers, writers, producers, and performers alike.

Connect with Experts

We have an excellent student-to-staff ratio at Kingsway where you have opportunities to connect with our highly regarded and experienced staff. Kingsway also boasts excellent links with influential figures and organisations from local, national, and international agencies.

Specialist Studio and Workshop Spaces

Access a range of traditional and contemporary facilities, including art and photography studios, a metal casting foundry, sound and video editing suites, dark rooms, a reprographics room, lighting studio, and specially designed workshops for printmaking, textiles, digital art, and sculpture.

Art and Design female student in art studio workspace with various art materials.

Music Rehearsal and Recording Facilities

Benefit from sound-proofed rehearsal spaces, equipped with the latest technology for recording and live sound, as well as four fully equipped rehearsal and performance studios, an outdoor performance space, and a smaller indoor space for intimate performances.

A group of music students performing on stage.

Contemporary Art Space Chester (CASC)

We have our own Contemporary Art Space (CASC) Foyer Gallery which offers onsite exhibition space for internal and external formal shows, in addition, there are also informal exhibition spaces across the campus for student and staff interim exhibitions.

A man looking at photography printed artwork in gallery space

Equipment Loan Provision

Along with our recording spaces and post-production facilities, the University has an extensive loan provision which includes a range of video cameras, audio recording devices, and specialist kit, so that students can continue to perform and practice outside of their studies.

Your Future Career

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.