MMus
Popular Music
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Why study MMus Popular Music at Goldsmiths
The MMus Popular Music centres creative artists in a stimulating and supportive environment where critical enquiry, and testing songs, compositions, performance and experimentation in practice can lead to a portfolio of new work.
- The Popular Music Masters is designed for music artists who are seeking to deepen their creative practice. We are songwriters and composers, producers and performers, engaged in making work that has relevance to real music scenes.
- The programme builds upon our international reputation in the popular music field established by our ground-breaking undergraduate degree.
- The development of industry-relevant skills and key cultural-theoretical understandings is led by the needs of our own projects and foundational knowledge. Typically, students make records, explore performance and production methodologies, present shows, write and release new sets of songs/works. The programme offers the opportunity to extend the boundaries of artistry and critically reflect upon our own creativity in music.
- You’ll also be able to extend your own practice through options in sonic and studio art, advanced music technology, exploration in audiovisual media, and ethnomusicology.
- You’ll acquire graduate-level training in creative practice and subject-specific skills that could set you up for a career as a composer-performer or studio practitioner/producer, as well as other jobs in the popular music sector.
Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Simon Deacon.
Length
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
Entry requirements
You should have (or expect to have) an undergraduate degree of at least 2:1 standard in Music or related subject. Your qualification should comprise a substantial relevant practical/creative element. You might also be considered if you can show you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
Fees
Home - full-time: £12520
Home - part-time: £6260
International - full-time: £22640
Department
What you'll study
Full-time students take the following modules:
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Popular Music Composition | 30 credits |
| Advanced Strategies in Creative Music Production | 30 credits |
| Popular Music Project | 60 credits |
Full-time students also take optional modules worth 60 credits from an approved list available from the Department of Music.
Part-time students
Part-time students take Popular Music Compostion and complete the Popular Music Project. They then take optional modules worth 90 credits, one of which can be Advanced Strategies in Creative Music Production.
Note about optional modules (if available): The above is indicative of the typical modules offered, but is not intended to be construed or relied on as a definitive list of what might be available in any given year. The module content and availability is subject to change.
Teaching style
The programme is taught through a mixture of lectures and seminar sessions, tutorials, and where relevant, workshops. You’ll also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study.
Support for learning and wellbeing is provided in a number of ways by the Department of Music and College support services, who work collaboratively to ensure you get the right help to reach your best potential both academically and personally.
You will be allocated a Personal Tutor, who has overall responsibility for your individual progress and welfare.
Facilities
As a Goldsmiths music student you will have access to:
You can also use a range of mac labs, rehearsal studios, cinema space, and performance spaces.
Goldsmiths Music Studio
Electronic Music Studio
Entry requirements
You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in Music or a relevant/related subject. Your qualification should comprise a substantial practical/creative element relevant to the pathway. A detailed transcript of your degree is preferred.
You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
Students who have completed up to 90 credits (not including final 60-credit projects or dissertations) of a comparable degree at another university can apply for recognition of prior learning status as part of their application for a place on the programme, where such credits are carried forward into your study at Goldsmiths.
International qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.
How to apply
Apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system
You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.
Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:
- Details of your academic qualifications
- The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
- Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
- A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
- A portfolio that provides selected examples of your recent original creative work (audio, video or other formats as appropriate, four to six separate pieces) relevant to the focus of the pathway. Work should be provided as links to streamable content (on English Language sites), plus a brief commentary/contextualisation of materials (including authorship), uploaded as a Word or PDF document.
You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.
When to apply
We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.
We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.
Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.
If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an earlier application deadline.
Find out more about applying.
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees
These are the PG fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.
- Home - full-time: £12520
- Home - part-time: £6260
- International - full-time: £22640
If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.
It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.
If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.
Funding opportunities
BAME Music Scholar's Fee Waiver
This full-tuition fee-waiver scholarship aims to support a BAME student who intends to progress through postgraduate study and into an academic research position.
Sarah Caple Award
Funding to enable students to further their studies or musical development.
Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.
Additional costs
In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.
There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.
Careers
Work experience opportunities
We are also able to offer a series of employability/placement/internship style opportunities to include:
- The Music Professional Practice scheme - a departmental scheme supporting final year undergraduate and MMus/MA students with employability concerns
- Music Management Course - specifically assesses students on cultural entrepreneurship and their own real world music projects
- NX records - the departmental record label in association with Matthew Herbert and Accidental Records
- PureGold festival - the annual departmental festival launched at the Southbank centre
- Simon Says - showcase events in collaboration with Goldsmiths Students' Union
- Goldsmiths Vocal Ensemble - recent performances at Glastonbury, the Southbank Centre and Shepherds Bush Empire
Where your degree can take you
Graduates may progress to be composer-performers, studio practitioners/producers and music industry employees within the popular music sector.
Older students who have returned to advance their knowledge and practice base will be better positioned in the job market.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
Bespoke projects
Goldsmiths students make music with EMI
EMI Production Music has published an album of music for film, TV and other media composed by Goldsmiths students.
Goldsmiths: Sounds One is a compilation album of 18 tracks composed by 15 students and graduates from Department of Music postgraduate programmes, including MMus Popular Music, MMus Creative Practice.
This album was the brainchild of Paul Sandell, EMIPM content and distribution manager, and is co-produced by James Ewers, associate music lecturer, and Ian Gardiner, Goldsmiths senior lecturer.
The students and graduates were Pete Wilson, Ged Flood, Matt Kirk, Aleksandra Wozniak, Sydney Bull, Alexander Brown, Valeria Pozzo (aka Naonis Sounds), Robert Aitken, Lamis (Ell) Harper, Thomas Falle, Felix Morgan, Paul Reynolds, Jacob Cheetham, Duncan Silvey and Andrea Caruso.
The collection of tracks spans genres, including traditional piano and string-based classical styles (such as Naonis Sounds and Robert Aitken’s urgent Momentous), world-music tinged soundscapes (eg. Ged Flood and Matt Kirk’s Night Trip), modern ambient acoustic/electronic hybrid textures (Pete Wilson’s Gravitas) and synth and noise-heavy pieces (Jacob Cheetham’s Dronem).
