MA Music Business
- Study Mode: Part Time
- Location: High Wycombe
- Duration: Two Years
- Start Date: September 2026
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Sharpen your music business and management skills and gain the confidence to pursue your career goals with the MA Music Business. With topics including the live music industry, intellectual property and talent management, alongside other key business skills, this course provides you with an opportunity to develop your personal organisation skills, self-discipline, time management, and dedication to succeed in a competitive field.
You will enhance your team-working skills, demonstrating to employers the ability to devise creative solutions and work effectively with others, and can hone your communication skills to form concise, compelling, and coherent arguments.
Recent Graduate success stories...
Each week, Music Week profiles the brightest new talents in the business and it has put Jamie Leeming, digital agent at United Talent Agency, who graduated here at Buckinghamshire New University, under the spotlight.
BNU graduate Nadina Edouard counts herself lucky as she thrives in her career as a private events manager and artist booker at ALR Music - having taken a bold and exciting career path.
You'll study an industry-focused curriculum that blends theory with real-world business strategies. You'll dive into music management, marketing, digital trends, and legal frameworks, giving you the expertise to navigate and succeed in the dynamic music industry.
You'll work on practical projects that mirror the challenges of today’s music industry. By applying your knowledge to real-world scenarios, you'll develop problem-solving skills and a hands-on understanding of music business operations that prepare you for future career success.
You'll get opportunities to connect with leading industry experts through guest lectures, workshops, and events. Building these professional relationships can open doors to internships and career prospects, enhancing your overall journey in the music business world.
You'll explore cutting-edge digital strategies that drive success in the music business. From social media marketing to innovative business planning, you'll learn how to harness technology and digital trends, keeping you ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.
You'll gain a global perspective on the music business by exploring international trends, marketing strategies, and cultural influences. This insight prepares you to work effectively on a worldwide stage and understand diverse market dynamics in the industry.
The opportunity to learn from a very experienced faculty was really attractive, the lecturers are all industry professionals with over a hundred years of experiences between them. The small class sizes also means sessions are more interactive. The cultural diversity, music culture, fantastic Students’ Union, and the closeness to London made BNU the clear choice to me.Chubiyojo Justice Ujah
What facilities can I use?
We’ve invested in a range of state-of-the-art facilities across our campuses to support your learning.
Our facilities are packed with the latest equipment. We regularly upgrade our computer hardware and software, so you have the equipment and facilities to truly excel.
Our library is the perfect place to find the resources you need and a quiet place to study, filled with four floors of books, journals, computer suites and study rooms. Or, if you’d rather work off campus, e-Journals and resources are only a few clicks away using our Virtual Learning Environment.
Whilst studying with us you will also use our BucksAnywhere web service, which provides access to many of the software applications you use for learning and studying. BucksAnywhere can be used from your own device or from a University owned PC or laptop, from any location.
Find out more about our facilities.
What will I study?
Our MA Music Business is a challenging postgraduate degree that helps prepare you for a role in the music business. Depending on the modules you choose, you can study intellectual property, social media marketing, entrepreneurship, the live music industry, talent management, and artist and repertoire development, amongst other topics.
An exciting module titled Contemporary Industry Issues features guest speakers from the forefront of the music industry, as well as from academia, and addresses the most up-to-date issues and challenges facing the industry. You’ll also work on a 15000-word research project, supported by a master’s level research methods module, allowing you to study your chosen topic in-depth and tailored to your own career aspirations and interests.
This programme has been developed to enable you gain a deep understanding of the music and media sectors. You will learn how apply newly acquired knowledge and skills creatively in order to exploit current opportunities as well as instigate new lines of professional activity. Through developing conceptual understanding, you’ll be able to evaluate methodologies employed within related industries and critique them.
How will I be taught and assessed?
Summative and formative assessments are used in all modules and the following types of assessment activity may be used on this programme subject to the pathway chosen. These include:
- practical assignment
- report
- essay
- portfolio
- reflective commentary
- research proposal
- dissertation
- practical project
- written assignments
- practical exam
- presentations
What are the course entry requirements?
A typical applicant will hold a 2:1 and have an interest in pursuing a career in music, or have several years’ experience in the industry at an appropriate level.
Modules
This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.
What are the tuition fees
Home
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Home, Academic Year 2026 - 2027: £6,015 per year *
Please note all of the 2026/27 fees stated are subject to parliamentary procedure. Tuition fees are expected to increase each academic year in line with the maximum permitted value set by the Government for that academic year. The expected rise for Home undergraduate students (including those on a foundation year course), may impact both new and continuing students.
Please note, distance learning and international fees are subject to change for 2027/2028 intake.
Additional costs
Your tuition fees cover most course costs, but you may need to budget for additional expenses. These can include specialist equipment, project materials, professional memberships, field trips or placements, as well as everyday student costs like printing, books and stationery.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the fees above, contact our enquiries team by completing this form.
What are my career prospects?
Graduates from this course pursue careers in numerous roles and areas of the music business, for example;
artist management, artist and repertoire representative, music marketing executive, booking agent, music publishing executive, record company executive, the live music industry, music entrepreneurship, music business educator, music publisher, social media, tour manager, further postgraduate study or research.
Course leader
