Popular Music and Business Management

You will benefit from our strong links with the music industry and will be invited to participate in our yearly Music Production Show, with guest presentations from industry professionals such as Sound on Sound, Avid, Yamaha, Ableton and Focusrite. You'll have regular opportunities to perform in public and we'll encourage you to take part in the local music scene.

You’ll be inspired by our recording studios and rehearsal facilities which will enable you to produce professional quality recordings of your performances. 

Through your Business modules, you will be challenged to tackle real-world scenarios through projects, placements and internships. On this course, everyone gets to do business as well as learn about business. You’ll cover many growth areas and hot topics including:

• responsible management  
• business ethics  
• business analytics  
• digital media  
• innovation and globalisation

We’ll help prepare you for a career in a global business environment that is rapidly changing, and you’ll be supported to become more agile, innovative and resilient. You’ll also develop self-learning and team-working skills, both crucial to success in the professional sphere. 

Facilities 

You’ll discover a superb range of music making facilities at our Markeaton Street site, including state-of-the-art recording studios, rehearsal space, music technology labs and three post-production rooms equipped with the latest software. The University has invested almost £350,000 in these facilities, ensuring you have access to resources which match those of professional studios in the UK and overseas. We offer a wide range of instruments, amplifiers and outboard gear on which you can develop your skills, together with a classic 48 channel Neve recording console.

We are one of the leading universities conducting research into surround-sound technologies and all of our control rooms accommodate 5.1 speaker arrays. We also have a surround-sound research lab which has a 40-speaker ambisonics surround speaker array allowing height and depth parameters.

Our new Business School will be opening in 2024/25 and is set to be a focal point for Derby’s business community. You’ll study alongside start-ups and small businesses, giving you the opportunity to network, learn from and inspire local business leaders and entrepreneurs. 

JAMES accredited

Our Music courses are accredited by the Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES), the professional music industry accreditation body, so you can be confident that they meet the high standards demanded by industry. 

Professionally approved

Chartered Management Institute accreditation means the CMI has independently assessed that the course meets its own high standards and priorities. The CMI is a UK professional body dedicated to promoting excellence in management and leadership. CMI accreditation is, therefore, a sign of a high-quality degree.    

Students receive this accreditation if they pass the Business Management modules in their first year and select and pass required modules in their second year.

What is a Joint Honours degree?

A Joint Honours degree offers students the opportunity to study two subjects.

A Joint Honours degree is a great option if:

• You want to study two subjects you’re passionate about
• You’ve got a specific career in mind and want to create a tailored degree to prepare you for the future
• You want to study a new subject alongside one you’re already familiar with

The modules below indicate the range of modules you may study as part of this combination, however prescribed and optional modules will vary depending on whether you choose to study both subjects equally, or choose to major or minor in a subject. To find out exactly which modules you would study as part of your chosen combination please contact jhs@derby.ac.uk.

Please note that our modules are subject to change - we review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects.

Our teaching methods are varied and can include:

• Formal lectures which will at times include expert speakers  
• Seminars: These can be tutor-led or student-led and can include discussions critical analysis of reading,
• presentations, group work, debates and general problem solving, interaction with real businesses, case study
• analysis, computer lab work, practical analysis and formative assessment  
• Tutorials: one-to-one sessions with a tutor to discuss the development of assignments  
• Work experience projects  
• Self-directed study

How you are assessed 

For Popular Music modules, you’ll be assessed by either coursework only or a combination of coursework, portfolios, assignments, case studies, oral and graphic presentations, collaborative and interdisciplinary teamwork projects, computer testing and examinations, so providing a flexible and effective means of assessing your progress.

For Business Management modules, we mostly assess you through practical coursework assignments — the sort of tasks you might undertake in a workplace. Sometimes these will be individual tasks and at other times, you will need to work in a group. Assignments could include: business reports, research and consultancy projects, presentations, design of digital materials such as videos, blogs or augmented reality posters, and computer-based assessments.   

Our graduates are equipped for employment within the modern commercial music sector as performers, composers, producers, educators, promoters, publishers, academics, recording studio engineers and entrepreneurial freelance musicians. They also work in a range of media organisations. 

Others have gone on to further study at MA, MSc or PhD level, or successfully completing PGCE for school of college level teaching, some gaining QTS teaching qualifications for primary or secondary education. This enables them to become teachers, entering the primary and secondary education sector, lecturing for colleges of further education and freelance instrumental teaching.

Due to the transferable nature of the skills you’ll learn through your Business Management modules, lots of different job roles will be open to you in areas such as:

• Project management 
• Analysis 
• Consultancy 
• Accountancy 
• Operations 
• Human resource management 
• Marketing 
• Sales 
• Logistics 
• Finance

2025 entry

These are the typical qualification requirements for September 2025 entry.

Contextual offers may apply to students who meet certain criteria.

2025/26

Further information about our fees and support you may be entitled to.

Additional costs and optional extras

Additional information about your studies

You will typically study your two subjects equally at stage one, before choosing whether you want to major in one subject at stages two and three.

Teaching hours

Like most universities, we operate extended teaching hours at the University of Derby, so contact time with your lecturers and tutors could be anytime between 9am and 9pm. Your timetable will usually be available on the website 24 hours after enrolment on to your course.

Course updates

The information provided on this page is correct at the time of publication but course content, costs and other individual course details do change from time to time and are updated as often as possible, so please do check these pages again when making your final decision to apply for a course. Any updated course details will also be confirmed to you at application, enrolment and in your offer letter.

If you are thinking about transferring onto this course (into the second year for example), you should contact the programme leader for the relevant course information as modules may vary from those shown on this page.

Other courses you might like

• Popular Music BA (Hons)
• Music Production BSc (Hons)
• Business Management BA (Hons)
• Media and Business Management BA (Hons)

Contact us

If you need any more information from us, eg on courses, accommodation, applying, car parking, fees or funding, please contact us and we will do everything we can to help you.