FoundationFoundation Year in Popular Music
Why study a popular music foundation year?
Take the first steps in your music career at Solent University. Collaborate with other students and develop your performance and production skills before moving on to your music-related degree.
- £0minvestment in our campus and industry-standard facilities
- 0stout of 130 institutions for assessment and feedback (NSS 2023)
- 0thin the top 20 best student cities (StudentCrowd, 2023)
- You'll have access to industry-standard facilities from day one.
- You'll be able to develop your music production and performance skills while also getting prepared to study your undergraduate degree.
- The city of Southampton is a hub for music and arts and Solent has excellent links to Southampton’s vibrant local music venues.
- Solent has a thriving community of creatives, enabling you to collaborate with other skilled individuals.
- Many of the academic team on the foundation year also teach on the degree-level courses.
Course overview
This year-long popular music foundation programme is structured to equip you with the broad range of production and performance skills you’ll need to progress onto a full music degree.
The foundation year enables students from widely varied backgrounds, and with varying aspirations, to develop their music production and performance skills, while helping to acclimatise to the ethos and expectations associated with higher education study in general, and study at undergraduate level.
Throughout their studies, students will have access to a range of contemporary, industry-standard software and plugins including Logic Pro X, Ableton Live Suite, Pro Tools and Native Instruments’ Komplete. Students also enjoy access to our professional recording studios, acoustically treated workstations, DJ equipment/facilities, music labs, and instrumental practice rooms.
Any questions?
Contact international admissions
Email:Â Call:ÂWho this course is for
The Foundation Year in Popular Music is for those who are looking to study on one of our music-related degrees, but don’t have the relevant qualifications or experience. The foundation year will help you develop the core skills and knowledge to progress.
On the successful completion of this foundation year, you will automatically progress onto the Solent music degree of your choice.
- Foundation years are designed to help prepare you for undergraduate study and are ideal for gaining an introduction into your chosen subject area.
- If you've been out of education for a while, a foundation year provides a supportive environment for returning to studying.
- Foundation year students have access to the same facilities, and academic and student support as students on undergraduate degrees.
What you'll study
Find your degree
Meet the team
The teaching team for the foundation year is made up of lecturers who also teach on the degree courses.
Entry requirements
48 UCAS tariff points
- From A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP, a T-Level Pass (D or E), or equivalent.
- We will consider mature students who have not recently undertaken a formal course of study at A-level, or equivalent, but can demonstrate relevant work or voluntary experience, that's indicative of their ability to complete the course successfully.
For international and EU students
- As a general guide, we look for qualifications that are equivalent to the British high school A-levels.
- If you are applying from outside the UK, find information about entry requirements, visas and agents for your country here.
- For further information about qualifications, please contact admissions.
Contextual offers
Solent endeavours to offer learning opportunities to students from all backgrounds. When we receive and review an application, we take into consideration the context and personal circumstances of applicants when making a decision, which means our advertised entry tariff could be reduced.
Language requirements
Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language. The agreed minimum requirements for this course are:
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IELTS 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each individual component, or equivalent.
Qualifications
Qualifications are checked before enrolment, and international students must bring their original certificates or certified copies when coming to study at the University.
The University also offers a pre-sessional English programme for international students who wish to improve their level of English before starting a degree course.
Find your music degree
Our foundation years are designed to offer a broad range of academic skills alongside a taste of the wider industry before you start your chosen specialist undergraduate degree. Some degrees also include a year in industry, meaning you can gain valuable first-hand work experience with a year-long full-time work placement between the second and third years of your degree.
Applying is simple, just:
- 1
Find the undergraduate degree you’re interested in studying, and explore the course page – this is also where you’ll find the modules you will study throughout your degree.
- 2
Make sure you’ve selected a ‘foundation year’ (or foundation year and year in industry) variant; you’ll find this under ‘Course length’, near the top of the relevant course page.
- 3
Click the ‘Apply on UCAS’ button, and check the UCAS summary mentions ‘foundation year’ under ‘Study mode’.
And don’t worry if you discover a new skill or subject you love during your foundation year, it’s easy to switch to another linked degree!
