Popular Music

Popular music is a degree that takes seriously one of the most significant cultural forms of the modern era. Since the mid-twentieth century, popular music in its many styles, from rock and soul to hip-hop, electronic music, and beyond, has been at the centre of cultural life, shaping identity, expressing dissent, generating enormous economic value, and creating communities of shared experience across the world. A degree in popular music takes that seriousness as its starting point, examining popular music as a field of artistic practice, cultural meaning, economic activity, and social history.

At the University of the Highlands and Islands, this four-year full-time degree can be studied across different modes of attendance, giving you flexibility in how you engage with the programme. You will develop both practical musicianship and critical analytical skills, engaging with the production, performance, business, and cultural dimensions of popular music. The Highlands and Islands setting gives the programme a distinctive perspective: the region has its own musical traditions that sit alongside the broader landscape of popular music, and the programme reflects that cultural richness.

You will study music theory and technique alongside the history, sociology, and industry of popular music, developing the versatile skills that careers in the sector require.

You will build a portfolio of creative and critical work, developing practical skills in performance, production, and songwriting alongside the analytical and written capabilities that academic study demands.

Graduates go on to work as performers, producers, music industry professionals, arts managers, journalists, educators, and community music practitioners. Many develop independent creative practices alongside employed roles. Postgraduate study in music, cultural studies, or music education is an option for those wishing to develop specialist expertise or pursue research.