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MA

Songwriting and Production

The MA Songwriting and Production course is delivered in the context of a thriving contemporary music and cultural scene in Wales.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £10,800*

  • International students

    £16,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £1,200*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

This innovative Songwriting and Production programme will inspire you to develop your own artistic voice and make lasting connections within the world of songwriting.

DESIGNED FOR

Designed for those interested in songcraft and studio production, you’ll learn a range of traditional and contemporary songwriting approaches, and have access to our well-equipped studios, rehearsal and writing rooms. As well as offering numerous opportunities for collaboration, the course embraces the DIY philosophy of being able to fully produce your own original songs.

Career Paths

  • Lecturer
  • Working in the Arts
  • Freelance Songwriter and Producer
  • Routes to PhD
  • Music Therapy

 

Skills taught

  • Advanced Music Composition Skills
  • Advanced Music Production Skills
  • Arrangement and Orchestration
  • Mixing and Mastering
  • Project Management

 

Course Highlights

Songwriting skills

Lyric Writing, developing your own voice as an artist, developing skills in song form, melody and harmony

Production Skills

Developing your skills in recording, arranging and performance as well as mixing and mastering.

Industry Partnerships

Masterclasses and feedback from relevant industry practitioners.

Collaboration

Opportunities to tackle ‘live briefs’ with professional songwriters and creative practitioners.

Module Overview

Songwriting 1: Skills and Strategies 
This module will introduce the student to foundations and principles in the art & craft of songwriting. A wide range of techniques will be examined in weekly workshops such as structure & arrangement, lyric writing, melodic and harmonic prosody; as well as more conceptual approaches to accessing creativity, and nurturing & experimenting with your artistic voice.   

Songwriting 2: Creative Co-writing 
This module will provide the student with weekly opportunities to tackle ‘live’ briefs with professional songwriters and creative practitioners; and to explore a range of contemporary and exemplary methods and techniques. 

Students will expand their work in a collaborative environment, by incorporating elements such as arranging, recording and mixing.  

Typically, students will work in teams of two or more, up to a usual maximum of six. 

Digital Music Production 
This module provides the student with a thorough introduction to audio and MIDI recording, editing and processing within the computer domain to an advanced level. 

Indicative content includes: recording and editing audio; composing beats and drum patterns; recording, creating and editing MIDI; building and editing song arrangements; mixing; automation; working to picture; production analysis 

Recording 
Students will engage with sound engineering and music production techniques within a modern recording studio, exploring multi-session & multi-track techniques, mixing/editing, delivery systems, and operational management.  

Performance: Practice and Presentation
This module provides the student with the opportunity to develop practice and performance skills. Live performance will be developed through rehearsal, tutorial guidance and ‘gigs’. The student will use established and/or experimental processes to achieve their aims. 

Indicative content includes: how to get a gig – strategies and networking; persona and appearance; presentation (visuals); programme planning (‘the set-list’); managing the stage space; vocal techniques; physicality  

Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship 
This module provides opportunities for students to work individually and in collaboration to develop skills in thinking critically and creatively about entrepreneurship and, in particular, social entrepreneurship. ‘Real-world’ briefs are set by industry and feedback is provided from the industry sector on entrepreneurship initiatives developed by the students.  

Topics covered include: contexts for, and controversies about, creative and cultural enterprise; entrepreneurial self-evaluation, resource analysis and network development; business planning, finance and operations; contracts, rights and intellectual property 

Major Project 
This module aims to provide students with an opportunity to engage in a major in-depth portfolio project, allowing exploitation of knowledge from course modules. Feedback on Major Projects is provided by our Course ambassador, CEO of Libertino Records, Gruff Owen.  

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

An Honours degree at class 2:2 or above in music or other related arts subjects.

Additional requirements include:

Applications are also welcomed from those with other equivalent qualifications, or those with significant prior practical/professional experience. 

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch and we'd to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*
UK Part-time Fee

£1,200

per 20 credits*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.   

Media Loans

You can hire a range of equipment, for your assignments and practical work, for free from our Media Loans facility.

Media Loans

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
Exterior view of the University's Cardiff Campus.
Cardiff Campus
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Postgraduate Open Events

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

Taught by practising songwriters, producers, and published academics, the course is also delivered through a series of master classes from industry professionals.

Emphasis is on practical activities and encouraging you to find your own voice when developing material. Teaching sessions take place in a supportive environment, where students provide feedback on each other’s work. Practical sessions are underpinned by skills development and an understanding of theories about best practice in songwriting and production.

The degree can also be studied by distance learning; UK and international students may choose to study using their own studio base and equipment.

Teaching staff

Matthew Evans, Course Leader
Stuart Jones, Senior Lecturer
Dr Rob Smith, Senior Lecturer
Alun Tomos, Lecturer
Yasmine Davies, Visiting Lecturer
Matt Callanan, Visiting Lecturer

Facilities

Equipment

At our Cardiff Campus we have a vast range of equipment that you will be trained to use as part of your course. To help support your studies we have a Media Loans facility that allows you to hire the equipment, at no cost, for you to then use for your assignments and practical work.  We have both basic and high-end film and photography cameras, portable lighting and sound equipment as well as a range of professional studio recording microphones, instruments and associated equipment to use in our music studios or on location. The team of technical officers and instructors are also available to help you with any queries and technical issues.

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

In addition to working professionally as a songwriter or in song production, potential careers for graduates of this course could include working as facilitators in community and arts outreach activities, as educators in formal teaching settings, and as practitioner such as performers, producers and writers.

There are also opportunities as researchers, administrators/managers of organisations, festivals and music events, or within music journalism and publishing, A & R, radio, freelance production, music promotion, or as part of other media production teams such as advertising, event management and games.

Careers Support

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.

This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.

Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.

Next Steps

Apply Direct
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Chat to Us