Foundation Year
The foundation for your music career
The foundation for your music career
If you don’t quite qualify for one of our degree courses then don’t worry, you’re in the right place!
If you are interested in enrolling on one of our four BA (Hons) degree programmes and following your passion for music, Point Blank’s Foundation Year could be your launching pad. Throughout your studies with us, academic support workshops, wellbeing support, and equipment guidance will be available to enable you to reach your full potential. If you can demonstrate the potential to achieve and determination to succeed, within a year, you’ll be ready for our degrees.
This course will enable you to develop confidence in your abilities whilst acquiring a strong knowledge and skillset needed to complete your chosen degree. Our Foundation Year has been designed to help you explore the key areas of the music industry, support you in discovering your interests, and help you make informed choices in your career ambitions.
| BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering Degree (2 or 3 Yrs) | |||
| FOUNDATION YEAR | BA (Hons) Music Production & DJ Performance Degree (2 or 3 Yrs) | ||
| BA (Hons) Music Industry Management Degree (2 Yrs) | |||
| BA (Hons) Music Production & Vocal Performance Degree (2 or 3 Yrs) | |||
If you need any help or assistance in making the right choice, then please contact us here and we'll be happy to guide you through the process.
| Duration | 9 Months | |
|---|---|---|
| Available start dates | 2022 | 2023 |
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| Weekly timetable | Two daytime lectures per week. Please contact us for details. | |
| Download Undergraduate Prospectus | ||
| Have questions? Check the FAQ's for quick answers. | ||
On our higher education programmes, students take part in a variety of intimate lectures (up to 16 students) and workshops. When not attending these sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently. Independent learning is about taking control of your work, finding out what you need to know and deciding how you are going to study. During this time, you can take advantage of:
A degree course consists of academic levels 4, 5 and 6. Each level consists of 120 credits. Each module is worth 20 credits and students are expected to study 10 hours per week per module (4 hours of lectures and 6 hours of independent learning).
Assessment is an integral part of learning and you may hear it referred to as formative or summative:
Most students show themselves to be stronger in some assessment types than others. To make it possible for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills to the best of their abilities, a wide range of assessment types is offered. Students will be asked to produce work in a wide variety of formats including: compositions, creative projects, written work, report, performances, presentations, 1-2-1 discussions, recordings and timed composition briefs. The assessment breakdown for this programme is approximately:
Lead vocalist with Rudimental, played Glastonbury and Jools Holland. Replaced KT Tunstall in Oi Va Voi, also worked with The Nextmen, Basement Jaxx & The Earlies.
Championed by Ellen Degeneres once she signed to Atlantic Records in the USA, Ellie has had a 5-year sponsorship with Quicksilver, as well as achieving many top-10 Beatport Trance releases.
Julian has scored global hit records as one half of Stretch & Vern and Reflekt & has written for Kylie Minogue, Little Boots & Dirty Vegas as a Sony/ATV-signed writer.
Producer/Engineer/Sound Designer with over 30 years of experience. Worked with Dave Stewart at The Church. Credits include Gary Barlow, Gene, Warm Jets, Placebo, Boy George, D’Influence amongst many others.
What I went on to do – you couldn’t understand how beneficial it was for me to come and study with Point Blank and get the technical knowledge I needed first. - Benny Scarrs, Point Blank graduate and artist manager for Dave (Mercury Prize Winner)
If you are interested in enrolling on one of our degree programmes but do not meet the entry requirements, the Foundation Year course could be for you. This course aims to build your confidence and provide you with the necessary transferable skills you need to progress onto one of our undergraduate degrees.
If you don't have formal qualifications, don't worry, applicants without formal qualifications may still be considered on the strength of relevant prior learning and experience.
We will initially assess your personal statement which should detail any previous study or relevant experience in music. Then the Admissions Team will look at the merits of each application by taking the following evidence into consideration: predicted or previously attained grades, examples of work and relevant work experience. Applicants who do not meet the typical entry requirements may also be asked to attend an interview. Where conditional offers are made, typical offers will be set between:
Click here for more information on our entry requirements, international qualifications and how to apply.
Aluna Francis is half of AlunaGeorge. She studied production at PB before taking off to chart success with 'You Know You Like It' & No.1 hit 'White Noise' with Disclosure. Check out her awesome video.
Everyone knows Leona from X Factor. Before she won it, Leona wowed her fellow students on our Singing Course. "Her talent was obvious" said her instructor, "and her success thoroughly deserved."
With 1,500,000 Facebook followers, Sri-Lankan born Arjun is a South Asian pop superstar. His single ‘I’ll Be Waiting” charted at #1 on iTunes India and spent 30 weeks on the BBC Asian Download Chart.
Spoony is a legend in UK dance music having brought garage to the masses in 2000 as part of the Dreem Team. He's since gone on to become a staple on Five Live but proved he's always learning by enrolling at PB!
| Fees (UK) | Fees (non-UK) |
|---|---|
| £25 reg fee + balance of £9,250 | £25 reg fee + balance of £12,250 |
| £25 reg fee + £3,083 per term | |
| See details during the enrolment process. | |
Please note, the fees for the Foundation year will be increasing to £9,250 for home students and £12,250 for international students for the September 2022 intake onwards.
Being an undergraduate student involves two main expenses: tuition fees and living costs. Students can either choose to pay for their course privately, or alternatively, all of our higher education programmes are eligible for Student Finance loans. Eligible students may be able to apply for a tuition fee loan to cover the full course fees. This will be up to £9,250 per year for courses with standard delivery, or up to £11,100 per year for courses with accelerated delivery.
In addition, eligible students may be entitled to a maintenance loan of up to £12,382 per year. The amount of maintenance you can apply for will depend on your circumstances. EU students are not eligible for the maintenance loan. For students wishing to pay privately, we have a number of payment plans available, including annual and termly instalments. Click here for more information on fees and funding options available.
Point Blank is committed to making music education accessible to people of all backgrounds. We are delighted to offer our scholarships, bursaries and funds to support this commitment. These include a range of awards that aim to nurture talent as well as provide access to higher education for specific under-represented groups in higher education.
You can find a range of scholarships, bursaries and funds on offer by accessing our dedicated scholarships page.