Foundation Year
The foundation for your music career
The foundation for your music career
Interested in one of our Higher Education programmes but don’t quite meet the entry requirements?
We offer a Foundation Year course that upon successful completion will give you a pathway into a fully validated HE programme. Below you can view the suggested module programme for each pathway.
Foundation Year +
BA Hons Music Production and Vocal Performance pathway
Students on this pathway will be required to take the MP319 ‘Introduction to Vocal Performance’ module, as it is a pre-requisite for the chosen pathway.
BA Hons Music Production and DJ Performance pathway
Students on this pathway will be required to take the MP315 ‘DJ Techniques’ module, as it is a pre-requisite for the chosen pathway.
BA Hons Music Production and Sound Engineering pathway
Students on this pathway will take the MP315 ‘DJ Techniques’ module by default, but if they wish to take the MP319 ‘Introduction to Vocal Performance’ module instead, they will be asked for evidence of their vocal ability.
BA Hons Music Industry Management pathway
Students on this pathway will take the MP315 ‘DJ Techniques’ module by default, but if they wish to take the MP319 ‘Introduction to Vocal Performance’ module instead, they will be asked for evidence of their vocal ability.
Please note that this programme is subject to validation by Middlesex University.
| 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 you will be taught through a variety of small intimate lectures and workshops. When not attending these sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently. Independent learning is about taking control of your work and deciding what you need to know and deciding how you are going to study. During this time you can take advantage of:
Each academic level consists of 120 credits and we expect students to study approximately 10 hours per credit. 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)
What are the entry requirements for the Foundation Year course?
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.
Entry requirements for the Foundation Year are:
Please note: This is not an exhaustive list of accepted qualifications. Other qualifications will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
All material received by applicants as part of an application (portfolio, admissions tests etc.) will be used solely for admissions purposes. Applicants will retain all intellectual property rights on their own work and work will not be distributed outside of those Point Blank team members assessing applications.
Please note: Applicants who meet the grade requirements for our degree courses but do not have the relevant music experience may also be considered for the Foundation Year if this is a more suitable route.
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.