Foundation Year

Interested in one of our degree programmes but don’t meet the entry requirements? We offer a Foundation Year course that upon successful completion, gives you a pathway into our degree programmes. Your Foundation Year will give you all the skills and knowledge you need to enter a degree programme.

• Join a global alumni community with the likes of Felix Jaehn and Goldie
• Expand your skills in a practical-focused environment that prepares you for a career in the music industry
• Study carefully crafted modules that will give you the foundational skills you need for further study
• Engage with the wider Point Blank community with free masterclasses, events and other networking opportunities 

Apply now to kick-start your career in the music industry. Point Blank is ahead of the curve in online learning, you can discover all of the exclusive online features by accessing our studying online page. Start now to kickstart your career as a music producer, recording engineer, remixer and more.

If you applied for this course after 23rd March, you will notice some slight changes to the module names and structure.

Please note that this programme is subject to validation by Middlesex University.

On completion of the Foundation Year (Online), you will be qualified to progress onto one of our degrees:

As part of your course you will get access to a range of Online Learning features to help you in your studies. We've enhanced our exclusive 1-2-1 sessions in order to provide you with individual time to speak to your lecturers and share your projects. You’ll get advice on your 1-2-1 tutorial exercises, course materials, recap key techniques, gain industry tips, and be able to ask any questions you want. You'll also benefit from our purpose-built Virtual Learning Environment, which allows you to connect with the wider Point Blank community, and study at the time and place that suits you. 

On our higher education programmes you will be taught through a variety of masterclasses and regular 1-2-1 sessions. 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:

• Our award winning Virtual Learning Environment with custom resources and video content.
• Studio Lab Time - personal support from our Studio Lab Assistants on your work.
• Value added workshops with academics and industry professionals.

Each academic level consists of 120 credits, and we expect students to study approximately 10 hours per credit. Modules on this programme are worth either 10 or 20 credits, so students are expected to study the following number of hours per module:

• 20 credit modules: 20 hours per week (4 hours of lecture time plus 16 hours of independent learning).
• 10 credit modules: 10 hours per week (2 hours of lecture time plus 8 hours of independent learning).

Assessment is an integral part of learning and you may hear it referred to as formative or summative:

• Formative assessment (exercise) is designed to give you feedback on your performance and how it can be improved as you study at Point Blank. Formative assessment is an important part of the learning process and has been shown to help students improve both their grades and their learning style.
• Summative assessment is designed to measure the extent to which you have achieved the learning outcomes of a module and therefore the grade you will be awarded. Learning outcomes are the specific skills and knowledge that you are expected to demonstrate as a result of taking a module.

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:

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: 

• A Level: DD
• A Level: D and pass grades in one of the following:
  • Two different subjects at GCE AS Level
  • Two different subjects at Vocational A Level Single Award
  • Two different subjects at Vocational A Level part Award
• A Level Double Award: D
• BTEC National Certificate: M 

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.

• Applicants without formal qualifications or who have achieved academic qualifications lower than the typical conditional offer may be considered on the strength of relevant prior learning and experience, demonstrated through an interview, admissions test and portfolio of work.

• All applicants must be able to demonstrate English language at CEFR level B2, equivalent to grade C / 4 at GCSE. Please note this requirement also applies to mature students (21 or over) without formal qualifications who have been admitted based on their admissions test and/or prior experience.

• All international students requiring visa sponsorship require an IELTS test. If you have / are going to take an IELTS exam, the minimum level is 6.0 overall (with 5.5 in each category: reading, writing, speaking and listening). Only IELTS Academic tests will be accepted.
• If you are an international student applying for a Student Visa and do not currently have a valid IELTS Academic test, Point Blank will be happy to provide a fee waiver equivalent to the cost of one IELTS Academic test fee, to be waived from your fees upon successful registration only. Point Blank will not provide further waivers for resits and the IELTS test booking receipt must be provided as proof of test fee paid. Fee waivers are applicable to tests completed post-application date only.

• International applicants should check minimum academic requirements for entry by using our partner University’s guide here.

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. 

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 total tuition fee (please note that Student Finance maintenance funding is not normally available for distance learning courses). 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 students in this program enjoy a range of free software and exclusive discounts including but not limited to:

• Free copy of Ableton Live 11 Suite worth £539
• 50% off Native Instruments Komplete 13
 
• 70% off Eventide plugins
• Over 50% off Roland Cloud
• 35% off Waves
• 30% off Spitfire Audio

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.

Learn More