Popular Music and Media, B.A.
The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary BAS study course "Popular Music and Media" is a first professionally qualifying university degree in the fields of pop culture, music, media and business.
Programme facts
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 semesters, 180 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 31.05 |
| Admission | No admission restriction: every eligible applicant is admitted |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €351.15 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
Every applicant who meets the formal requirements is admitted — but places can run out before the deadline, so apply at the start of the window.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
Cooperations with the Institute for Media Studies, the Faculty of Economics, the Musicology Seminar at the University of Paderborn and the University of Music Detmold, the Center for Information and Media Technologies and the Center for Language Studies provide students with profound insights and an extensive analysis - and synthesis knowledge imparted. The course is characterized by a high proportion of music, media and journalism practice. At the same time, the bachelor's degree can be a first step towards a scientific career. You can choose to focus on "Studium Generale" or "Wirtschaftswissenschaften". A mandatory internship semester is planned, and a study-related stay abroad is possible. The course ends with a scientific bachelor thesis. Due to the limited number of study places, the course offers optimal study conditions and prerequisites for a family environment in which students and lecturers know each other and work productively with one another. At the beginning of your studies, you will receive important information about your studies during the orientation days and establish contacts with your new fellow students. The student council will accompany you and make your entry even easier. Since its foundation in 2002, the course has enjoyed great popularity on the part of the music, culture and media industries and is continuously gaining renowned experts from science and professional practice, e.g. B. in the context of international guest lectureships (Dr. Michael J. Jones / Liverpool, Dr. Geoff Stahl / Wellington, Dr. J. Tyler Fritts / Memphis, the pop lecturer (Markus Kavka, Prof. Dieter Gorny) or as guests and lecturers (including Prof. Dr. Susanne Binas-Preisendörfer, Prof. Diedrich Diederichsen, Sonja Eismann, Prof. Dr. Simon Frith, Bianca Hauda, Thomas Meinecke, Prof. Dr. Julio Mendívil, Hendrik Otremba, Sandra Passaro, Michael Rother, Berthold Seliger , Frank Spilker, Thomas Venker, Sookee and WestBam)
What you study
First stage of study (1st-4th semester)
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
With its music, media, economics and cultural studies as well as practical media studies, the course prepares students for activities in the pop music and media industry, e.g .:
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- Music journalism in print, radio, online and TV
- Artist & Repertoire / Promotion in the music industry
- concert and club events, booking agencies, artist support
- Planning, organization and implementation of events
- Advertising and Marketing
- Music and culture management
- live sector and studio
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (North Rhine-Westphalia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €351.15 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | You are interested in events related to pop music culture and their media and economic relationships. |
|---|---|
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 31.05 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 3Application via uni-assist until 31.05uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 4Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 31.05.2027 (229 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.