Management and Music

Management and music is a pairing that connects the practical and conceptual knowledge of how organisations are run with the study of one of the most universal and culturally significant of human activities. Management develops your understanding of strategy, finance, operations, and how organisations create and sustain value. Music, studied in an academic context, encompasses the history of musical traditions across cultures, the analysis of musical form and meaning, and the critical engagement with how music functions in societies and institutions.

Together they prepare you to work at the intersection of the creative and commercial dimensions of the music industry and beyond.

At the School of Oriental and African Studies, this three-year, full-time programme draws on SOAS's distinctive approach to both management and music, which is informed by a global and cross-cultural perspective that is unusual in UK higher education. You will study the concepts and tools of management alongside the history, theory, and cultural contexts of music from a range of traditions, many of which are under-represented in more conventional music curricula. The combination develops both commercial awareness and cultural breadth, with a particular focus on the global dimensions of both management practice and musical life.

The programme includes a foundation year, providing an accessible entry point for students from a range of educational backgrounds.

Graduates go on to careers in arts management, music publishing, cultural organisations, the music industry, management consulting, the charity sector, and international business. The combination of management knowledge and musical understanding is particularly valuable in roles that sit at the intersection of creative and commercial activities. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in management, ethnomusicology, or arts administration.