Popular Music Studies minor

Studying Popular Music Studies minor

The Popular Music Studies’ Programme, the first Germany-wide to be conducted exclusively in the English language, operates in international networks and discourses. This enables you to rub shoulders with players from the fields of research and practice.

At the same time, the project modules offer the opportunity to implement your own projects. This enables you to build early connections with potential employers in the music and media industry.

In the English Minor, you first acquire a basic overview of the research field of Popular Music Studies. The interdisciplinary team of lecturers takes anthropological, sociological, musicological, historical, and economic perspectives of pop music into account.

Thus, you will focus on the sociology of music, as well as music history and current issues of international pop music research.

You will also develop, design and evaluate your own ideas and plans, closely working with stakeholders in the creative industries. You will receive academic support in the planning, implementation and evaluation of your practical projects.

Students organised the Exp(ear)ience Festival.

The Popular Music Studies minor is embedded in the interdisciplinary College study model with Leuphana Semester, Major and Complementary Studies. You start your Bachelor studies with the Leuphana semester. The first semester at Leuphana College gives you the opportunity to deal fundamentally with science. The Minor deepens or supplements your Major with another subject area. In Complementary Studies you have the freedom to pursue your thirst for knowledge individually by immersing yourself in a different field of knowledge each semester.

Leuphana Semester

• Responsibility and Sustainability
• Humanities
• Methods I
• Methods II: Disciplinary Methods
• Introduction to the discipline

2. Semester

• Popular Music Studies
• 4 major modules
• 1 Complementary Studies module

3. Semester

• Popular Music Histories
• 1 Complementary Studies module

4. Semester

• Sociology of Popular Music
• Research on Popular Music
• 3 major modules
• 1 Complementary Studies module

5. Semester

• Popular Music Projects
• 3 major modules
• 1 Complementary Studies module

6. Semester

• Bachelor dissertation
• 1 major module
• 2 Complementary Studies modules

• You will find detailed information on the study contents of the minor modules in the Subject-Specific Schedule to Popular Music Studies minor.

The Popular Music Studies minor can be studied in combination with one of the following Major:

• Cultural Studies (GER)
• Digital Media (ENG)
• Economics (GER)
• International Business Administration and Entrepreneurship (ENG)
• Law (Corporate and Business Law) (GER)
• Studium Individuale (ENG)

Language of instruction

ENG English-language major: no German required
GER German-language major: German required

The Minor in Popular Music Studies will provide you with the qualification, depending on your Major’s focus, for various activities in the field of music and creative industries:

• Media Management
• Cultural Management
• Concert agencies
• Activities working for content aggregators
• Press and public relation work
• Journalism & editing

• final degree: Popular Music Studies minor can only be studied in combination with a major
• admission restrictions: no
• number of student places: 35
• teaching and examination language: English

Student counselling service

Clarify your questions in a personal conversation during the Open Advisory Service. You can take advantage of digital counselling at short notice without registering. The College study advisors will be happy to help you:

• Wednesdays from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. (in person on campus)
• Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. (digitally via Zoom)

Find out more