FAQ Music Business

There are roughly 30 students accepted per year.

Three years, i.e. six semesters.

You can only enrol starting in winter semester.

Yes, currently there are 2 mandatory internships of 12 weeks each as part of the project studies.

The students are generally responsible for arranging their own internships. Offers from our cooperation partners and other institutions are posted for the students on our WebBoard.

Currently, we have an exchange programme with Linnaeus University in Kalmar (Sweden), University of the Highlands and Islands in Perth (Scotland), Middle Tennessee State University MTSU in Murfreesboro (USA) and Columbia College in Chicago (USA).

Yes, of course!

If the scope and content of a course are the same or comparable and the examination performance can be proven, credit may be granted upon application.

Depending on your concentration (Artist Development, Marketing and Sales Management, Business Management, Digital Innovation Management or Community Management), your future employers could include labels, publishing houses, management/booking/promotion agencies, digital service providers, the public sector (e.g. as rock or pop commissioner), or companies in the media and event industries.

No.

Yes, our Open House day usually takes place in February. The exact date will be posted on our calendar.

Applications are accepted online and will be available starting February 05, 2022.

No.

For Music Business you need a general or subject-specific university entrance qualification or appropriate professional qualification with additional exam (see info sheet in German) in order to be admitted. Please contact programme manager Prof. Dr. Alexander Endreß for more information.

We require practical experience for the Music Business B.A. programme, but that includes volunteer experience and/or internships as well as paid jobs - thus it is possible for high school graduates to have fulfilled this requirement. In place of a work certificate you can attach a self-written project report for volunteer activities.

Practical experience in organisation or administration in the music industry must be shown on your application. The more relevant to music business and the more time intensive the experience is, the better your chances of admission are. In addition to professional experience, you can include part-time jobs, internships or volunteer activities, e.g. managing your own band, special engagement in music clubs, etc. If you have a degree in a commercial or media-related area or an intermediate degree in economics, humanities or social sciences, then less practical experience in the music industry is sufficient.

In place of your graduation diploma, please attach any final grades completed thus far to your application materials. You can deliver your graduation diploma at the time of the entrance exam or upon enrolment.

We generally receive approx. 100-120 applications per year.

Yes, of course! In order to apply, you need to get your (foreign) diploma recognised and show evidence of sufficient German language skills if you did not graduate from a German-speaking school.

For refugees, more information can be found on the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst).

The State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart is responsible for the recognition of educational qualifications. Click here to apply for the certificate of recognition for foreign applicants.

Contact
Studiensekretariat der Akademie der Bildenden Künste
Am Weißenhof 1
70191 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 284400

For German citizens with foreign secondary school degrees, please contact:

Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart
Abt. 7 Schule und Bildung
Anerkennungsstelle
Postfach 103642
70031 Stuttgart
Tel.: +49 711 904 17170

German language skills at level C1 are required for studying at the Popakademie. The following certificates are recognised: DSH-exam from a German university, assessment test from the Studienkolleg, German Language Diploma Level II (Deutsches Sprachdiplom Stufe II), Goethe Institute’s Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom (KDS) or Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (GDS), Goethe Institute’s Central Upper Secondary Exam.

The date for the entrance exam for your degree programme will be posted under Facts.

The entrance examination contains various written and oral examination elements with the following contents:

• Knowledge tests on music business, business administration, pop culture and current topics related to the music and creative industries.
• Test on organizational competence
• Test on the understanding of popular music

You can take the entrance exam twice.

Unfortunately we will not be able to invite all applicants to an entrance exam, which is why we do a pre-selection based on your submitted application materials.

The student union fees are currently 85 € per semester.

Yes, as a Popakademie student you are entitled to funding through BAföG.

The Popakademie is a member of the Mannheim Student Union. Since our students pay student union fees, they are entitled to a discounted semester ticket.

The Popakademie does not have its own student dormitories. However, through membership in the Mannheim Student Union, our students can take advantage of its housing referral service. One of the largest student dormitories is located very close to the Popakademie.

Unfortunately it is not possible to attend a lecture as a guest. However, we offer open lectures during our Open House, which is usually in February - this is a good opportunity to see what a lecture is like.