Here, we examine the MA Music Production ‘Professional Development’ module, which helps our students find their feet in the music industry while they study.
At dBs Institute, studying one of our music production master’s degrees is not just about mastering technical skills. Although that will be a key focus of your degree, it’s also about understanding how the music industry works and how you can break open the doors to it.
With that philosophy in mind, dBs courses, at every level, focus on the industry and career development. In our MA Music Production course, that manifests itself throughout our popular Professional Development module, where you will “Develop a deep understanding of the factors involved in setting up your own professional enterprise or create a skills development plan that can elevate your confidence, ensuring longevity, growth and success in your endeavours.”
To help you understand what that module outline means in practice, we spoke with Postgraduate Course Leader Chris Page and some of our master’s graduates to discover what they found valuable about the course.
Below, we’ll hear from Chris to understand how we approach Professional Development at dBs. If you want to find out more, you can learn why you should study for a postgraduate degree at dBs and download our Postgraduate Prospectus.
What is the Professional Development Module?
Chris Page: The Professional Development module is designed to equip music producers with the tools and strategies needed to take control of their careers. It combines critical self-analysis, project planning, reflective practice and research to help students identify their goals, audit their current position, and develop actionable steps for progression.
The module focuses on developing personal insight, as well as professional readiness, ensuring that learners build sustainable, adaptable careers in a fast-evolving industry.
What will students learn in this module?
CP: Students can expect to develop a commercially focused understanding of their own skills and artistic identity. Students will develop an understanding of professional methodologies to analyse commercial opportunities, research and define niche markets, and articulate their value as music producers in a wide range of professional contexts.
The module prepares students to operate as self-managed artists, freelancers for hire, to progress within their existing careers or to plan successful audio enterprises. Crucially, it supports the development of real-world commercial strategies, helping students align their creative output with viable income streams such as music licensing, client work, and self-released projects.
How does this module help students become music industry professionals?
CP: The Professional Development module underpins three key areas of learning: Industry, Professionalism and Research.
First, by focusing on Industry, the module helps students implement a strategic plan for their professional growth. This means actively setting career goals, analysing opportunities, and building a focused, adaptable path into the music industry.
Second, the emphasis on Professionalism ensures that students develop and demonstrate the behaviours, standards, and planning skills needed for success in professional contexts, whether as freelancers, employees, or business owners.
Finally, the focus on Research is crucial for developing the skills to understand commercial opportunities using appropriate methods, leading to more informed, evidence-based career decisions. It also prepares students for their final major research project. Together, these outcomes prepare students to enter the industry and shape their place within it with confidence, insight, and intent.
What our students say about Professional Development
Our postgraduate students have found the Professional Development Module incredibly valuable for their studies and careers. Don’t just take our word for it, though! Hear what some of our students had to say about their experience on the Professional Development module here.
Alex Stagg, a dBs Institute Manchester graduate who studied MA Music Production & Sound Engineering (now MA Music Production), is currently working as a Music Composer, Producer and Assistant at LA-based music production minus 5db. The journey towards that career began while he completed his Professional Development module.
“I did my ‘Professional Development’ module specifically on how to be a production music composer because I wanted to do more research into it,” says Alex. “I interviewed the Founder and Owner of minus5db twice - once as part of my 'Professional Development' module, where we had to design a career plan for when we graduate, and the other as part of my final 'Project Realisation’ module… The interest [in production music] was already there, but I didn't quite realise it could be a viable career. I did a lot of independent research into it, and I think that helped impress my current boss, because he could see that I had a lot of knowledge in this area. I think the module helped me land this job for sure.”
Dani Garcia studied our Online Master’s degree and used what she learnt during the course to set up Mexico City’s Ejekalistli, Latin America’s first female-led Dolby Atmos studio, with her sisters, who work in cinema. One of the crucial steps on her journey towards that success was her experience on the Professional Development module.
“Starting Ejekalistli was a pretty sudden idea,” says Dani, “It was not something I've been planning for ages… I was doing this module with Chris Page, and he was talking about how to make money from what we know; I could teach singing, or do mixing or mastering. At that moment, I thought, 'I can merge my skills with what my sister does in cinema.'”
Building on what she had learnt during her Professional Development module, Dani decided that she and her sisters, Pao and Marí, should start a studio in Mexico City. Dani would manage Dolby Atmos projects, and Pao and María would focus on Dolby Vision. The García sisters finished the project in October 2024 and now work on a vast range of projects in their native Mexico as well as internationally.
“Studying at dBs has helped me raise my standards,” says Dani, “Schools in Europe are more strict, and that has helped me grow as a student and a professional. I have learnt what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. My growth here has been significant. Raising my standards has opened the door to working with bigger artists and doing a better job. Here, I have learnt how the real world works.”
