When a University turned The Beatles into a Master degree course
Back in 2009, on the 2nd March, Liverpool Hope University launched a Master degree on The Beatles.
The MA opened to students in September 2009, with no more than 30 places available.
The course, which is still available, can be studied both full and part time, it covers four modules with specific issues relating to The Beatles and popular music, consisting of four taught modules plus a dissertation.
The MA qualification is officially called "The Beatles, Popular Music and Society".
The Course Director, Dr Michael Brocken is a highly qualified Popular Music Studies specialist – one of the first in the world to receive a doctorate in Popular Music Studies.
In occasion of the launch, he said:
“There have been over 8,000 books about The Beatles,
but there has never been serious academic study.
The Beatles influenced so much of society, not just with their music,
but also with fashion – from their collar-less jackets to their psychedelic clothes".
A huge heritage that was the time to put under an academic microscope.
The Master looks at the studio sound and compositions of The Beatles; as well as a wider overview on Popular Music; an historical focus on Liverpool as the ‘musical’ city from which the Beatles emerged; the various cultural aspects surrounding The Beatles music.
