The bachelor in Popular Culture focuses on the interface of sound, visuals and media. Students are trained to develop artistic concepts based on a well-founded vision in which sound, visuals and media come together in an interdisciplinary way and with which a certain impact on the audience is intended. Students develop performing art from the roles of writer/composer, designer/visualiser, performer or pop-director.

The creation and realisation of artistic products from research and the development of artistic leadership and artistic entrepreneurship are important focal points of the programme. The bachelor Popular Culture thus occupies a unique place in the HBO landscape.

The main phase is broadening and deepening in nature and covers semesters 3 to 6 of the programme (120EC). This phase consists of a programme of 60 EC (semester 3 and semester 4), an internship of 30 EC (semester 5) and a suitable pathway of 30 EC (semester 6).

In semester 3 and 4, the student follows the core programme (total 30 EC), four knowledge base modules (total 20 EC) and two elective programmes (total 10 EC).

In semester 5, the student does an internship at a self-selected internship company or organisation (30EC). Semester 6 is the suitable pathway; in which the student follows an educational program of choice,  for instance aminor, a (Minerva)exchange or a project suitable pathways.  

The graduation phase consists entirely of the graduation project and consists of two parts of 30 EC each.

Students at the Academy of Popular Culture acquire skills that enable them to independently set up a professional artistic practice in the field of pop culture. Within the Bachelor of Popular Culture programme, students are equipped with the skills they need to perform the core tasks of an artistic professional/entrepreneur.

The learning outcomes of Popular Culture are divided into 6 core tasks:

Core Task 1: to explore and observe
You research and analyse trends and developments in society that provide inspiration for your creative artistic practice in pop culture and take a position in relation to the trends studied.
You will develop a guiding artistic vision for your own practice based on your analysis of trends and developments.

Core Task 2: to fantasize and imagine
You invent, research and develop a concept within pop-cultural practice based on your core values and artistic signature, creating a recognisable coherence in your artistic work and enterprise.

Core Task 3: to design and tryout
In an artistic (design) research project, you will arrive at a multiple picture of an artistic final product and set-up for your final performance through iterative experimentation, design and analysis.

Core Task 4: to realise and deliver
You present an artistic product in an interdisciplinary performance to your audience, target group or client with a clearly defined intended impact on that audience.
 You can evaluate, analyse and provide insight into the realisation of the intended impact in a followable way.

Core Task 5: to organise and steer 
As artistic director, you will direct, organise and strengthen the entire process of an interdisciplinary artistic project and make this insightful both for yourself and others.

Core task 6: to sow and reap
On the basis of research, the evaluation of your design and final performance and your artistic concept and signature, you will create a substantiated plan for your professional practice as an artistic entrepreneur that reflects your artistic practice in such a way that it is suitable for submission to external parties, such as grant providers and stakeholders.

Reflection
You justify the choices you made in the creative/thinking process of your project and reflect on their meaning in the light of your development as an entrepreneurial artist in pop culture.
You indicate the coherence between the professional products in relation to your ambitions as an entrepreneurial artist.