Popakademie: where the stars of tomorrow are taught their craft

Dreaming of a career as a rock star? Your dream could come true at the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg in Mannheim. It is the only state university in Germany where the study programmes focus entirely on popular music and the creative industries. Three bachelor’s and two master’s courses are on offer at the pop academy, which was founded in 2003. How about a B.A. in Pop Music Design, for instance? Or are you perhaps interested in Turkish and Arabic stringed instruments? Then why not learn to play the bağlama or oud while taking a transcultural B.A. in Global Music? 

Former students are established in the music scene 

Some graduates from the Popakademie can now be seen on the big stage: singers such as Joris, Mine or Alice Merton, who landed an international chart hit with her song “No Roots” in 2016, or instrumental musicians like the guitarist Max Grund. 

Many of the university’s graduates tend to work more behind the scenes, however. With a B.A. in Music Business or an M.A. in Music and Creative Industries, they now work for record companies or manage artists. 

More than just a university 

For many creative individuals in the music world, the Popakademie was the launch pad for theircareer. This is one of the reasons why UNESCO named Mannheim “Creative City of Music” in 2014. Mannheim is in good company, as 69 cities around the world are part of this musical network. 

The Popakademie is not just a university - it sees itself as a musical centre of excellence with an international orientation. Alongside its academic courses, programmes such as Bandpool and Pop macht Schule (a pop music programme for schools) foster and support young artists. Students from all over the world meet at the International Summer Camp to make music together and network.