Sound and music is at the heart of the creative industries. If you want a career in a diverse creative sector that’s full of opportunities – both here in the UK, and right across the world – then this course is for you. Our award-winning team of lecturers and technicians will support you to develop your skills and knowledge to the highest level. Follow us on Instagram for the very latest Sound and Music updates.
You’ll gain the practical skills you’ll need to work on sound and music projects in a wide range of industry settings. You’ll study a wide range of areas, from composition and sound design for film, television, games and advertising through to immersive sound for VR environments – as well as electronic music production, studio and location recording, and live sound engineering.
Our students have worked on placement for Cooking Vinyl Records, Steve Winwood’s Wincraft Music Studios, as live Sound Engineers at major UK festivals, at blockchain music specialists Blokur – as well as providing sound and music production services for a host of corporate clients.
You’ll learn from a mix of practical sessions, lectures, group work and professional experiences – with assessment 100% by coursework. You’ll learn in industry-standard recording studios, production labs, interactive platforms and. specialist software and hardware.
You’ll have access to our suite of audio production facilities – including four music studios, an immersive sound lab that’s equipped with a 22.2 spatial audio array, a Soho-style dubbing theatre, three Mac labs that all run Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton and MAX / MSP – as well as rehearsal rooms and fabrication labs where you work on creating interactive music hardware.
Throughout the course you’ll learn to use these facilities, develop expertise in live sound engineering for settings that range from small venues through to festival stages and live streaming and collaborate with songwriters, performers, film makers, animators, games designers and a range of other creative students to create music and sound for a variety of audio and screen media projects.
96 – 120 UCAS tariff points, CCC – BBB at A levels, MMM – DDM at BTEC, or a Merit in your T-Level.
Entry to this course is by interview. Check out our Interview Guide to learn what to expect and help you prepare.
English Language or Literature and Maths Grade 4/C in GCSE (or equivalent) are normally required.
We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants, although some entry requirements may still apply for Professionally Accredited Courses. We accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas and make offers on an individual basis.
Please read the entry requirements for your country – and you’re welcome to contact our admissions team if you have questions.
Here's an example of the types of modules you'll study (the contents and structure of the course are reviewed occasionally, but it is unlikely that there will be significant change).
Module information is not available for this programme.
| Start date | Location | UCAS code |
Fee (UK) per year |
Fee (international) per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | Park, Cheltenham | W371 | £9,250 | £15,450 |
| Sep 2024 | Park, Cheltenham | W371 | TBC | TBC |
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International students can benefit from a range of scholarships and bursaries across many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. |
Find out more | |||
Graduates from this course can go on to work as:
We’re proud that our graduates are now working for Sony, Sky, EMI Production Music, composing for major ITV series, and freelancing across the music production and sound design sectors.
We work with our industry partners to ensure that our students are ready for the world of professional sound and music practice, and we regularly host masterclasses by external producers working at the BBC and Realworld studio along with industry specialists such as Clint Murphy who has produced Manic Street Preachers and 50 Cent.
Throughout the course, you’re focusing on progression into professional practice through the enterprise and business pathway, which – alongside work placements and a series of client briefs that you’ll work on with our professional network – prepare you for the practical aspects of managing your career.
Our staff have a huge range of combined business experience – including working with the BBC, Universal, Sony, Virgin, Orange and O2. In lectures and workshops, you’ll also hear from professional content creators and taste-makers who tour, record, design and produce music and media projects.
MAP is a ground-breaking collaboration between educational institutions and the membership of UK Music.
Its focus is on linking industry and academia more effectively to: nurture collaborative projects such as research and careers events; inform and engage with the next generation of industry professionals; develop expert knowledge-base to feed into education & skills policy work, and; provide individuals who want to build careers out of their passion for music with extra opportunities.
MAP is designed to maximise the relationship between the industry and the educational institutions involved. UK Music provides links and experiences that will help the employability of the students enrolled in those institutions.
Our teaching team all continue to work regularly in the industry, composing for film, releasing critically-acclaimed music, alongside developing sound and music research that’s recognised throughout the international academic community.
Studio 1 can run all the tools in a Producer’s toolkit – Logic, Pro Tools & Ableton and is equipped with an SSL XL analogue desk and Unity stereo monitors. Studio 2 was designed and installed by ‘Studio People’ who’ve built studios for the BBC, EMI, Hospital Records, Heart FM and Games Workshop to name a few. It’s equipped with an Avid S6 desk and runs Pro Tools Ultimate for stereo and 5.1 mixing.
Our dubbing theatre is equipped with an Avid S3 desk running Pro Tools for stereo and 7.1 mixing, if you want to write for film, television or animation this is where your collaboration will bring you. The sound lab was designed by studio consultants White Mark, who’ve created studios for Abbey Road, and The Hit Factory in New York and Miami, among others. This is our flagship space, where students are able to use our 22.2 speaker system to create immersive audio for games, film and VR environments.
Get creative in our state-of-the-art Media Centre, using the same facilities as professionals around the world. We can offer you the perfect space to practice your craft and prepare for careers in the creative industries.
Benefit from experiences such as recording the BBC Concert Orchestra Wales at Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff. You’ll also develop knowledge of the live sound industry with our annual visit to the PLASA show in London.
Our students have worked on placement for Cooking Vinyl Records, Steve Winwood’s Wincraft Music Studios, as live Sound Engineers at major UK festivals, as well as providing sound and music production services for a host of corporate clients.
“From networking and learning about the music and sound industry, to releasing my own projects and developing audiences. The best thing about this course is that it puts you on a path that has individuality, whilst also receiving help from our lecturers who have had so much experience in the industry.”
Jack Van Delden-Wilce, Music Producer & Sound and Music Production student
Tim as a musician and producer has released albums, EP’s and remixes on major labels, received a BAFTA award for interactive sound work and toured internationally as a DJ. His huge range of experience will help you to build a broad range of skills covering every aspect of contemporary music media production.
Tim Land, Academic Course Leader in Sound and Music Production
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