BSc (Hons) Music, Sound and Technology degree • City, University of London

This course is for 2023/24 entry.

Key information

This degree encourages you to work with music and sound in exciting new ways. You will develop an impressive portfolio of technical and creative skills to prepare you for music-related careers. These include music production, audio engineering, sound and interaction design, music composition for film and TV, and sound art.

Start date

September 2023

UCAS code

W3W7

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years with placement or study abroad year

Institution

City, University of London

Location

Northampton Square

Entry requirements

Below is a list of countries with information on each about which qualifications we accept.

English language requirements

If your first language is not English, we will require evidence of English language proficiency. Minimum requirements are:

IELTS:

6.5 overall with a minimum of 6.0 in each component.

PTE Academic: 59 overall with a minimum of 59 in each component.

English language programmes

Don’t meet the English language requirements? INTO City, University of London offers English language programmes to help prepare you for study at university. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to degree courses.

Apply now

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Prospectus

Music, Sound and Technology BSc (Hons) Course overview

Developed to respond to the growing demand for flexible music and audio professionals, the course is focused on equipping you with an exceptional range of intellectual, technical and creative skills.

This degree has a unique focus to help you understand the relationships between music, sound and other forms of digital media. For example, film, games, web-based applications, and novel modes of performance.

Learn in a highly energised department, with internationally recognised staff who share your devotion to music
Train in facilities that include advanced recording and composition studios, and performance and practice spaces
Study music, recording, studio production techniques, composition, interactive music, acoustics and psychoacoustics, audio arts, sound synthesis, and digital signal processing
Participate in music-making activities, including student ensembles, regular concerts and summer music festival
Learn in a stimulating research-led environment with world-leading studios and recording facilities
Develop up-to-date technical skills in digital and audio technologies
Follow in the footsteps of students who have undertaken a placement year with Les Miserables, London Philharmonic, and other organisations.

Accreditation

This innovative and versatile degree is accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES).

Structure

Course content

Over the three years of this BSc Music, Sound and Technology degree, you’ll study music theory, cutting-edge concepts, and develop your professional practice.

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Placements

Year 1

Gain a comprehensive grounding in sound recording, acoustics, digital audio, media and critical theory, contextual studies and critical listening.

Year 2

Develop your advanced skills in recording and interactive music systems, creating innovative new work. Choose elective modules across sound studies, critical and media theory, music in popular culture, western music, applied music studies and composition.

Ensemble Performance (15 credits)
Practical Musicianship 2 (15 credits)

Develop practical and theoretical musical skills through your own work as well as group activities.
Sound Recording and Studio Techniques 2 (30 credits)

Integration of technical, theoretical, creative and managerial skills in order to develop your abilities to tackle complex studio sessions.
Interactivity for Music and Sound (30 credits)

Build on the fundamental skills in digital audio and computer programming gained in the first year Sound Design module.
Work Placement (15 credits)

Develop your employability skills whilst developing valuable ‘hands-on experience’ in the sector of your choice.
Composition (Studio) (15 credits)

Enhance skills in the use of studio equipment for sound recording, digital signal processing and mixing, and then apply these techniques in the creation of imaginative new works.
Composition (Instrumental) (15 credits)

Completion of three works for varying instrumental and vocal resources. Engage your creative imagination with technical discipline.
Composition (Moving Images) (15 credits)

Using both live and electronic resources, create soundtracks for three audio-visual projects over the course of two terms.
Performance 2A (15 credits)

Deepen your understanding and skills under the guidance of a professional, specialist instrumental or vocal tutor. Includes an end-of-year recital and a short portfolio.
Global Perspectives: London’s Musical Communities (15 credits)

Explore the impact of globalisation on music, focusing primarily on London’s diverse musical communities, through a range of musical traditions, styles and genres from around the world.
Fifty Shades of Red. Russia in the Twentieth Century (15 credits)

Introduction to political, social, and cultural developments in modern Russian history. Considerations to how the Soviet experiment influenced the history of Russia and the world, and how we should relate to it today.
Modern Germany (15 credits)

This module will introduce you to the major events and principal problems in German history in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries.
The American Century (15 credits)

This course charts the international rise of the United States and critically assesses the perception of the twentieth century as the “American century”.
Digital Storytelling: Research, Writing, Design (15 credits)

This module introduces you to the digital turn that has revolutionised the Humanities and Social Sciences in recent years. You will learn about the history of online media and become familiar with the current digital landscape.
Creative Writing Workshop (15 credits)

Explore the practice of creative writing; develop your own writing portfolio through understanding of the practices of the creative writer, and be encouraged to explore the key elements of imaginative and dramatic writing.
Global Popular Musics (15 credits)

Introduction to a wide range of popular music styles and genres from around the world and explores current issues around popular music in a global context.
Sound, Music and the Moving Image (15 credits)

Explore the use of music and sound in combination with moving images from a variety of historical, creative, theoretical and cultural perspectives.
Electronic Dance Music (15 credits)

Investigate a number of dance music scenes that have emerged from the last four decades and up to the present day
Rhythm (15 credits)

Explore the phenomenon of rhythm from theoretical, historical, and analytical perspectives.
Sound, Art and Technoculture (15 credits)

Examine the evolution of sound in the arts, and of sound as embedded in technoculture and within collaborative and transdisciplinary work.
Orchestral and Instrumental Studies (15 credits)

Explore the development of orchestration in Western Art music, from the mid-eighteenth century to the present day.
Performance Practice (15 credits)

This elective module deals with the study of historical performance practice of Western Music and its potential applications for performance today.
Jazz (15 credits)

This module will take you through the critical developments in the history of jazz, considering the music’s attributes and styles within cultural, geographic, and social contexts. This will be complemented by a practical element comprising performance, musicianship, transcription and composition.
Music in East Asia

This module explores the music of East Asia, primarily in China, Korea and Japan. It will also discuss the relationship between music and other aspects of East Asian society, including culture, politics, religion, and other artforms and media such as theatre, dance, and cinema.
Nineteenth-Century Opera (15 credits)

Explore the breadth and diversity of nineteenth-century opera from the 1820s until the end of the century, taking in German, Italian, French and Russian developments.
Video Game Music (15 credits)

In this module you will investigate video game music and the emergent field that studies it: ludomusicology. It will combine historical, technical and analytical approaches to explore a range of video game music and cultures across many genres, platforms and eras.
The Classical Style: Music, Aesthetics, Society (15 credits)
Micro-Placement (15 credits)

The module seeks to enhance career exploration and will provide you with professional level experience in the form of a self-contained project with one of City’s external employer partners. Completing the Micro-Placement module at level 5 will preclude you having the option to take the Micro-Placement elective module at level 6.

Year 3

Discover the role of sound and music in video and web applications. Complete the major project that forms a focal point for the final year of your degree, devising and realising a large-scale individual project.

Major Project: Music, Sound and Technology (30 credits)

This is an opportunity to advance your skills and understanding through the completion of a portfolio of creative and/or technical work accompanied by a critical commentary.
Major Project: Dissertation (30 credits)

Nominate a topic that can be researched in greater depth under the supervision of a member of academic staff, leading to the submission of a dissertation of 7,500–8,000 words.
Major Project: Composition (30 credits)

Advance your compositional skills and understanding through the completion of a portfolio of creative work, supported by specialist one-to-one supervision.
Sound and Image Interaction (30 credits)

Develop approaches to the interaction of sound, moving images, and physical gesture. The aim is to create holistic audiovisual works.
Mastering and Advanced Production (15 credits)

You will develop an applied understanding of professional mastering in a wide variety of scenarios, and broaden and enhance your production techniques with cutting-edge, experimental and idiosyncratic approaches.
Ensemble Performance (15 credits)

Enhance knowledge and understanding of ensemble repertoire and to develop professional and practical musical skills in ensemble performance, and in collaborative musical practice with others.
Composition (Studio) (15 credits)

Students will enhance their skills in the use of studio equipment for sound recording, digital signal processing and mixing, and then apply these techniques in the creation of imaginative new works
Composition (Instrumental) (15 credits)

Through the completion of three works for varying instrumental and vocal resources, you will engage your creative imagination with the technical discipline needed to convey ideas to performers via musical notation.
Composition (Moving Images) (15 credits)

Create soundtracks for three audio-visual projects over the course of two terms using live and electronic resources.
Global Perspectives: London’s Musical Communities (15 credits)

Explore the impact of globalisation on music, focusing primarily on London’s diverse musical communities, through a range of musical traditions, styles and genres from around the world.
Performance 3A (15 credits)

Enables student performers to expand and deepen their understanding and skills under the guidance of a professional, specialist instrumental or vocal tutor.
Visual Storytelling (15 credits)

This module gives you the opportunity to analyse cultural products that tell stories using visual mediums. You will develop an understanding of the different techniques that creators have used to communicate their stories using visuals, and you will also develop the ability to analyse narratives that make use of different visual modes.
Disruptive Divas, Riot Grrrls and Bad Sistas: A History of Women in Popular Music (15 credits)

Introduction to concepts of gender history and politics as well as to the historical study of popular culture. Examine the changing roles of men and women in the popular music industry.
Sound, Art and Technoculture (15 credits)

Examine the evolution of sound in the arts, and of sound as embedded in technoculture and within collaborative and transdisciplinary work.
Global Popular Musics (15 credits)

Introduction to a wide range of popular music styles and genres from around the world and explores current issues around popular music in a global context.
Sound, Music and the Moving Image (15 credits)

Explore the use of music and sound in combination with moving images from a variety of historical, creative, theoretical and cultural perspectives.
Electronic Dance Music (15 credits)

Investigate a number of dance music scenes that have emerged from the last four decades and up to the present day.
Rhythm (15 credits)

Explore the phenomenon of rhythm from theoretical, historical, and analytical perspectives.
Video Game Music (15 credits)

In this module you will investigate video game music and the emergent field that studies it: ludomusicology. It will combine historical, technical and analytical approaches to explore a range of video game music and cultures across many genres, platforms and eras.
Romantic Aesthetics (15 credits)

This interdisciplinary module investigates the aesthetics and ideologies associated with the Romanticism movement from the late-eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries in Europe. You will explore manifestations of Romanticism in music, visual art and literature from the English-speaking world, France, Germany, Italy and Russia.
Nineteenth-Century Opera (15 credits)

Explore the breadth and diversity of nineteenth-century opera from the 1820s until the end of the century, taking in German, Italian, French and Russian developments.
The Classical Style: Music, Aesthetics, Society (15 credits)

Examine the development, form and meaning of what Rosen called 'The Classical Style', namely the tradition of Western and Central European art ('classical') music of the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Jazz (15 credits)

This module will take you through the critical developments in the history of jazz, considering the music’s attributes and styles within cultural, geographic, and social contexts. This will be complemented by a practical element comprising performance, musicianship, transcription and composition.
Music in East Asia

This module explores the music of East Asia, primarily in China, Korea and Japan. It will also discuss the relationship between music and other aspects of East Asian society, including culture, politics, religion, and other artforms and media such as theatre, dance, and cinema.
Micro-Placement (15 credits)

The module seeks to enhance career exploration and will provide you with professional level experience in the form of a self-contained project with one of City’s external employer partners. Completing the Micro-Placement module at level 5 will preclude you having the option to take the Micro-Placement elective module at level 6.
Industry Projects (15 credits)

Using knowledge and skills gained through your degree, you will work in small multi-disciplinary groups on real-life professional level practical projects for employers, choosing between 5 sector streams, such as policy, finance, community, business and arts and culture.
Year Placement: Integrated Professional Training (15 credits)

This module aims to consolidate the learning and development you have gained through professional level experience in the form of a substantial work placement.
Mentoring and Coaching for Leadership (15 credits)

Placements

You can apply to take a sandwich year working in a placement between years two and three of the degree as part of the school's Integrated Professional Training Programme.

It is also possible to spend one term on the study abroad scheme and one term in a work placement in the UK. Alternatively, the Erasmus Plus Scheme enables students to spend a year working in Europe.

Download course specification:

USMUST-BSc-Music,-Sound-and-Technology.pdf

Teaching and assessment

Your course will be delivered by passionate academics who are dedicated to helping you succeed in your studies.

To maximise the amount of attention given to you on the Music, Sound and Technology BSc (Hons) at City, we offer a considerable amount of tuition in small groups and individually. This enables you to tailor your work to your own interests.

Your learning, teaching and assessment will take the form of a combination of the following:

Lectures
Student-focused group discussions
Individual tutorials
Seminars by visiting professionals
Workshops for creative work
Ensemble rehearsals and performances
Studio-based composition/recording work
Guided listening and reading
Independent study and library research
Oral presentations
Ethnographic fieldwork assignments
Project work
Written examinations

Assessment methods

Assessment is by a combination of projects, practical and creative work, and examinations throughout your degree. Marks obtained in all years contribute to the final degree awarded.

Your project and practical work account for over half the final mark.

Most modules contain an assignment in the form of:

An extended written or practical project submitted some weeks following the conclusion of the lecture series.
A written or practical coursework assignment, in the form of a seminar presentation, a short essay, or creative and technical tasks completed before the end of the lecture series.

For some modules, assessment is based solely on a portfolio submission.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment by examination, practical examination and assessment by coursework will depend on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessment, based on choices made by students in 2019/20 is as follows:

Assessment

Year 1

Written examination: 19%

Practical: 13%

Coursework: 68%

Year 2

Written examination: 4%

Practical: 13%

Coursework: 83%

Year 3

Practical: 16%

Coursework: 84%

Overall workload

Most contact hours will take the form of a mixture of lectures, seminar presentations, workshops and tutorials, depending on the nature of the module.

This programme will include an average of 12 contact hours per week. In addition, you will be expected to undertake 23 independent study hours per week. Approximate study time, based on choices made by students in 2019/20 is as follows:

Workload

Year 1

Scheduled learning: 19%

Independent learning: 81%

Year 2

Scheduled learning: 19%

Independent learning: 81%

Year 3

Scheduled learning: 14%

Independent learning: 86%

Fees and funding

Fees for year 2023/24

£9,250

Overseas/EU

£16,230

The tuition fees indicated are for the 2023/24 academic year only. Fees for each subsequent year of study are subject to an annual increase to take account of City's increased costs of delivering educational services. This increase will be 5% for each subsequent year of study. You should expect your fee to increase by this amount and budget accordingly.

Funding options

Explore up-to-date information about funding options, available financial support and typical living costs.

Fee waivers are available for this course.
Means tested support is available for 2023/24 entry.

Additional expenses

Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees. Find out more about additional expenses.

Career

The knowledge and skills you gain during the course will prepare you for a wide range of careers such as:

audio engineer
studio manager
sound designer
web and app designer
film, TV and video games composer
dubbing mixer
audio research and development
live sound operation for music and theatre
technical support for the recording industry.

Graduates have held the following positions:

Media Composer, Audio Network
Senior Product Designer, Native Instruments
Audio Manager, Rocksteady Studios
Head of Digital, Colt Technology Services
Senior Audio Supervisor, BBC
Producer, BBC Scotland
Senior Marketing Manager, EMI
Chief Executive, New York's Culture Shed.

Placement opportunities

Students at City’s Department of Performing Arts have recently undertaken placements at:

Brains and Hunch
British Harpischord Society
Les Misérables, The Queen's Theatre (Sound Department)
Live Music Now
London Ear Festival
London Philharmonic Orchestra (Education and Community Department)
MTV
Record of the Day
Richmond Music Trust
The Roundhouse
Songlines Magazine
Southwark Cathedral
Wired4music/Sound Connections
A large number of schools, colleges and community music organisations.

How to apply

Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Apply now

You will be able to apply through your school or college using the Apply system, which enables you to submit your application directly to the UCAS website.

You can apply to up to five universities or institutions on the form. The UCAS code for City, University of London is C60.

Please take care to enter the correct course code when applying, particularly for subjects with a Foundation year or with BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) or BSc (Hons) and MSci (Hons) options.

UCAS has implemented an 'invisibility of choices' policy so that, on the initial application and while you are receiving decisions, each institution can see only their entry and not those of other institutions you have chosen. This ensures that your application for a course at City is considered solely on your academic and personal qualities.

You should submit your completed application form to UCAS with a £26.50 application fee. If you want to apply to City, University of London only, you can make a single choice application at a reduced rate of £22.

For enquiries about the admissions process at City, please contact our Admissions Office

Complete the Admissions enquiry form

Call: +44 (0)20 7040 8716.

If your enquiry is about admission to a particular course, please use the contact details provided on the course page.

When to apply

Your application for entry in September 2023 should arrive at UCAS between September 2022 and 25^th January 2023. Applications that arrive after 25^th January 2023 will be considered only at City's discretion.

Contacting UCAS

Website: www.ucas.com

Address: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), Rosehill, New Barn Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3LZ

Telephone:

from inside the UK 0871 468 0468
from outside the UK +44 (0)871 468 0468

For callers with hearing difficulties:

from inside the UK use the Text Relay service on 18001 0871 468 0468
from outside the UK dial +44 151 494 1260 (text phone) and then ask the operator to dial 0871 468 0468.

Facilities

You can take advantage of a wide range of facilities including: Advanced recording and composition studios, Professional performance space, Computer laboratories, Rehearsal rooms and Practice rooms.
Our recording studio is equipped to deliver multitrack recording and mixing to a professional standard. Our composition studios include four surround studios (8.1/5.1).
All rooms are spectrum-analysed, soundproofed and acoustically treated to a very high standard.

Our students

Gain further insights into our courses through our students.

Our students' work

City student Cleo explored a career as a sound engineer. Find out what she loves about her studies with us and discover our outstanding music facilities. 2 minutes

BSc (Hons) Music, Sound and Technology student Jade shares her experience on the course and at City, and her advice for future students.  5 minutes

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Key information

Entry requirements

UK

Contextual offers

Mixed qualifications

Subject exclusions

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

AS levels

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