Three or four years
3 years or 4 years with one of the two optional sandwich year routes: a work placement year or study abroad year, to be undertaken between years two and three of the course.
Full-time: £9,250 *
Full-time: £15,160 **
Full-time: £15,160 **
W3W7
From September 2020
Northampton Square
This course is for ambitious students who want to develop an impressive portfolio of technical and creative skills. These skills will prepare you for a wide range of careers, such as music production, audio engineering, sound and interaction design, music composition for film and TV, and sound art practices.
You will learn in a highly energised and supportive department, with world-class facilities and internationally recognised staff who share your devotion to music. You will study music, recording, studio production techniques, composition, interactive music, acoustics and psychoacoustics, audio arts, sound synthesis, and digital signal processing.
At the Department of Music, you will participate in a variety of music-making activities, including a wide range of student ensembles. Our regular concert series and summer festival will introduce you to world-class musicians from classical music to world music.
To help you on your way to realising your future ambitions, we offer you the option of taking a sandwich year on an industry placement. Alternatively, you may choose to study at one of our partner institutions abroad.
Find out more about our department.
The Music, Sound and Technology BSc (Hons) at City is an innovative and versatile degree, accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES). 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 that will prepare you for employment in a variety of roles across the fast-changing music industries.
Delivered in a stimulating research-led environment with world-leading studios and recording facilities, you will learn how to develop innovative projects in recording, composition, interactive music, installation and cross-disciplinary work.
This degree has a unique focus, integrating theory and practice to help you understand the relationships between music, sound and other forms of digital media, such as film, games, web-based applications, and new modes of performance which utilise music technology in novel and innovative ways.
This course will enable you to:
Find out what our students and alumni are up to and the events and research happening within the department on the Music Department blog.
We welcome Access course applications from 'mature' students. These applicants will be considered on the basis of their own merits. Please be aware that Access students are often asked for further information to supplement their application, this is normally in the form of a questionnaire.
A typical offer for an Access applicant would be: Pass 60 credits, 45 Level 3 including at least 27 at distinction and the remaining 18 at merit. The Access qualification should be supplemented by at least a grade 4 (C) in Mathematics and English Language at GCSE.
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.
If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner, INTO City, University of London offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree. Find out more about:
International Students (EEA and Non EEA) coming to study in the UK, may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study. The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:
For more information see our main Visa page.
Applications for degree courses must be made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). You can 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 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 £23 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 £12.
Your application for entry in September 2021 should arrive at UCAS between September 2020 and 29th January 2021. Applications that arrive after 29th January 2021 will be considered only at City’s discretion.
When your application is acknowledged by UCAS, you will be sent a personal identification number so that you can access your records via Track on the UCAS website.
For general enquiries about the admissions process at City, please contact our Admissions Office:
Email: ugadmissions@city.ac.uk
Telephone: +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.
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.
* The fee for this course is £9,250 for each year of study.
** The fee for this course is £15,160 for the first year of study. The institution reserves the right to increase your tuition fees annually to take account of the institution's increased costs of delivering educational services. The increase will normally be 2% but this is kept under review with reference to the RPI. If the institution intends to increase your tuition fees you will be advised of this alongside the published entry fee.
A large number of funding options are available for the Music, Sound and Technology BSc (Hons) at City. Our award-winning Student Centre will provide you with excellent financial advice and support to help you fund your studies.
Future Finance offers students loans of between £2,500 and £40,000 to help cover tuition fees and living expenses. All students and courses are considered. All loans are subject to credit checks and approval for further details please visit the City Finance website.
Find out how UK/EU students can receive £2,000 in their first year of study.
Meet Cleo, a student at City who has gone on to be a sound engineer, working at some of the UK's most exciting festivals. Find out what she loves about her studies with us and discover our outstanding music facilities.
As a student at City’s Department of Music, you will be right in the heart of London – a global hub for the creative and digital media industries. We offer you outstanding opportunities to gain experience of a music-related work environment during the second year, with an elective work placement module.
Students may also apply to take a sandwich year working in an industry placement as part of the School or Arts and Sciences Integrated Professional Training Programme.
It is also possible to combine the options by spending 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.
Students at City’s Music Department have recently undertaken placements at:
Discover what our students say about their placements and studying abroad.
Your time at City will provide you with a great opportunity to broaden your intellectual, creative, personal and professional horizons. The Department of Music has excellent links with international universities and you have the option to spend a term or year abroad during your studies.
There are also options to study abroad through either the Erasmus or international exchange programmes.
For more information please see our student exchange webpages.
As a Music student at City, you can take advantage of a wide range of facilities including:
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), one of which is dedicated to film and live electronics work, and three stereo composition studios. All our studios are equipped for sound editing, processing and mixing, offering you software such as Logic, Sibelius, Pro Tools and Native Instruments Komplete.
All rooms are spectrum-analysed, soundproofed and acoustically treated to a very high standard. Recent work created by students and staff in our composition studios has included:
We operate a Guarantee Scheme for first year undergraduates which means you will be offered place in one of City's affiliated Halls if you meet the Scheme's criteria.
Read more about our undergraduate halls.
Our Accommodation Service can also help you find private accommodation.
We offer a free language course for City, University of London students.
Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.
Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.
We offer an extensive support network during your time here at City, University of London – from Learning Support (including disability support) and counselling to financial and career advice – leaving you free to enjoy every opportunity campus life has to offer.
Find out more about the different types of student support available.
Chat to our current students and read their blogs to gain an insight into studying at City and learn more about our undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
To make sure that you can begin or continue your studies with us during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reviewed and adapted our courses to ensure a safe learning environment for our students and staff. We have modified the way some of our courses are delivered, with many programmes being made available online.
Contact us to find out more about how our programmes will be delivered.
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:
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:
For some modules, assessment is based solely on a portfolio submission.
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:
The Music, Sound and Technology BSc (Hons) consists of three parts, corresponding to the three years of the full-time degree programme.
Year One
You will study a wide range of concepts and ideas surrounding the theory and practice of music, sound and technology. Five core modules provide a comprehensive grounding in sound recording, acoustics, digital audio, media and critical theory, contextual studies and critical listening. These form a solid foundation for the more specialist topics in Years Two and Three.
Year Two
You will develop your advanced skills in recording and audio programming, creating innovative new work. A spread of elective modules across sound studies, critical and media theory, music in popular culture, western music, applied music studies and composition allows you to enhance your understanding in specialist areas and your studies to particular strengths and interests.
Year Three
The final year places greater emphasis on the role of sound and music in video and web applications. You will also choose from a broad range of elective modules. The major project forms a focal point for the final year of your degree, allowing you to devise and realise a large-scale individual project as the culmination of your studies.
Part One is made up of five core modules (120 credits).
The second year is made up of 120 credits. You will take core modules totalling 75 credits. In addition to the core modules you will choose 45 credits in Year Two and 60 credits in Year Three from a range of elective modules.
The third year is made up of 120 credits. You will take three core modules totalling 75 credits. In addition to the core modules you will choose 45 credits in Year Two and 60 credits in Year Three from a range of elective modules.
In addition to the core modules you will choose 45 credits in Year Two and 60 credits in Year Three from a range of elective 15-credit modules.
The following elective modules are normally offered annually.
The following elective modules are normally offered biennially and are expected to run in 2019/20, 2021/22, 2023/24, etc.
The following elective modules are normally offered biennially and are expected to run in 2020/21, 2022/23, etc.
The programme specification contains more information on how the course is organised, the requirements for progression for each part and credits required for awards.
Most contact hours will take the form of a mixture of lectures, seminar presentations, workshops and tutorials, depending on the nature of the module. The department is committed to small group teaching wherever possible in order to maintain a student-centred approach to teaching and to enable your participation in the learning process. 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. There is also a placement module and a sandwich year option.
Approximate study time, based on choices made by students in 2019/20 is as follows:
The knowledge and skills you gain during the course will prepare you for a wide range of careers in music production, sound engineering, software design, composition, sound design and media production.
Graduates of City’s Music Department have gone on to work for leading companies, including the BBC, ITV, Native Instruments, EMI, Universal Music and SoundCloud, going into roles such as:
Graduates of the Music Department have held the following positions:
Find out more about City and all our undergraduate degree programmes.
