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Sound & Music Technology

Entry requirements


We welcome A Levels in a wide range of subjects, especially in those relevant to the course for which you apply.

We may consider a standalone AS in a relevant subject, if it is taken along with other A Levels and if an A Level has not been taken in the same subject. However, you will not be disadvantaged if you do not have a standalone AS subject as we will not ordinarily use them in our offers.

60 credits (with a minimum of 45 credits achieved at level 3) in a relevant subject.

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

Acceptable when combined with other qualifications

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points

T Level

P-M

P (Pass) grade must be C or above, not D or E

UCAS Tariff

104-120

A typical offer is between 104 and 120 UCAS points, primarily from Level 3 equivalent qualifications, such as A levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma, or current, relevant experience. Grade 4 (or C) or above in GCSE English Language, or equivalent, is a minimum language requirement for all applicants. Due to the creative nature of our courses, you will be considered on your own individual merit and potential to succeed on your chosen course. Please contact the Applicant Services team for advice if you are predicted UCAS points below this range, or if you have questions about the qualifications or experience you have.

a minimum of 40 UCAS tariff points, when combined with a minimum of 64 UCAS tariff points from the Supporting Qualifications

About this course


Course option

2years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music technology

Our FdA Sound and Music Technology degree is a highly technical course that combines fundamental and advanced music production techniques with advanced creative strategies and disciplines, giving you the skills needed to create high-quality music.

Using industry-standard studio hardware and software such as Ableton, Logic and Pro Tools, you'll explore all aspects of professional studio practice including recording, mixing, mastering and cutting-edge technologies including immersive audio and interactive sound design. Your advanced skills will enable you to deliver high-quality music projects utilising cutting-edge practices. You’ll also have the opportunity to complete an industry placement in your second year as well as work on commercial briefs.

The course has been designed not only to develop your skills in sound and music technology but also provide you with a broad base of skills linked to a wide range of areas within the creative industries and beyond. Upon completion of this 2-year degree, you'll also have the option to top-up your qualification to a full BA (Hons) with one further year of full-time study on either our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering or BA (Hons) Electronic Music Production degrees.

This course is taught by dBs and awarded by Falmouth University.

Modules

YEAR 1

In year 1 of your Sound & Music Technology foundation degree, you will develop your technical and creative skills by exploring key principles of music production and recording. You'll hone your skills with DAWs like Logic Pro, Ableton and ProTools. You will also investigate current issues surrounding revenue streams and employment opportunities.

Modules

● Studio Practice
● Music Production
● Production Analysis
● Mixing
● Synthesis & Sound Design
● Industry Foundations

YEAR 2

Year two of the degree provides you with an opportunity to develop your industry-relevant skills, knowledge and understanding through an industry placement, alongside working on commercial briefs. You will deepen your understanding of sound and music technologies by experimenting with hardware and exploring advanced mixing and mastering techniques as well as immersive audio. Your studies culminate with a research project focused on an area of interest of your choosing.

Modules

● Hardware Production
● Advanced Mixing & Mastering
● Immersive Audio
● Industry Experience
● Professional Practice
● Research Practice

Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

The Uni


Course location:

DBS Institute, Bristol

Department:

The Academy of Music and Theatre Arts

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

77%
Music technology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
92%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
74%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

70%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
81%
Course specific equipment and facilities
70%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

85%
UK students
15%
International students
84%
Male students
16%
Female students
83%
2:1 or above
37%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

E
B
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£16,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
59%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

51%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
9%
Teaching and educational professionals
9%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£13k

£13k

£17k

£17k

£21k

£21k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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