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Sound for the Moving Image

Glasgow School of Art

UCAS Code: PW33 | Bachelor of Design (with Honours) - BDes (Hon)

Glasgow School of Art

UCAS Code: PW33 | Bachelor of Design (with Honours) - BDes (Hon)

Entry requirements

A level

A,B,B

A Levels ABB

HNC (BTEC)

M

Level 4 Diploma with Merit or above

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

International Baccalaureate Diploma award with a minimum of 30 points (18 points at Higher Level);

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2

Completion of Irish Leaving Certificate with Four Highers at H2 or above

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DDM

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D,D,M

Scottish HNC

Pass

SQA Higher National Certificate

Scottish HND

Pass

SQA Higher National Diploma

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B

SQA Highers with grades ABBB and above

UCAS Tariff

114-128

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

groups

Present a portfolio

image

About this course

Course option

2years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

Audio technology

Visual and audio effects

Sonic arts

Film and sound recording

The programme consists of two years at the Glasgow School of Art (Year 3 and Year 4 of a BDes (Hons) degree), after two years in a Further Education college or international equivalent. The programme recruits directly into Stage 3 with articulation from HND programmes or from mature students with relevant experience. The programme will encourage students to make highly creative, concept-driven audiovisual work, using innovative recording, production and post-production technologies.

In addition to making original practical works in Studio courses, students will gradually build critical reading, analysis, academic writing and presentation skills in Critical Studies courses in Year 3, which prepare students for a large-scale, self -directed Research Project in Year 4 (comprised of a substantial piece of academic writing and a practical project). The critical studies and research courses encourage solid contextualisation and reflection within the studio projects too, which will equip graduates to succeed as industry professionals whilst also making their practice selfsustaining and continually encouraging those graduates re-invent the industrial systems to become more inclusive, accessible and for themselves to be responsible as creative citizens to address societal, cultural and sustainability issues in our future. Students will learn to make sound/audiovisual work that is meaningful and accessible to our society and work that diversifies representation both behind and in-front of the camera.

The programme structure fosters interdisciplinarity and collaboration across the School of Innovation, with an elective course in Year 3 where the student can share a classroom with like- minded students from BDes Product Design and BSc Immersive Systems who chose the same thematic study option. From Year 3 to Year 4 there is a progression from scaffolded studio projects with tutor specified mediums and deliverables, to self-directed and tutor supported projects where the student chooses their medium (e.g. sound alone, film or interactive platform/experience). This interdisciplinarity and choice within the programme allows students to tailor their learning experience and build a creative portfolio for their chosen industry.

This undergraduate course has been written in response to the increased recognition of the importance of sound and moving image as part of the Scottish creative, cultural and commercial landscapes.

The programme will also tap into the worldwide increase in media production for an increasingly diverse and divergent audience through multiple digital distribution platforms. Students will develop detailed theoretical, practical and technical knowledge in sound production for visual media, where they can execute industry standard workflows, and incorporate meticulous ethical processes. Throughout the programme, project briefs are set to support students in creating:

• original soundscapes
• documentaries
• original short films
• spatial and immersive audio (including audio for games);
• voice for audiobooks, advertisement, radio jingles
• music for animation
• and an extended self-directed research project

The programme prepares students for a career in the field of sound production and postproduction for the moving image. The programme will also provide a grounding in the professional practice of sound production for visual environments, such as film, animation, television, online, interactive media and games, theatre and art installations. Graduates have found employment as audio professionals and practitioners in key creative industries and progressed to a range of careers in audio-visual arts, game development and film and television.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£24,350
per year
International
£24,350
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Garnethill Campus

Department:

School of Innovation and Technology

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.

67%
Visual and audio effects
67%
Film and sound recording

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.

Audio technology

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

80%
UK students
20%
International students
48%
Male students
52%
Female students

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
B
B

Cinematics and photography

Teaching and learning

68%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
72%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
70%
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

68%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
67%
Course specific equipment and facilities
48%
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?

84%
UK students
16%
International students
39%
Male students
61%
Female students
90%
2:1 or above
1%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
B
B

Music

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
78%
2:1 or above
4%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
B
B

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.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

Cinematics and photography

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
85%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

31%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
9%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Other elementary services occupations

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

33%
Design occupations
15%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
15%
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.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

Cinematics and photography

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

£15k

£15k

£18k

£18k

£23k

£23k

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.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here