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Sound Engineering and Production

Entry requirements


112-120 UCAS points including minimum of a grade C or above in a technical or scientific subject such as Mathematics, Physics, Music Technology, IT or Electronics.

Pass with 112-120 UCAS points from a QAA-approved Science or technical programme.

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

DMM

DMM from technical or scientific subjects, such as Mathematics, Physics, Music Technology, IT or Electronics, or similar. E.g. BTEC National Diploma in Music Technology including modules in Sound Creation and Manipulation, Acoustics for Musicians.

112-120 UCAS points including minimum of a grade C or above in a technical or scientific subject such as Mathematics, Physics, Music Technology, IT or Electronics

UCAS Tariff

112-120

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Audio technology

**Successful performances often depend on the sound output. Build theoretical and practical skills to create a better sounding experience with our BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production degree.**

Sound engineers are essential to how we perceive live and recorded sound. As digital listening experiences expand, and more new listeners engage on different devices, sound quality and delivery is paramount. By studying the fascinating field of sound, audio and acoustics, you can open up exciting career opportunities where you can create, shape and manage sound and audio.

**Learn to create a better sound experience**
Co-located at our MediaCity and Peel park campuses, minutes away from buzzing central Manchester, our Sound Engineering and Production degree will guide you through this creative blend of science and engineering. We use small-group teaching to deliver carefully-designed modules that embed theoretical knowledge and creative application, and help you to build technical and transferable skills for to build a career in audio and media industries.

Initially, you will explores a variety of practical applications including radio, TV, music recording and live sound. You will study audio systems, music technology, live sound connection and studio production. As you progress, you will look at advanced audio production, audio installation and sound design. With your future in focus, you can also choose specialist modules in audio for gaming and virtual reality or audio forensics.

This pathway is designed to include an industry placement year between years two and three. On successful completion of a placement, you can add 'with professional experience' to your final degree award.

**Build skills using world-class facilities**
At the forefront of audio and acoustics teaching and research for over 60 years, we are home to some ground-breaking, world-class facilities. During your studies, you will develop your hands-on skills in laboratories and studios used for industry testing and research. This includes an anechoic chamber and two semi-anechoic chambers, a transmission suite, reverberation chambers, an ITU standard listening room, a 3D Ambisonic listening booth and audiometric test facilities. At our MediaCity campus, you can enjoy access to multi-million pound Pro Tools enabled studios, 3D animation suites, TV and video suites, and digital media performance labs.

**Get closer to industry**
With the legendary Manchester music scene on our doorstep, you will have plenty of opportunities to hear sound and audio in action. Along with a network of major media companies surrounding our MediaCity campus, you will be in the right place to add some practical industry experience to your studies too.

**Features**
• Develop your knowledge of the recording process, enhanced by scientific and technical aspects
• Acquire production knowledge of a variety of practical applications including radio, TV, music recording and live sound
• Learn how to use typical software tools for the generation, control, processing and audio reproduction
• Understand the relationships between sound and the environment, wherever it is being produced
• Explore audio game design, acoustic modelling, and the techniques behind augmented reality
• Gain professional-level knowledge and skills by including a placement year where you can apply your knowledge and develop further transferable skills

Modules

Year one:
Audio Production for TV and Radio, Signal Chain Theory, Studio Production, Live Sound Connections, Music Technology Systems, Acoustics Lab.

Year two:
Industrial Studies and Career Management, Group Design Project, Web Audio, Audio Installation, Advanced Audio Production, Sound Design.

Year three:
Spatial Audio, Audio Over IP, Audio Forensics and Restoration, Audio for Games and VR, Major Project (Dissertation).

The Uni


Course location:

University of Salford

Department:

School of Science, Engineering and Environment

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.

40%
Audio 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.

Others in technology

Teaching and learning

60%
Staff make the subject interesting
80%
Staff are good at explaining things
40%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
20%
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

60%
Library resources
67%
IT resources
60%
Course specific equipment and facilities
40%
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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
84%
Male students
16%
Female students
67%
2:1 or above
25%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
D

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.

Others in technology

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.

£24,000
med
Average annual salary
87%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

42%
Engineering professionals
17%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
8%
Construction and building trades

What about your long term prospects?

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

Others in technology

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

£32k

£32k

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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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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