Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Music Technology

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,D

Including Music or Music Technology and English, plus GCSE Maths or Physics. For Year 2 entry, BBC including Music/Music Technology, English and either Maths or Physics

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

including Music and English, plus Maths or Physics at Standard Level For year 2 entry, 28 points including Music, English and either Maths or Physics

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

H3,H3,H3,H4

including Music and English, plus Maths or Physics at Ordinary Level

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DDM

Scottish Advanced Higher

C,C,D

For entry to Year 2, including Music/Music Technology, English and either Maths or Physics

Scottish HNC

Pass

Entry to Year 2 with a HNC in one of the following titles: Sound Production; Music Technology; Music & Audio Technology.

Scottish HND

Pass

Entry to Year 3 with a HND in one of the following titles: Sound Production; Music Technology; Music & Audio Technology

Scottish Higher

B,C,C,C

Including Music or Music Technology and English plus National 5 Maths/Applications of Maths or Physics.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

90

including Music

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Musicology

**OVERVIEW**
The BSc Music Technology provides students with the knowledge and practical experience to work in a range of areas within the creative music, audio and media sectors.

The course will teach you to produce and process music and audio ready for distribution for applications including web and multimedia, film, animation, and computer games. 

​You will also be involved in studio recording and production, location recording and audio post-production, electronic music composition and sound design. 

The Paisley Campus facilities include three professional industry-standard recording studios, two specialist iMac audio labs and students also have access to a live music venue

This course offers areas of study that focus on developing high-calibre graduates ready for a successful career in the music and media industry.

**PRACTICAL FOCUS**
Throughout this course you will provide you the knowledge and practical experience needed to work in the creative music, audio and media sectors. You’ll develop a wide range of industry-relevant technical skills related to music and audio production.

Teaching is delivered between two dedicated computer labs complete with two recording studios and a surround post-production suite which runs ProTools and Logic with a selection of outboard processing hardware catering for up to 24-channels of recording.

You’ll also have access to industry standard software and hardware. Our Macs are equipped with the latest versions of Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Apple Logic Pro X, Final Cut X and Max for Live.

In addition to having access to industry-standard facilities and eqiupment, you will also have regular input from guest speakers. Recent industry guest speakers include Derek Richards FSRA; Andrew Britton of BBC Scotland; Alan McEwan, Studio Manager Brick Lane Studios; and Ross Cooney of Street Jazz Music Group.

**PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION**
This course is accredited by JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Support) and is an Avid Learning Partner (offering you the opportunity to gain ProTools certification).

**CAREER PROSPECTS**
**Jobs**
Music Technology graduates have the technical skills, business awareness and networking abilities to secure roles in industries including: audio post-production; acoustics and live sound; broadcast audio; education; immersive game audio; music mixing & mastering; and video and media production.

Career paths in the following areas include: acoustics (graduate trainee acoustician), audio post production (sound editor/dubbing engineer), music composition (composer, electronic musician), music production (studio recording/mixing/mastering engineer); live sound or broadcast (engineer); sound systems design and installation (engineer/consultant), sound design (audio for film, animation and games), theatre-sound (technical engineer), video post-production (editor/ADR), technical sales and management, and within further and higher education. Many graduates work as freelancers while some set up their own business.

**Further Study**
Many graduates have advanced their studies to master's degrees in music technology, audio technology and sound procduction.

Modules

In Year 1, you will be introduced to modern audio/music recording and production techniques through creating podcasts, studio recording projects with Apple Logic and Avid Pro Tools systems and creating computer based music. Within live sound and acoustics you will work with digital consoles, networked audio and small PA systems. You will also develop your appreciation of the scope of the music and media industry.

In Year 2, studio recording and production techniques are further developed with a deeper focus on industry technical standards. You will study electronic music and understand MIDI control through composition and sound design in Ableton. Audio post production work enhances your skills in synchronisation, editing and processing techniques for deliverable media. Practical impulse response capture and room acoustics theory provides you with contextualised learning in reverberation, room design and acoustic analysis. Continuing studies in sound reinforcement theory and systems will culminate with group work and the technical production of a live music event. 

Year 3 will see you will work in small production teams with musicians and artists producing professional multi-song recordings (EP's), video and web content for promotional purposes for the artist. This will be used to showcase your employable skills within a portfolio context. Music and media industry business and legal aspects are studied in terms of employment and entrepreneurship. Audio processing is introduced through the creation of a suite of effects developed in Max For Live for Ableton Live. You will have an opportunity to participate in an optional music industry placement in the UK or abroad in a partner institution, such as the Harris Institute in Canada. 

The final year of studies, the honours year features an extensive individual project culminating in the production of a dissertation and portfolio assets. You can customise your topic to enable you to develop specialised knowledge and skills towards your area of interest for future employment. You will be required to raise the quality of your work to implement professional and European standards for the delivery of audio in stereo and surround formats. Using current industry relevant mastering plug-in software and applying your professional listening skills, you will finalise selected tracks and format them for distribution. You will produce and synchronise all the audio assets required to complete a sound track for an animated short film. Year 4 will also see you apply the principles of signal processing in the development of software synthesisers and generative MIDI sequencing devices using Max For Live in Ableton Live. Finally, you will further develop your sound design and audio post-production skills within a non-linear audio environment for the specific requirements of computer games.

Assessment methods

This is a very practical-focused and assessed course. You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials and production workshops.

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
£18,000
per year
International
£18,000
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

Extra funding

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships

The Uni


Course location:

Paisley Campus

Department:

Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences

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.

55%
Musicology

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

62%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
68%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
58%
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

55%
Library resources
58%
IT resources
60%
Course specific equipment and facilities
42%
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?

96%
UK students
4%
International students
79%
Male students
21%
Female students
60%
2:1 or above
22%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
47%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
18%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
18%
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.

£14k

£14k

£18k

£18k

£19k

£19k

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.

Explore these similar courses...

Share this page

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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