Sound Engineering and Production - BSc (Hons)
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Studying sound engineering and production
Our BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production degree course will provide you with the creative skills and versatility you need to succeed in a constantly evolving, challenging industry.
You’ll have access to world-class facilities so that you can experiment with music production, sound engineering, audio electronics and much more.
Available in the UK to home and international students, the course enables you to study a diverse programme, ensuring students are incredibly well equipped for employment within the industry once completing their degree.
Our students come from around the world and our Sound Engineering and Production course reflects this diversity.
Introducing STEAMhouse
STEAMhouse is a centre for technology, innovation, creative thinking
Our brand new £70 million pound building, STEAMhouse, will become the new home for the School of Computing and Digital Technology from the start of the 2022 academic year.
Find out more
This course is
open
toInternational
students.What's covered in this course?
This course has been designed to meet the requirements found within the audio industry, providing a dynamic study programme that focuses on live and studio sound engineering, audio electronics, audio software engineering, acoustics and business principles. This combination of subjects ensures you’ll be employable in a range of career paths.
You’ll be able to use technology to assist in the capture and manipulation of sound. Our course combines practical, hands-on training with theoretical and academic understanding, giving you a holistic conception of sound technology.
Audio engineering is a highly dynamic sector, driven by rapid technological advancement. We will ensure that you have the skills to develop and maintain the next generation of models for production, performance and measurement.
You will develop key transferrable skills, such as teamwork, reflection and self-awareness. You’ll also gain analytical skills through coursework tasks, as well as enhancing your problem solving using a range of systems and technologies.
Throughout the duration of your course you will be presented with several chances to gain hands-on industry experience, through musical festivals, events and much more. As a Sound Engineering and Production student you will receive the opportunity to undertake trips through the Live Sound Society.
Professional Placement Year
This course offers a professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, between the second and third years of your degree, and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.
The University will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. If you do not find a suitable placement, you will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year (£1,850 for UK students).
Accredited By
This course is accredited by:
One of the best things about the course was how wide ranging it was. It enabled me to take a holistic look at the audio industry in general.
I really appreciated the technical elements of the course because whilst I really enjoyed all the studio recording and live sound modules, the fact that the course really opened my eyes to the world of programming and that sort of engineering really enabled me to get a strong technical background which is what got me the job at Spotify. Support and Surveillance Specialist at Spotify, New York City.
I was very happy with the course. The biggest thing for me was the breadth. I know people from my year of the course who have gone on into research, live sound, low level engineering, film, composition, all sorts of different areas of the music industry. The great thing about the course is that it doesn’t consign you into one area, it gives you the tools that you need to develop your understanding of which ever area you choose to rather than directing you into one area in particular.
Ashley Eastwood, Engineer, Product Engineering at Music Group
Why Choose Us?
Brand new facilities at STEAMhouse -
This state-of-the-art building will become the new home for its School of Computing and Digital Technology from the start of the 2022 academic year. Based at our expanding City Centre Campus, this unique centre will give you access to outstanding facilities and teaching spaces, as well as opportunities to collaborate with people and businesses across multiple sectors and work on real industry-based projects.Range of industry opportunities -
Graduates of this course have successfully entered the audio industry, working in live sound, software development, production, sound design and audio post, through to product development, acoustic consultancy and education.Preparation for employment
- This course will prepare you for the range of technology-orientated career paths in the highly dynamic audio technology environment. Our students have gone to work with companies such as Eurotec International and BBC.Get real life work experience -
This course has the option of a sandwich year which you can take between your second and final year.Members of WISE -
Inspiring female talent in physics and computing.State-of-the-art campus and facilities
- You’ll be taught across our three City Centre Campuses that include; Millennium Point, which has recently had a £6.5 million investment in facilities; the £57 million Royal Birmingham Conservatoire; and £62 million Parkside Campus.
Find out more about our campuses
.Studying with us during the Covid-19 pandemic
The University has put in place
measures in response to Covid-19
to allow us to safely deliver our courses. Should the impact of the pandemic continue in future years, any additional or alternative arrangements put in place by the University will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of thestudent contract
.Program Outline
Year One
Year Two
Professional Placement Year (Optional)
Year Three
Year One
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Acoustic Fundamentals 20 credits
This module will develop students’ understanding of acoustic fundamentals and will also develop a methodology for testing a range of musical instruments, using a range of applicable techniques to extract and analyse data.
Sound Recording 20 credits
This module provides a base for you to develop key skills in recording and mixing, imperative for all fields of music technology and sound engineering. You will become familiar with the hybrid analogue mixing/digital recording studio environment and explore recording techniques and processes applicable to a wide range of acoustic and electric instruments. You will study analogue-based audio systems and processes, and microphone technology. You will apply this knowledge through a series of studio based recordings.
Digital Audio Fundamentals 20 credits
This module will introduce the nature of digital signals, presenting the international standards for digital audio data and the common processes involved in the capture and processing of digital signals. Later the module will allow you to develop strong skills in the standards for compression and distribution of digital audio signals and via a cross discipline approach, the module will illustrate common methods form computing and how valid these are for digital signal distribution.
Live Sound Reinforcement 1 20 credits
This module will give you a broad understanding of sound reinforcement for a range of scenarios of up to 250 audience capacity. As well as the practical skills of connecting and troubleshooting a range of equipment from analogue to digital, the module will also focus on the need for good theoretical skills, including room modelling and system prediction as well as understanding of electrical safety and safe operating practice.
Audio Software Development 20 credits
In this module, you will explore everything from compilers, instruction sets and hardware architectures up to programming concepts such as iterators and functions. The module finishes by introducing simple digital signal processing technologies and object oriented design. The module provides the knowledge base to excel in the technical modules in years 2 and 3.
Audio Electronics 20 credits
This module provides a foundation for you to grow into audio hardware design related final year projects, employment and work placements. The module outlines an essential part of being a good studio or live sound engineer and also relates to high-end audio reproduction systems found in A/V theatre and hi-fi listening rooms.
Year Two
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Broadcast Sound 20 credits
This module introduces you to recording sound for television and radio, sound effects, dialogue replacement (ADR), and mastering audio levels for broadcast using a project based approach. You will increase your employability through exposure to the skills used in the broadcast industry and working with actors and television crews in interdisciplinary activities involving students across different faculties.
Recording, Production and Delivery 20 credits
This module enables you to develop an individual recording portfolio based on your personal areas of interest whilst acquiring core techniques and skills in key applications. It provides the opportunity to explore editing, mixing and a range of recording techniques to lay a foundation for more advanced recording and production work at Level 6.
Digital Signal Processing 20 credits
Digital technology is widely used throughout all the stages of the digital media processing, production, transmission, distribution and broadcasting activities. This module provides application based fundamental digital signal processing (DSP) knowledge and skills.
Audio Systems 20 credits
This module will develop key understanding of audio systems, embedded systems and electronics. This module will encourage you to develop your passion for the equipment found in the studios, how they sound and why, and what makes them important during the recording, mixing and mastering process.
Music and Audio Industries 20 credits
This module will allow you to gain an in-depth understanding of global music and audio industries and how organisations have sought to adapt to technological change. This module enhances employability through the development of your understanding of employer requirements and approaches to recruitment.
Acoustic Applications 20 credits
This module will provide a practical insight into acoustic consultancy by assessing through theory and practice. It will cover building, interior and environmental acoustics in a way that aids employability by utilising methods that are typical of industrial practice.
Professional Placement Year (Optional)
In order to qualify for the award of BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering And Production with Professional Placement Year a student must successfully complete the following module.
Professional Placement Year 120 credits
This module is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a credit bearing, 40- week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Undergraduate Degree.
The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
Year Three
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits):
Individual Honours Project 40 credits
The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and research informed project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. In agreement with your supervisor, you will decide upon your topic which will take the form of a practical outcome (artefact) with accompanying contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be aligned to the programme you are studying, and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.
At this level, you will be expected to work independently but you will receive additional one-to-one support from your supervisor, who will be familiar with your chosen topic area. As you progress on the module, extra support will be available and this may take the form of group seminars, workshops and online materials that will help to develop your project.
Live Sound Reinforcement 2 20 credits
The module allows a deeper understanding of measuring and tuning PA systems, the operations and mathematics involved in rigging, and other show control systems such as DMX for lighting.
Music Information Retrieval 20 credits
This module will cover the wide range of research areas within music information retrieval (MIR). The field of MIR emerged at the intersection of other areas in music research including audio signal processing, machine learning, music history, musicology, and music psychology. Current research in MIR consists of topics related to these fields, including music recommendation, automatic music transcription, optical music recognition, source separation, semantic audio applications.
Digital Audio Effects OR New Interfaces for Musical Expression 20 credits
The module will cover linear and nonlinear systems, time and frequency domain processing algorithms and will explore future generations of methods in the field such as adaptive, cross-adaptive and intelligent music production systems.
Game Audio 20 credits
The Game industry has overtaken the film industry in terms of revenue and audio is an integral part of developing high impact titles. In this module, you will explore the fundamentals of sound design for interactive environments, including sound effects, Foley sound, soundscapes and dialogue. The module will cover the integration of audio into game engines like Unity and middleware such as FMOD, and mixing techniques particular to the gaming industry.
Download course specification
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How you learn
You will be assessed both formatively and summatively by a number of methods. Formative assessment occurs throughout the programme and involves feedback from peers, tutors and individual reflection.
A range of summative assessment methods are employed involving both individual and group assignments, written coursework assignments and practical project work, laboratory experimentation, tests and examinations (seen and unseen, open-and closed-book). Assessment methods for each module are identified in a module guide and, for coursework, assessment details and criteria are specified in each assignment brief.
In accordance with the University Regulations you will be permitted two attempts at assessments. After your first sit, if you are unsuccessful in any of your assessments, there will be a final resit opportunity for which your mark, provided that you pass the assessment, will be capped at 40 per cent.
Attendance requirements
For more information on attendance requirements, course contact time and suggested self-study hours, download the course specification.
International opportunities
The Centre has a partnership arrangement with the highly esteemed University of Rochester in New York State, USA. This exchange programme offers the opportunity for students to apply to study abroad for a semester in the second year. More generally, this arrangement feeds into the internationalisation of the course with students from the USA joining the cohort at BCU, opportunities for joint research projects and short academic exchanges.
Trips and Visits
Birmingham City University is located at the heart of the West Midlands, with a rich, vibrant music scene. With live venues from intimate jazz bars to rock venues, from festivals such as Moseley Folk Festival to world renowned Symphony Hall there are plenty of chances for you to gain hands-on experience! As a student within the school you will be able to enjoy professional-quality resources and access to highly accomplished musicians from genres including classical, folk, jazz, rock and electro.
Throughout the duration of your course you will be presented with several chances to gain hands-on industry experience, through musical festivals, events and much more. As a Sound Engineering and Production student you will receive the opportunity to undertake trips through the Live Sound Society.
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Athena Swan Bronze Award
We have successfully secured the Athena SWAN Departmental Bronze Award recognising a commitment to gender equality.
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research.