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Sound Engineering and Music Production BSc(Hons)

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Start Dates

21 September 2026

Duration

3 years full time 4 years including placement year

UCAS Tariff

120-104

Recent Awards For Excellence

Ofsted outstanding provider logo Performing Arts - QS 2025
Find out more about these awards
About this course

Overview

Why choose Huddersfield for this course?

  • Full access to professional-standard recording, mixing, and immersive audio studios outside teaching hours
  • Three years of practical experience in production, sound engineering, and live audio to develop your creative and technical expertise
  • Collaborate with a supportive community of students, staff, and industry professionals to enhance your skills and career opportunities

Our Sound Engineering and Music Production BSc(Hons) course is designed for students aiming to develop advanced skills in music production, live sound, mixing, mastering, immersive audio, and sound design for media. You’ll gain hands-on experience combining technical precision with creative artistry, preparing you for a wide range of roles in the evolving music and media industries.

You’ll work in state-of-the-art, industry-standard facilities, including Pro Tools studios, SSL mixing consoles, analogue Audient consoles, immersive audio suites, and live sound equipment. Students have open access outside of teaching, supported by expert technical staff, allowing you to refine and experiment with your work independently.

The course covers advanced music and live sound production, critical listening, production analysis, game audio, and sound for film and media. You’ll learn through hands-on projects, workshops, and masterclasses delivered by commercially active staff, internationally recognised researchers, and visiting professionals, including award-winning producers, engineers, and live sound experts.

Huddersfield is ranked 37th in the world for Performing Arts (QS World University Subject Rankings 2025). You’ll have the opportunity to perform and explore new music at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF) and experience cutting-edge experimental artists at the Electric Spring Festival.

Graduates are well-prepared for careers as mix engineers, sound designers, producers, live sound engineers, recording engineers, studio managers, or media audio specialists, with the skills to thrive across professional music, media, and entertainment industries.

Who can apply?

Entry Requirements

BBB-BCC at A Level.
120-104 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications.
Merit at T Level.
DMM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.
Merit in UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma.
Merit in RSL Level 3 Extended Diploma.
Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above.
120-104 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.

In addition you must have GCSE Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme.

Practical and theory music grades are not accepted in the total points.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

If you do not have the appropriate qualifications for direct entry to this degree you may be able to apply to our Music and Performing Arts Foundation Pathway Degree.

What will you learn?

Course Details

This module will introduce you to relevant techniques and technologies for computer-based music production, including sequencing, sampling, arrangement, and a variety of other sound processing techniques. A range of practical work - both technical and creative - will develop your critical listening and production skills, and seminars will support you in applying these techniques to your own creative work.

You will be introduced to the core concepts, theory and practical principles involved in producing, engineering and mixing popular music. You will gain practical experience in an analogue/digital recording studio, developing your ability to record and overdub a variety of sources. For the mix stage of the production process, you will then review the fundamental approaches and techniques involved in effectively processing these signals.

This module aims to provide you with an overview of the technologies found in a modern audio recording environment. The module will introduce you to audio principles such as signals, acoustics, hearing and digital audio. These principles will be used to develop an understanding of audio technologies found in music production, such as studio spaces, microphones, mixing desks, amplifiers, audio processors and speaker systems.

You will explore the building blocks of music in all its forms, developing an understanding of how music ‘works’ through the use of key theoretical principles such as melody, harmony, rhythm, form, timbre, and so on. This will allow you to investigate a number of key works from a wide range of musical styles and histories in detail, engaging with music in ways that will also develop your creativity as a performer or composer.

This module introduces you to the live music production industry. You will learn how to use a wide range of equipment and practical use of a wide range of equipment and practical skills for live sound reinforcement. Practical experience of live music production will be gained in a purpose-built environment using analogue mixing consoles, a Public Address (PA) system and range of outboard equipment. You will develop the ability to engineer live music events individually and as part of a team. You will also develop an awareness of the legislation surrounding, and professional practices involved in, live music production.

This module will introduce you to a range of approaches to studying music and music technology. You will develop research, source-handling, evaluation, and critical-thinking skills and apply these to repertoires, cultures, and issues appropriate to your degree course. Linked lectures and seminars will increase your knowledge of key themes and concerns in music studies, give you opportunities to debate your ideas with others, and develop your confidence as an increasingly independent researcher.

Building on the skills and knowledge acquired in Desktop Music Production 1 or AFM1208 Technology for Music, this module will provide further study of the techniques of computer-based music production. Techniques examined in-depth will include synthesis, sequencing, sampling, editing, processing and mixing techniques, as well as their creative application. Issues of pre/post production and arrangement will also be explored. You will also continue to study musical arrangement within a computer-based production context. You will explore these topics through practical technical and creative work that will improve your techno-fluency and abilities in detailed critical listening. Seminars will support the application of production techniques and ideas.

You will be introduced to key concepts related to Spatial Audio, with a key focus on recording and capture using dedicated microphone arrays. You will explore multiple approaches to the capture of spatial audio, including coincident and spaced arrays using channel based and ambisonic approaches to capture. You will explore capture in the recording studio, concert hall and on location, exploring a range of popular and classical approaches to music production. You will develop skills in Spatial Audio evaluation through listening to commercially released projects and through array testing and experimentation. You will become confident in the use of channel based, ambisonic and object based workflows in original capture of music performance and spatial reamplification.

This module will develop your production analysis and critical listening skills. You will explore ways in which to analyse music productions, investigate differences in sound quality between common studio processors and refine your critical listening and appreciation of music production sonic signatures. The module will explore the affordances of production techniques and equipment and investigate how they helped shaped the music production process.

You will be introduced to advanced concepts, theory and practical use of a broad range of equipment used for recording, editing and mixing sound. You will gain practical experience of sound recording in analogue/digital recording studios and in a concert hall. Your ability to edit multitrack audio using advanced post production techniques will be developed, as will the skills required to produce music in a studio environment. In addition you will learn the techniques required to capture accurate stereo recordings in a concert hall environment.

In this module you will build on the Live Music Production Module, broadening out to cover a range of systems and roles undertaken in live events. You will explore digital consoles in detail, focusing on monitor, front of house and broadcast mixing. You will also look at PA system design, developing skills in the application of line array and point source systems. The module also focusses on systems used in live events, with digital audio networks, video and lighting systems all explored in detail. Broadcast streaming systems will also be explored, resulting in you streaming your own event at the end of the module.

Inside the Music Business will introduce you to a range of issues relevant to the current music industry, from copyright, contracts and economics through to the role of the media in marketing, reviewing, and representing music. You will explore the production, distribution and revenue models of the global music business and develop the critical and analytical skills to understand these working practices and the ways they relate to your own practice as a musician. On completion of the module, you will have created the assets to represent yourself to industry as a musician and have a digital portfolio of activity related to your chosen aspect of the music industry.

The placement year is your chance to gain hands-on experience and build on the skills you’ve developed in your first two years of study. You’ll spend up to 48 weeks (minimum 36 weeks) in a graduate-level role, sharpening your professional skills, exploring career options, and boosting your future job prospects. During your placement, you'll reflect on your performance, develop real-world skills, and learn to approach your role with a critical eye. Your placement will be monitored, and you’ll be assessed on your achievements, setting you up for success in your final year and beyond.

The Portfolio Sandwich Year module provides a flexible and tailored approach to professional development. It allows you to create a customised portfolio of graduate-level opportunities if your career aspirations don’t align with a traditional sandwich year placement. This module will help you develop a diverse and adaptable skillset, build professional networks, and enhance your career readiness through a mix of structured and self-directed activities.

As well as focusing on mastering for peak normalised and loudness normalised environments, you will study advanced concepts, theory and practice of record production. Whilst considering these processes from a historical context, you will review approaches and techniques at the forefront of modern music production including Spatial Audio, nurturing individual styles at the same time as emphasising professional sonic standards.

You will produce a portfolio of three music productions showcasing your skills over various genres through research and practice. It will extend your knowledge of music production by encouraging you to research seminal and cutting-edge music producers' work and apply this research to your productions. Throughout the module, you will be given the opportunity to present work that is in progress and receive support and guidance from your tutor(s), peers, and industry professionals.

This module will introduce advanced concepts, theory and practical skills in the use of a broad range of equipment used for recording and mixing sound for Film and Television. The focus will be on Sound Design, Foley, sound effects creation, dialogue syncronisation and and editing, track lay, and mixing in Dolby Atmos. Practical experience of location sound recording will be gained and will form an integral part of the module and its assessment. The module will develop abilities in track lay, synchronisation and editing of audio alongside a given video file in a DAW; all essential skills associated with advanced post-production editing and mixing techniques. Discussions of the theoretical, philosophical and creativity aspects of the area will underpin the module content in lectures and lab sessions.

After an initial lecture and seminar programme covering aspects of professional practice, you will complete a work-related project. Typical work-related projects include: documented placement work (for example, as a classroom assistant in a school; membership, administration or promotion of a non-university music ensemble; assisting in concert management; work as a music copyist and/or editor; music journalism; studio management etc.); researching and building a professional work-related website; releasing music commercially with associated promotion or an industry showcase event . Although there is no requirement for the work-related project to be music-specific, it should provide the student with sufficient opportunity to develop graduate and transferable skills for the workplace and must be agreed with the module leader prior to commencing assessment work.

You will work individually, or in small groups (of normally no more than six), devising, managing, delivering and evaluating your project. You will be assigned an individual tutor, to whom the project proposal is submitted for approval and who is responsible for supporting your independent work through the module, and overseeing the assessment of your project outcomes.

Teaching and Assessment

Discover what to expect from your tutor contact time, assessment methods, and feedback process.

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Global Professional Award

At Huddersfield, you’ll study the award-winning Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* — so you’re ready for the career you want, whatever subject you choose.

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Interested in a placement?

Placements

This course offers you the chance to undertake an optional placement in Year 3. This opportunity helps you to build on the knowledge and skills developed on the course. You will be employed by the company for 12 months, but the actual number of weeks worked will be dependent on the annual leave entitlement you are given in line with the placement company’s policy.

The placement year is a valuable tool that can enhance your employability and help you to develop as an individual. It is acknowledged that graduates with industry experience are generally much more attractive to employers.

Our Placement Unit will be on hand to support you in finding suitable placement opportunities, through timetabled and drop-in sessions as well as by appointment. They will assist you with preparing your CV and with interview techniques. They'll also be in contact with you during your placement so that you'll be fully supported while you gain the experience that employers value so highly.

The Placement Unit team are regularly in contact with local and national companies. Previously companies such as Dolby, Robannas Studios, Fraunhofer and Vibrations Studios have provided our students with placements.

Find out more
I completed my placement year at Fraunhofer IIS in Germany. Working there allowed me to meet some great people within the industry to expand my professional network. Throughout the placement my work ethic also improved allowing my to really achieve my best in final year.

- Matt Jefferson
Sound Engineering and Music Production BSc(Hons)

Where could this lead you?

Your Career

Previous graduates from this subject area have gone on to work in a variety of roles such as Freelance Music Producer, Commercial Manager for the UK & Europe , Senior Broadcast Engineer, QA Tech Lead , Technical Operations Manager and Senior Product Test Engineer in organisations including Solid State Logic, BBC, Warner Music Group, iTV, Amazon, Sky and Calrec Audio Ltd.**
**Source: LinkedIn

95-100%
Percent of graduates from these subject areas were in work or further study 15 months after graduation

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 22/23, UK Domiciled

I love working in the industry and can't imagine doing anything else. Doing the course at Huddersfield allowed me to become more independent, self-sufficient and have the self-motivation needed to succeed in this competitive industry. It was an excellent first step into my dream career.

- David Watts
Now a freelance producer and In-House Recording Engineer at The Chairworks Recording Studios.

How much will it cost?

Fees and Finance

£9,790 per year

This information is for Home students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

From January 2027 the UK government is launching a new student funding system for people starting university education. Read more about the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/study/fees/

£17,600 per year

This information is for international students applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2026/27.

Please note that tuition fees for subsequent years may rise in line with inflation (RPI-X) and/or Government policy. 

For detailed information please visit https://www.hud.ac.uk/international/fees-and-funding/

Home

The tuition fee for a placement year is £1000. If you go on work experience or work placement, you will need to fund your own travel and/or accommodation costs to and from the placement.  Please be aware that if your placement is outside of the UK, you will still be responsible for your travel and living expenses and may need to consider issues like health care and insurance costs.

International

The tuition fee for a placement year is £3,300. If you go on work experience or work placement, you will need to fund your own travel and/or accommodation costs to and from the placement.  Please be aware that if your placement is outside of the UK, you will still be responsible for your travel and living expenses and may need to consider issues like health care and insurance costs.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Discover what additional help you may be eligible for to support your University studies.

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International

Tuition Fee Loans

Find out more about tuition fee loans available to eligible undergraduate students.

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What’s included in your fee?

We want you to understand exactly what your fees will cover and what additional costs you may need to budget for when you decide to become a student with us.

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If you have any questions about Fees and Finance, please email the Student Finance Team.

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What does the univsersity offer?

Gallery

See below for a glimpse at some of our facilities

Student using a Mastering Limiter Compressor

Students using a 48 channel analogue console

Immersive Studio capable of 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos

Bluerooms 1 control room, with an SSL AWS 924

Bluerooms 1 control room, with an SSL AWS 924

Classes and workshops taught within the studio

7.1.4 Dolby Atmos ready studio with Daw

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Our facilities

Discover our industry standard facilities in the School of Arts and Humanities.

Music facilities

Take a look at the fantastic music facilities and equipment we have to offer at the University of Huddersfield.

Connect with the School of Arts and Humanities

Keep up to date with the School of Arts and Humanities news and events.

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Visiting Artists

Previous visiting artists include: Oscar/BAFTA-winning sound editor and alumnus John Warhurst; opera singer and G4 member Matt Stiff; producer/composer Nitin Sawhney; electronic artist Rachel K. Collier; guitarist Chantel McGregor; and prog drummer Craig Blundell.

School Brochure

Discover more about The School of Arts and Humanities in our brochure

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Why Hud

Explore the unique opportunities and resources that make our institution a top choice for students seeking a well-rounded and future-focused education.

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Explore Huddersfield

Make Huddersfield your home. A Yorkshire town, surrounded by beautiful countryside, with easy access to neighbouring cities; Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. You’ll find plenty of places to eat, drink, shop and socialise, there’s ambitious plans for future development. Our campus is situated next to the town centre - making your commute a breeze.

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Your Student Experience

Get involved in great opportunities helping you to make friends from all across the world and create lifelong memories. Join one of over 100 societies with the Students’ Union, experience new cultures through global events, earn whilst you learn and build your skills via our Global Professional Award.

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Budget Friendly

Huddersfield is not only one of the friendliest towns, it also offers you a lower cost of living than most big cities. This means you could have more money to spend, making your uni experience even better. On campus you’ll also find plenty of facilities and services to help you budget and make your money go further.

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Sustainability Matters

We’re committed to sustainability and aim to be carbon neutral by 2030. Our plan includes reducing emissions, enhancing biodiversity, and improving wellbeing through sustainable buildings. We’re investing in digital solutions, low-impact travel, and embedding sustainability into teaching and research, investing over £1m in carbon reduction.

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Committed to Your Future

Since 2015, we’ve invested £198 million to create spaces where you can learn, collaborate and thrive. We’re continuously investing in our campus with your wellbeing in mind—adding features that make our buildings healthier, more supportive and better places for you to succeed.

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Careers support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

Find out more about careers support

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you’ll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you’ll soon discover that you’re never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey.

See our support services

Teaching Excellence

Great teaching is engaging and inspiring — it helps you reach your full potential and prepares you for the future. We don’t just teach well — we excel — and we have the awards and recognition to prove it.

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Inspiring Academics

Our researchers carry out world-leading work that makes a real difference to people’s lives. Staff within the Department of Media, Humanities and the Arts may teach you on this course.

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Research Excellence

You’ll be taught by staff who want to support your learning and share the latest knowledge and research.

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Accommodation

Looking for student accommodation? Huddersfield has you covered. HudLets has a variety of accommodation types to choose from, no matter what your preference. HudLets is the University’s approved accommodation service, run by Huddersfield Students’ Union.

Take a look at your options

Further Study

If you want to continue your learning beyond your undergraduate degree, there is a range of financial support available for postgraduate study, including discounts for Huddersfield graduates.

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Legal information

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and if you are unhappy with the change we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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