- UCAS Code: J93F
- Level: Foundation
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Full Time (4 years)
- Location: City Centre
Studying with us in 2021/22
It is possible that the 2021/22 academic year may be affected by the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Any arrangements put in place by the University for the 2021/22 academic year will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, pandemic-related/health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of the student contract.
BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production with a Foundation Year will provide you with the creative skills and versatility you need to succeed in a constantly evolving 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.
About the Foundation Year
The Foundation Year course option enables you to study for our BSc (Hons) degree over an extended full-time duration of four years by including a Foundation Certificate (year one of four). The Foundation Certificate provides a broad study programme that underpins the follow-on degree. In order to progress to the next year of your degree, it is necessary to achieve a pass in all of the modules of the Foundation Certificate.
What's covered in the course?
Designed to meet the requirements found within the audio industry, you’ll engage with 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. You’ll also combine 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’ll also develop key transferrable skills, such as teamwork, reflection and self-awareness. Plus, gain analytical skills through coursework tasks, and enhance your problem solving ability by 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 also have the opportunity to undertake trips through the Live Sound Society.
"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?
- 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. Plus, you will have the option to join our Curzon Software House and take part in industry projects over summer to build up skills for your CV.
- 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.
- Be inspired - Adam has Autism and other mental health conditions but he hasn’t let it get in the way of achieving a first-class degree. Read about how Adam applied through clearing and started his journey at BCU.
Similar Courses
This course is open to International students
Where our students go
Our students have gone on to work with companies such as:
- BBC
- Eurotec International
And in jobs such as:
- Technical Assistant
- Projects Engineer
Entry Requirements
We accept a range of qualifications, the most popular of which are detailed below.
Essential Requirements
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BB or 80 UCAS tariff points from A/AS Level with a minimum of 2 A Levels |
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| LEVEL 2 QUALIFICATIONS | ||
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| GCSE |
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| Irish Leaving Certificate (Ordinary Level) |
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| Scottish Intermediate 2 |
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| Scottish Credit Standard Grade |
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| Scottish National 5 |
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| Plus one of the following Level 3 (and above) Qualifications | ||
| A level and Advanced VCE |
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| Access to HE Diploma |
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Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate - Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015) |
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Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma – Core (awarded until 2016) ESW/KS Combined component |
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International Baccalaureate Diploma |
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| Other qualifications | ||
| If you have a qualification that is not listed in the table please refer to our full entry requirements on UCAS. Further guidance on tariff points can be found on the UCAS website. |
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Additional information for EU/International students
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Please see your country page for further details on the equivalent qualifications we accept. In additional to the academic entry requirements listed above, international and EU students will also require the qualifications detailed in this table. |
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| EU/Non-EU (International) Qualifications | ||
| IELTS |
6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands If you do not meet the required IELTS score, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English courses. Please note that you must have a Secure English Language Test (SELT) to study on the pre-sessional English course. More information. |
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| International Baccalaureate Diploma (or equivalent, including internationally accredited Foundation courses). |
1. For students who complete the full IB Diploma: a total of 14 points or above from three Higher Level Subjects. 2. Students who do not complete the IB Diploma will be considered on the basis of their IB Certificates. Students must have grade 5 in Maths (Standard Level) |
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International students who cannot meet the direct entry requirements can begin their degree studies at Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC).
Additional Requirements
As part of the application process you will be invited to attend an applicant visit day where you will undertake a short one-to-one interview with an academic member of staff. This is your chance to show us how passionate you are about the subject and it will help us make a decision on your application.
This will provide you with more information about the School and your course. In addition, it will give you a chance to meet and our staff and students to gain a better understanding of what it is like to be a student here.
- UK students
- International students
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 4 years
- £9,250 per year
- Apply via UCAS
Award: BSc (Hons)
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 4 years
- £13,200 per year
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead.
Guidance for UK students
UK students applying for most undergraduate degree courses in the UK will need to apply through UCAS.
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is a UK organisation responsible for managing applications to university and college.
Applying through UCAS
Register with UCAS
Login to UCAS
Complete your details
Select your course
Write a personal statement
Get a reference
Pay your application fee
Send UCAS your application
Foundation Year
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
Year One
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
Year Two
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
Year Three
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits).
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
There are 30 attendance weeks in each academic year.
A typical week on this course will include 20 hours of contact time over four days, plus self study time.
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.
Further Study
Upon completion of the BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production degree you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to undertake further study. Throughout the programme, you will undertake modules which encourage the development of your research skills, providing you with the foundational skill and knowledge to undertake a postgraduate course.
The University has a range of either taught (MSc) or research (PhD) postgraduate programmes.
Enhancing Employability Skills
Your experience at Birmingham City University will ensure you’ll graduate as a creative problem solver, with significant experience of professional industry-standard hardware, software and systems. You will leave with a global outlook, primed to engage with the technical and aesthetic issues that will challenge the music and audio industries in the globalised and technologically mediated world ahead.
The Module Industrial Mentors scheme supports the enhancement of graduate employability through on-going engagement with industry specialists throughout the course. This initiative is based on facilitating interactions between students and individuals working across the music technology and audio sector via module-based forums. This innovative approach allows you to explore specific subject areas with experienced professionals working in the field.
You have the option undertake an assessed sandwich year between your second and final year, which will provide you with valuable work experience and give you the real-life skills you need.
The first year Music and Audio Industries and second-year employability, Projects and Management modules have been designed to give you a deeper understanding of aspects of this dynamic sector and offer insight that will help with your career development.
Placements
The Sound Engineering and Production course offers you the chance to take a ‘sandwich’ year, in which you can undertake an industrial placement. This takes place after the second year of study and extends the course duration to four years.
There are a wide range of potential placements that you may pursue such as working in recording studios, record companies, in professional audio and theatres. Previously students have undertaken placements with companies such as SSE, Midas/Klark Teknik (The Music Group) and Dolby.
In the past our students have undertaken year long placements gaining crucial contemporary industry experience. One example is Christopher Savva who undertook a placement at the International Federation of Phonographic Industry. Christopher’s role included anti-piracy work, where he worked hand-in-hand with the major record labels on content protection and the pre-release protection of singles and albums. His work led to him being offered the chance to undertake some work at EMI as well as a week-long assisting role within Sony RCA Records’ marketing department.
Placement Profiles
Christopher Savva
Course : BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production
Placement : International Federation of Phonographic Industry, London
Duration : 1 Year
OpportUNIty
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
Graduate Jobs
Graduates of the BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production course have gone on to work at a variety of institutions and organisations within the creative industries. Typical roles undertaken by our graduates include: assistant studio engineer, DSP engineer, music technician, studios electrician, junior sound engineer, broadcast systems engineer, junior audio designer (video games) and much more.
We are extremely proud of our graduates, who are now employed in companies such as The Music Group, Cloud One, Spotify, Spindlewood, Focusrite, Jaguar Land Rover and NAIM Audio. We also have graduates who have taken on roles as sound designers and media composers, working with TV programmes, video games and major record labels.
Scholarships and Awards
All students on this course have the opportunity to be nominated by staff for our annual Prize Winners Ceremony. Students are put forward by their course teams based on merit, performance, achievements, dedication and commitment. Recent winners can be seen below:
Simon Howes
Course : BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production
Award : Sir Henry Royce Foundation Award
The Sir Henry Royce Foundation Award is made annually to the University's technology student who has made the greatest contribution to faculty life during their undergraduate education. Made by Sir Henry Royce's Memorial Foundation - established in 1977 for the advancement of engineering - the award recognises young engineers whose student life is testimony to Sir Henry's own philosophy; pursuit of excellence.
Our students come from around the world and our Sound Engineering and Production course reflects this diversity.
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Explore some of the good reasons why you should study here.
- Find out how to improve your language skills before starting your studies.
- Find all the information relevant to applicants from your country.
- Learn where to find financial support for your studies.
Here at Birmingham City University we welcome students from all across the globe. Our BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Production undergraduate degree is open to international applicants who wish to study the field of music production and technology.
As an international student you will benefit from studying alongside a diverse range of students, all with different backgrounds and experience. In addition to this the course is led by tutors with international experience. You will have the chance to draw upon the diverse cultures and wealth of experience from your fellow students, learning new skills and sharing your own knowledge.
As an international student you will benefit from studying in close proximity to the UK’s diverse and continuously changing creative industries, you are encouraged to engage and regularly network with these industries. Through practice-based teaching you will develop an in-depth understanding of music production practices within the UK and further afield. You will have the chance to complement these skills through undertaking a work placement.
As a Sound Engineering and Production student you have the chance to earn while you learn, taking on various roles through the University’s in-house employment scheme: OpportUNIty. You will also be able to access personal and academic support services, as well as help and advice tailored specifically for you. Through an international orientation and welcome week you will be able to adjust to life within the UK, preparing you for your studies!
Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC)
International students who have a serious interest in studying with us but who perhaps cannot meet the direct entry requirements, academic or English, or who have been out of education for some time, can enter Birmingham City University International College (BCUIC) and begin their degree studies.
BCUIC is part of the global Navitas Group, an internationally recognised education provider, and the partnership allows students to access the University’s facilities and services and move seamlessly through to achieving a Bachelor’s degree from Birmingham City University.
Popular home countries
Our students come from around the world but our sound engineering course is most popular with international students from:
Our Facilities
Here at Birmingham City University, the School of Computing and Digital Technology is equipped with a multitude of professional, dedicated equipment. With world-class facilities including: two film and television studios, four multi-track recording studios, post-production facilities, and several hundred multimedia stations.
We have cutting edge facilities available to support the course and research that goes on in the School, including the purpose-built Media Centre at The Parkside Building, DMT Lab and Cisco Academy at Millennium Point and recording studios. We also have several PC and Apple Mac computing suites with the latest industry standard applications and tools for audio, video and multimedia application development and content creation.
You will also be able to take advantage of a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art technology and equipment to prepare you for working within industry. Our four fully digital, interconnected TV studios can be used within a variety of contexts, including audio recording. Alongside this with have several broadcast-standard edit and dubbing suites.
Film and television
You will have access to four fully digital, interconnected TV studios, along with broadcast-standard edit and dubbing suites.
Multimedia
An Apple Mac sound lab, electronics and fully equipped multimedia labs are all part of the technology and multimedia experience on offer.
Sound and music
Discover the full range of studios, mix rooms, recording spaces and a vast range of recording equipment.
Dr Roy Priest
Associate Professor
Roy is Academic Lead in the Centre for Digital Media Technology and Director of Learning, Teaching and Employability within the School of Computing and Digital Technology.
Prior to working in higher education, Roy was involved in various aspects of the music industry, as a professional musician and also working in artist management and legal and business affairs.
Dr Islah Ali-MacLachlan
Senior Lecturer
With a background working as a product designer in the hi-fi industry and as a working musician over many years, Izzy specialises in the areas of live sound and acoustics. He is an in-demand live engineer and production manager, working with a number of festivals and events each year. He was instrumental in setting up the student-led Live Sound Society and firmly believes in students becoming more employable by gaining practical skills alongside their degree. Izzy’s research work is in the area of musical acoustics and he is developing tools to analyse differences in musicians’ playing styles. He is also Education Director for Shrewsbury Folk Festival, one of the top 5 events of its type in the UK, and regularly teaches folk instruments at other festivals.
Professor Cham Athwal
Associate Head of School (Research)
Cham Athwal is Head of Research in the School of Computing and Digital Media Technology. He teaches on the BSc (Hons) courses for Digital Media Technology, and Sound Engineering and Production.
An experienced lecturer and researcher, Cham has led numerous technology transfer projects, as well as working as an experienced external examiner and course validator. He has skills and knowledge in several areas of IT, including software development, web technologies and multimedia, as well as image and video processing, 3D modelling, animation and virtual reality.
Dr Ian Williams
Associate Professor and Head of the Centre for Digital Media Technology
Ian is an Associate Professor and head of the Centre of Digital Media Technology (DMT). He earned his PhD from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2008 in low level feature analysis in biomedical images. He leads research in Computer Vision and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) with a key emphasis on creating novel methods for improving the Quality of Experience for users of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
Dr Williams’ has authored many publications in leading international journals and global events and he currently sits on the scientific and technical committee for the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), the IEEE Conference on Games (CoG) and acts as a reviewer for many conferences, journals and funding organisations including, IEEE Transactions on Visualisation and Computer Graphics (TVCG), IEEE Signal Processing Letters (SPL), the Elsevier Journal of Computer Vision and Image Understanding (CVIU) and the EPSRC.
Robert Mclaughlin
Lecturer
Robert is a lecturer whose emphasis is on student engagement with industry and external partnership development. He is a Prince2 Practitioner whose area of teaching is industry contextualisation, business, marketing and the work environment.
He writes for media focused, genre and technology websites and a semi-regular basis as a freelance copywriter specifically about new media and technology and has been used to providing commentary on media industry by journalists and local and national radio (Free Radio and Radio 1).
His work has led to student opportunities for mentoring and industry guidance from external clients such as Sky Academy, Spotify, YouTube and ITV.
He has worked on multiple industry focused projects which have included documentaries for Canadian Broadcasters, student competition judged by Hollywood directors and student driven multi-media projects curated from the creators of 2000AD.
He is also the project coordinator for Creative Networks a monthly event that is designed to increase student engagement within their subject matter and to learn from external partners and practitioners. He also runs the BCU-Comic Lab and co-hosts the weekly DMT Podcast show.
Dr Ryan Stables
Senior Lecturer, Digital Audio Processing and Subject Leader, Sound Technology
Ryan Stables is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Audio Processing and the subject leader for Sound Technology, based in our Digital Media Technology (DMT) Lab. He currently teaches in the areas of digital audio effects, digital signal processing and audio software development.
Ryan currently leads The SAFE Project, which will provide a suite of audio plug-ins able to recognise transferrable semantic terms. He has had both national and international news coverage, for his work on both intelligent music production and cancer diagnostics via data sonification.
Dr Jason Hockman
Associate Professor
Jason Hockman is Associate Professor of Audio Engineering at Birmingham City University. He is a member of the Digital Media Technology Laboratory (DMT Lab), in which he leads the Sound and Music (SoMA) Group for computational analysis of sound and music and digital audio processing.