Music TechnologyBSc Hons

Our BSc (Hons) Music Technology degree course will help you lay the groundwork for a rewarding career in the music industry as a creative or technical producer.

You’ll learn how to engineer and produce music and sound using professional studio hardware and software, experiment with innovative practices and emerging technologies – including artificial intelligence (AI) – and through collaboration and project work, you’ll develop transferable skills that can be applied beyond your degree.

In year 1, you’ll explore subjects relating to recording and production, composition, and music computing. You’ll then choose a pathway that focuses on your chosen specialisation, preparing you for your future career.

In years 2 and 3, you’ll specialise in a specific area of music technology by choosing specific modules, and graduate with an exit award.

Exit awards

Depending on the modules you choose in your second and third years, you’ll get one of the following exit awards upon completing the course.

Accreditation

This course is accredited by JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Services), a group of industry professionals and employers.

The JAMES accreditation lets potential employers know that this course gives you the relevant skills and abilities you need to work in the industry when you graduate. This gives you an edge over students who didn’t do an accredited course when you’re applying for jobs.

JAMES reviews our accreditation every three years to make sure the course content remains up-to-date with industry trends and developments. So you’ll always be learning skills relevant to your career.

Featured student work

Cristian Munteanu – Cinematic Themes for Symphonic Orchestra

This majestic track is taken from our 2021 graduate Cristian's final-year project in Genre Studies. It's part of a selection of original multi-genre compositions exploring the nature of genre classification. You can listen to more of his work in our Music Technology Graduate Show 2021 showcase.

Immerse your ears and realise what you can achieve by studying Music Technology at Portsmouth.

Music technology’s a continually developing field that’s fundamental to many areas of the creative industries, including television, film, animation, computer games, and digital media.

The experience you get on this course means you'll be ready to use the latest technology and equipment available to employers, giving you a head start over others when it comes to applying for jobs.

You can also continue your studies at postgraduate level.

Graduate areas

Areas you could work in include:

• visual media
• computer games
• audio programming
• music studio work
• education

Graduate roles

Job roles you could work in include:

• composer
• sound designer
• audio/software developer
• musical technician
• studio manager
• studio engineer
• music teacher/lecturer
• game audio professional (composition and sound design)

Ongoing careers support

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience. You can also venture into freelancing, or set up and run your own business with help from the University Startup Team.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

Placement year (optional)

Between your second and third year, you can complete an optional work placement to gain professional experience and enhance your skills. It's also a great incentive for employers once you graduate.

You can work for a company, organisation or agency, or you can go self-employed and start your own business with fellow students or by yourself.

Whatever you decide – or even if you just want some employability advice – our exclusive Creative Careers team can support you every step of the way.

Creative Careers

Our in-faculty Creative Careers team has extensive recruitment experience and knows the creative sector well, making it easier for students to find placements within the creative industries.

They can guide you through every step of the application process, including:

• Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
• Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
• Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
• Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route

The team will continue to give you support throughout your placement year.

Placement destinations

Previous students have done placements at places including:

• Hot Vox Ltd – a music promotion and events company operating around London and beyond
• Blackhill Studios – a professional recording studio in Southampton
• Mayfield Studios – a Portsmouth based recording studio, record label and video production studio
• University of Portsmouth Music Studios – our own music production facilities

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits.

In each year (apart from your optional placement year), you need to study modules worth a total of 120 credits. For example, 4 modules worth 20 credits and 1 module worth 40 credits.

Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, course content is revised and regularly reviewed.  This may result in changes being made in order to reflect developments in research, learning from practice and changes in policy at both national and local levels.

How you're assessed

You'll be assessed through:

• practical projects
• working journals
• academic and evaluative essays
• performances
• oral presentations
• case studies

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

• lectures
• seminars
• workshops
• tutorials 

Teaching and support staff skills, professional experience and research interests include music computing, programming, game audio, composition, musicology, and engineering and production.

You can access all teaching resources on Moodle, our virtual learning environment, from anywhere with a Web connection.

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We use a blended learning approach to teaching, which means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online activities during your studies.  As well as attending your timetabled classes you'll study independently in your free time, supported by staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

A typical week

We recommend you spend at least 35 hours a week studying for your BSc (Hons) Music Technology degree. In your first year, you’ll be in timetabled teaching activities such as lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials for about 12 hours a week. The rest of the time you’ll do independent study such as research, reading, coursework and project work, alone or in a group with others from your course. You'll probably do more independent study and have less scheduled teaching in years 2 and 3, but this depends on which modules you choose.

Most timetabled teaching takes place during the day, Monday to Friday. You may occasionally need to go to University and course events in the evenings and at weekends. There’s usually no teaching on Wednesday afternoons.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Tuition fees (2023 start)

All fees may be subject to annual increase.

• UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students: £9,250 per year
• EU students: £9,250 per year (including Transition Scholarship)
• International students: £17,900 per year

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Tuition fees terms and conditions

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.