University of Portsmouth
Creative Music Technology (Top-Up) BA (Hons)
University of Portsmouth

Key Course Facts

Salary

Salary of all UK Graduates of

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22481 £20177 £23660
25-75 percentile range £20119 - £25653 £15142 - £24804 £17699 - £30158

Course Description

Do you have an HND or Foundation degree in music technology, music production or similar? Would you like to top it up to a full Bachelor's degree?

On this creative music technology top-up degree, you'll develop your creative and technical skills to degree level using new music technologies. You’ll get experience with sound software and hardware used by industry professionals, and get the chance to achieve additional certifications in the use of leading music technologies.

At the end of the course, you’ll be ready to begin your career in various areas of music technology areas such as games and animation, music recording and production, and television and film.

What you'll experience

On this creative music technology top-up degree course you'll:

  • Turn your Higher National Diploma (HND), Foundation degree or equivalent qualification into a full Bachelor's degree
  • Develop your personal creative practice with emerging sound technologies
  • Choose optional modules that allow you to match what you study to your interests and career goals
  • Be able to apply for an optional Avid Protools accredited training certificate in Pro Tools Software
  • Get the chance to apply for Audiokinetic Wwise certification (we are one of only 2 universities in the UK to offer this)
  • Be taught by staff members with industry experience in composition, sound design and music production

You'll use:

  • Recording studios to engineer and produce music and sound design for games, film and TV
  • Sensors and alternative controllers to create sound installations or perform live
  • Hardware and software synths and plugins to create electronic music
  • Digital audio workstations to create and mix music
  • You’ll get your hands on some exciting gear in our studio suite, including:

A valve 32 channel TL audio mixing desk

An SSL Matrix 2 console with 10 Neve 1074 preamps and 16 channels of Neve and SSL dynamics and EQ

A 7.1 surround studio (Genelec) including a Slate Raven multi-touch console for multichannel work and spatial audio projects

A Buchla System 7 synthesizer (1 of only 2 in the UK and the only one in a European university)

4.Oakley Modular synthesizers

iMac Dual i7 computers running Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Max/MSP (including Max for Live), Native Instruments (including Reaktor), Pure Data and Game engine software

Careers and opportunities

Music technology is a continually developing field that's key to the creative industries, so there will be lots of opportunities open to you after the course.

What can you do with a creative music technology degree?

Previous music technology graduates have gone on to work in areas such as:

  • studio recording
  • composition
  • music production
  • acoustics
  • sound design for television and film, animation and computer games
  • digital media
  • education
  • What jobs can you do with a creative music technology degree?

When you finish the course, our Careers and Employability service can help you find a job that puts your skills to work in the industry. You can get help, advice and support for up to 5 years after you leave the University as you advance in your career.

The formal assessments you take on this music technology top-up vary according to the modules you choose. They include: **a portfolio of original compositional works** **design and development of an audio/software project** **oral assessments and presentations** **written assignments including essays** You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

English language requirements

test Grade Additional Details
IELTS (Academic) 6

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

PTE Academic 54

An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill.

TOEFL (iBT) 79

79 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing.

Cambridge English Advanced

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.

Cambridge English Proficiency

Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162.

Trinity ISE

Trinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components

Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Creative Music Technology (Top-Up), BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Creative Music Technology (Top-Up) BA (Hons)

EU £9250 year 1
England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1
Ireland £9250 year 1
International £18800 year 1

Additional fee information

Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship

Placement Year and Year abroad:

UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £925 |

EU – £925 (including Transition Scholarship)|

International (Non-EU) – £2,000

Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice.

Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of University of Portsmouth in top UK and global rankings.

See all 31 university rankings of University of Portsmouth

About University of Portsmouth

The University of Portsmouth is located on the United Kingdom’s only island city, Portsmouth. This public university, which was previously known as Portsmouth Polytechnic, forms part of the University Alliance, an organisation whose aim is to promote growth and innovation in the UK by putting an emphasis on links with business and industry.

List of 234 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Portsmouth - Course Catalogue

Student composition of University of Portsmouth

undergraduates:
18085
postgraduates:
5005
Total:
23090
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