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Music Technology and Composition BMus(Hons)

2025-26

Start date

22 September 2025

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years inc. placement year

Entry requirements

A Level - BBB-BCC

BTEC - DDM-DMM

See full entry requirements

About the course

Reasons to study

  1. This course is accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES), which means it is approved by leading industry professionals. 
  2. You’ll have the opportunity to work with commercially successful tutors, internationally recognised researchers, and visiting artists. Past visiting artists have included John Warhurst, Oscar and Bafta winning Sound Editor (and Huddersfield alumnus).  
  3. With 21 different studios on campus, you'll have plenty of recording and composition studio space to use; we have a huge range of digital audio workstations (DAWs), plug-ins, synths, mics, and more. 

On our Music Technology and Composition BMus(Hons) course, you’ll develop your skills in both acoustic and digital audio workstation (DAW)-based music creation, as well as in production and performance. You’ll gain a broad view of composing with technology, exploring everything from writing for specific instruments, to using the studio and computers as tools to manipulate sound and multimedia.

The course will give you opportunities to develop a career in composition, sound, sonic arts, or music production and you’ll learn in state-of-the-art professional-standard facilities. With 21 different studios, you'll have plenty of recording and composition studio space to use. We also have a huge range of DAWs, plug-ins, synths, mics, and processing equipment, all of which is regularly upgraded to ensure it’s up to date with industry standards.

Why study Music Technology and Composition BMus(Hons)

Love music? Or perhaps you have a passion for creative music technology, or music composition? On this course, you’ll have the opportunity to work with commercially successful tutors, internationally recognised researchers, and visiting artists who will help you build on your creative talents.

This music technology course is accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES). The course is, therefore, approved by leading industry professionals, providing an indicator of quality to you and prospective employers.

During your studies, you can work with commercially successful tutors, internationally recognised researchers, and visiting artists. Past visiting artists have included John Warhurst, Oscar and Bafta winning Sound Editor (and Huddersfield alumnus), and Nitin Sawhney, producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and orchestral composer.

You’ll be joining a large community of music and Music Technology students on the course, too, including:

  • aspiring classical, jazz and pop musicians
  • recording engineers
  • programmers
  • audio electronic experts
  • interface designers.

As part of the course, you’ll have the chance to enhance your learning and enjoyment of the subject by exploring the latest new music in the annual Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival too. You’ll also experience electronic music in action at the Electric Spring Festival.

Course detail

Core modules:

Music, Culture and Society

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.

Desktop Music Production 1

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.

Composition 1

The module is intended to enable you to develop your compositional abilities, through the exploration of a range of compositional techniques, with particular reference to acquiring a better understanding of rhythm, timbre, melody/contour, harmony, texture, form and notation. You will also explore the basics of instrumentation. Your creative aural imagination will be stimulated by studying and employing a variety of expressive musical languages.

Performance Skills 1

You will gain hands-on experience of a variety of key musical skills: improvisation; aural awareness; ensemble performance; and evaluating your own and others' performances. A wide range of styles and genres will be explored, and you will work with musicians relevant to your specialism as a pop, classical, or jazz performer.

Studio Engineering and Mixing Essential

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.

Audio Technology

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, basic electronics 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.

Entry requirements

BBB-BCCat A Level .

120-104 UCAS tariff points from a combination of Level 3 qualifications alongside evidence of prior Music or Music Technology experience (which could be offered either through formal qualifications or a portfolio of creative work).

Merit at T Level.

DDM-DMM in BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma.

  • Practical and theory music grades 6-8 will be accepted in the total points.
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits at Merit or above.
  • 120-104 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.

Entry is also possible for applicants who don't hold standard UK qualifications.

International and mature applicants who don't hold standard UK qualifications can provide a portfolio to demonstrate skills relevant to the course. You can do this by sending us links to any production and/or recording work you have created or collaborated in.

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.

Placements


This course offers you the opportunity to take an optional one-year (48 week) work placement after your second year, in the UK or abroad. This provides an opportunity for you to relate theory to practice and to develop skills in a real work environment. Our teaching staff have developed excellent links with local employers and will help you to find a suitable placement if necessary. Previous placement providers have included Warner Music, Pinewood Studios (Avid), WigWam, Angel Studios, Shoot Productions, the Institute for Music/Acoustic Research and Co-ordination (IRCAM) in Paris, as well as schools, audio electronics companies, radio stations and various media and production houses.

Working for Warner was a great pleasure and a very eye-opening opportunity that allowed me to learn the ins and outs of the music industry. Without this opportunity to learn and have the opportunity to network, I don’t know where I would be currently.

Laurence

Lawrence Berry, Creative Music Technology BMus(Hons) completed placement at Warner

Music Technology Department

Take a look what the Music Technology department at the University of Huddersfield has to offer, from student experiences to facilities. Click images to find out more.

Your Career


Previous graduates on similar courses have gone on to work in a range of careers including studio managers, post-production, freelance engineers, programmers, sound design and professional audio sales. A selection of companies that have employed Huddersfield graduates in recent years include Abbey Road Studios, Calrec Audio, ITV, BBC, Kiss FM, British Grove Studios and Metrophonic.** There is support available after you graduate from our 3M Buckley Innovation Centre where you can get advice on starting your own business. The university also supports students to progress to postgraduate and research study.

*Percentage of our undergraduate students from this subject area go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 2019/20, UK domiciled, other activities excluded).

**Source: LinkedIn

98% Graduates employed*

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. Find out more about all our support services.

Research excellence

Research plays an important role in informing all our teaching and learning activities. Through research our staff remain up-to-date with the latest developments in their field, which means you develop knowledge and skills that are current and highly relevant to industry. Our staff are recognised as leading figures in their fields, as evidenced by major commissions, performances, recordings, and publications.

In the 2021 REF, 89% of music research at Huddersfield was judged to be Internationally Excellent, with 47% of the overall submission ranked as ‘World-Leading’. In addition to a very strong profile of individual research outputs, Huddersfield’s research environment for music received the maximum 4* rating (one of only four institutions to do so), and was ranked above Royal Holloway, Cambridge, Manchester and Oxford. The impact of Huddersfield’s music research received a top-ten ranking. This acknowledged the breadth and reach of research at Huddersfield, with case studies encompassing the new discipline of sound archaeology, New York Experimentalism, and strategies for supporting women and girls working in music technology.

For more information, please refer to our research pages.

Important information

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

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 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 leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

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 carry out suitable consultation. 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 contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

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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