Creative Music Production lesson

Creative Music Production MA

Order a Prospectus
Postgraduate Events
How to Apply
Select the year

Start Dates

20 September 2027

Duration

1 year full-time 2 years part-time

Recent Awards For Excellence

Performing Arts - QS 2025
Find out more about these awards
About this course

Overview

Why choose Huddersfield for this course?

  • Create in world-class studios - access advanced production environments designed for experimentation and precision.
  • Balance artistry and technology - combine creative curiosity with technical expertise in recording and composition.
  • Collaborate with active researchers - work with producers and researchers at the Centre for Research in Music and its Technologies.

Accreditation and Professional Links

Recognised connections to give you an extra edge when you graduate. Read More

A single sound can spark a whole idea. In the studio, you’ll learn to shape that spark into music that connects, challenges and inspires.

You’ll work with professional recording and mixing technologies, exploring how creative experimentation and technical precision come together in contemporary production. Each project gives you the freedom to test new techniques, collaborate with others and refine your artistic direction.

You’ll also examine the cultural and technological contexts of music, considering how sound operates within popular, experimental and digital forms. Through the Centre for Research in Music and its Technologies (CRMT), you’ll connect with producers and researchers pushing the boundaries of studio practice.

By the end, you’ll have developed the skills, portfolio and confidence to define your own space in the music industry.

Career opportunities after the course *

Audiovisual Technician

Video Editor

Video Producer

Broadcast Engineer

Creative Producer

*Lightcast

Who can apply?

Entry Requirements

You are required to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree from a recognised University or equivalent institution. In addition to this, you will be required to demonstrate a good level of technical skill and experience in the field of music production, demonstrated through an undergraduate degree in (or including modules in) this area, or through submission of a representative portfolio of work.

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.

What will you learn?

Course Details

On this module you will be introduced to a range of significant and contemporary scholarship relating to the study of music, including that pertaining to music production, composition and sonic arts, and all kinds of performance. You will learn about diverse approaches to music research, and receive training in managing research professionally and ethically. Central to the module is the development of research skills appropriate to postgraduate level work and to your own research interests and creative practices. Attendance at research seminars will offer diverse models for your own research in performance, musicology, or creative music production.

On this module you will professionalise techniques in computer-based music. Focusing on modern approaches to music production, the module will deepen your skills in sound design using original synthesis and sampling as well as recording in a digital environment. This will involve multi-software workflows, the expressive use of hardware controllers and hybrid techniques combining digital and analogue processing  that combine both an ‘inside the box’ approach with outboard dynamics and effects units. You will develop advanced skills in digital audio project data management required for collaborative professional work. Furthermore, you will learn sophisticated editing, mixing and mastering techniques unique to digital music production. As a critically informed production expert you will analyse production concepts using critical listening, and research and apply various information on contemporary music production found in manuals, tutorials, instructional videos and mix-throughs or derived from in-depth case studies.

This module focuses on the theory, processes and tools involved in mixing a range of contemporary music. You will explore mix practice, exploring theoretical and analytical approaches that can be applied in both live and studio environments. Analysis of mix engineer practice will be combined with a systematic technical and perceptual analysis of the impact of processing tools on the musical reception of mixed music. The affordances of established mix workflows will be explored in detail, informing developments in mix practice through traditional and practice led research methods. You will study live and studio approaches.

This module investigates the studio as a creative tool and its relationship to your practice as a songwriter, performer, composer or producer. We will start by exploring examples of novel and unusual practice in the studio taken from both conventional and more experimental musical genres. Over the course of the module we will not only discuss these pre-existing models from a critical perspective but also explore them practically to help you understand the impact they have on aesthetic outcomes. These practical workshop sessions will provide a basis for developing your own bespoke workflow or performance setup which you will then use to realise a piece of compositional, performance or production work.

You will work in a small group of students to devise, manage and realise a practice-based creative project that is relevant to using the studio and/or other music technology and may include a live event or performance. Roles will be clearly allocated to group members with a collaborative approach to the project design and final assignment.

On this module, you undertake a substantial independent creative production project. You can undertake work in any area of creative music production that interests you and guidance will be available through staff supervision. Examples of the kinds of projects that would be relevant are an EP/album length production of one or more artists, a collection of your own songwriting or compositional work, a substantial live production (or portfolio of live work) from either mixing or performance perspectives, or a set of music videos (of your own creative work or that of others). On this module, you will undertake a substantial independent creative  musical project involving composition, performance and/or production work. You can may undertake work in any area of creative music production that interests you and guidance will be available through staff supervision to ensure that the project has an appropriate scope for the time available.  Examples of the kinds of projects that would be relevant are an EP/album length production of one or more artists, a collection of your own songwriting or compositional work, a substantial live production (or portfolio of live work) from either mixing or performance perspectives, a devised performance work or a set of music videos (of your own creative work or that of others).

Teaching and Assessment

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

Read more
Where could this lead you?

Your Career

Graduates of Creative Music Production can progress into a broad mix of creative, technical and community-focused roles across the music, arts and media sectors. Career pathways include positions such as Youth Worker, Community Engagement Officer/Coordinator and Music Instructor, supporting access to creative learning. Many also go on to work in technical and production roles including Audiovisual Technician, Theatre Technician, Studio Assistant or Guitar/Piano (or other instrument) Technician. Production-focused careers such as Video Editor, Video Producer and Composer offer further opportunities to apply your creative and technical skills across live performance, recorded media and digital platforms.

Source: Lightcast data extracted from the Graduate Career Explorer

98% Percentage of the University's postgraduate students go on to work and/or further study within fifteen months of graduating.

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2022/23, UK domiciled.

£38.5k The average salary of our postgraduates fifteen months after graduating.

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2022/23, mean salary, UK domiciled, full-time UK employment as main activity.

How much will it cost?

Fees and Finance

£9,265 per year

This is the tuition fee for 2026/27 entry. Tuition fees for 2027/28 will be published once the information becomes available.

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. 

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

£772 per 15 credits

This is the tuition fee for 2026/27 entry. Tuition fees for 2027/28 will be published once the information becomes available.

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

Modules credits can range from 15 to 60, dependent on the content of the module. Read more about total credits required for a range of degrees, to allow you to calculate the potential total cost.

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/study/fees/

£18,700 per year

This is the tuition fee for 2026/27 entry. Tuition fees for 2027/28 will be published once the information becomes available.

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/

Scholarships and Bursaries

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

Home
International

Tuition Fee Loans

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

Find out more

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.

Find out more

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

Email us  
What does the University offer?

Gallery

See below for a glimpse at some of our facilities

Image of the Richard Steinitz Building

The Richard Steinitz Building

Creative Music Production studio facilities

Studio facilities

Students in the group work facilities in Barbara Hepworth

Group work facilities

Explore More

Music at the University of Huddersfield

Curious about what it’s like to study Music at university? Explore how a Music degree could help you build a future in performance, composition, teaching or the wider music industry.

School Brochure

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

Learn more

Postgraduate Events

Come and get to know us at one of our postgraduate events and discover all there is to know about our wide range of postgraduate taught courses, research degrees and professional development options.

Learn more

Sign up for Emails

Find out more about postgraduate study at Huddersfield and stay updated with the latest news and events.

Learn more

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.

Decorative
01

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.

Find out more
Decorative
01

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.

Learn more
Decorative
01

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.

Find out more
Decorative
01

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.

Find out more
Decorative
01

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.

Read more
TypeError: Cannot read property "query" from undefined
Ask us a question