Music Technology and Composition BMus(Hons)

Start date

25 September 2023

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years inc. placement year

Entry requirements

A Level - BBB-BCC

BTEC - DDM-DMM

See full entry requirements

Chat with our students

About the course

Reasons to study

This course is accredited by the Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES), which means it has been acknowledged by industry professionals to meet the industry needs.
Excellent employment prospects: 96% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating.
You'll be able to explore the latest new music in the annual Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and get up-close and experience electronic music in action at the Electric Spring Festival.

Music Technology and Composition will develop your skills in both acoustic and computer-based music creation, as well as in production and orchestration. We take a broad view of composing with technology; everything from how to use the studio and computers as tools to manipulate sound, to writing for specific instruments. The course will give you opportunities to develop a career in composition, sound, sonic arts, or many other exciting creative routes.

Why study Music Technology and Composition at Huddersfield?

You’ll study in state-of-the-art professional standard facilities, with access to a range of recording and studio spaces.
We were ranked best in Yorkshire with 94% for student satisfaction for the subject Music in the National Student Survey 2022
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.
You'll be able to explore the latest new music in the annual Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and get up-close and experience electronic music in action at the Electric Spring Festival.
You’ll be joining a large community of music and music technology students, including aspiring classical, jazz and pop musicians, recording engineers, programmers, audio electronic experts and interface designers.
The course is accredited by JAMES.

Course detail

Year 1

Core modules:

Sonic Arts and Electronica 1

This module focuses on sound as a creative medium. As a basis for your own creative work, you will explore electronic music from a range of contexts, including electronica, EDM, IDM, acousmatic music and sound installation work. You will be equipped with the skills to use technology in a creative and imaginative way, leading towards a portfolio of original pieces that demonstrate your awareness of contemporary and historical trends in the sonic arts.

Composition 1

Seminars and small group tutorials will help you explore the fundamentals of musical composition - melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre and texture - supported by performances and workshops by visiting artists and ensembles. Preliminary exercises will help you develop your creative skills towards an original portfolio of compositions for piano, voice, and strings.

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.

Introduction to Music Research

You will learn how to be a successful and confident independent researcher, gaining the skills to investigate music and musicians across a range of styles and genres appropriate to your course. Lectures and seminars will explore the musical links between aesthetics, society, politics, and technology, and you will focus your coursework on repertoire and issues that matter to you.

Option modules:

Choose two from a list which may include:

Studio Engineering and Mixing Essentials

This module equips you with the core skills and practical principles involved in producing, engineering, and mixing popular music. You'll gain experience of working in an analogue/digital recording studio, allowing you to put your theoretical understanding to practical use in a range of situations.

Introduction to Analysis

This module will provide you with a grounding in the basic skills of musical analysis through the study of classical music of the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Both printed scores and recordings will be studied in order for you to develop the complementary skills of score-based analysis and of aural analysis and critical listening.

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.

Year 2

Option modules:

Choose at least one from a list which may include:

Critical Approaches to Recorded and Electronic Music

This module will introduce you to a range of electronic music and music production practices, looking at them from technological, cultural, and musical perspectives. You will study a variety of critical frameworks, analytical techniques, and production contexts which will help you understand the relationships between technology and music-making.

Experimental Music (Year 2)

Experimental Music will introduce you to new ideas and works from a range of radical and exciting musicians. No performing experience is required – just an open mind and willingness to experiment! Classes will include a variety of hands-on opportunities to make music, and you will be assessed through coursework tasks that include options for written work, presentations, compositions, and performances.

Plus at least one from a list which may include:

Sonic Arts and Electronica 2

You will continue to develop your own sonic creativity by engaging with a series of focused case studies, allowing for detailed investigation of how other artists construct and conceive their works. Drawing on these studies you will create your own original pieces, showing an in-depth awareness of compositional thinking and techniques.

Composition 2

You will explore a variety of techniques, resources, and notational skills to enhance and extend your work as a composer, including guidance on writing creatively for voices, mixed ensembles, percussion, invented instruments and electronics. With support provided by classes, tutorials, and workshops in a range of musical styles, you will work towards the production of a unique coursework portfolio of compositions.

Plus up to four additional options from a list which may include:

Desktop Music Production 2

This module will provide further study of the techniques of computer-based music production. Techniques examined in-depth will include synthesis, sequencing, sampling, editing, processing and mixing, as well as their creative application. You will also explore pre/post production and arrangement, covering these topics through practical technical and creative work that will improve your techno-fluency as well as your ability to listen critically. Seminars support you in applying different production techniques to your creative ideas, leading towards a coursework portfolio for assessment.

Making Interactive Tools for Music and Audio (Year 2)

You will be introduced to the techniques and underlying concepts of audio programming languages/interactive environments such as MaxMSP, Supercollider, Csound and Chuck, allowing you to design complex interactive audio software. You will gain practical experience of working with at least one domain specific language or environment, learning new techniques that will also enhance your understanding of broader programming and audio concepts.

Studio Production and Spatial Recording Techniques

You will be introduced to advanced concepts, theory and practical use of a broad range of equipment used for recording, editing and mixing sound. You will gain practical experience of sound recording in analogue/digital recording studios, in a concert hall and on location. Your ability to edit multitrack audio using advanced post production techniques will be developed, as will the skills required to capture accurate stereo and multichannel recordings in a concert hall environment.

Orchestration (Year 2)

Working towards a coursework portfolio of your own creative work, you will learn about a range of a range of approaches to orchestration from the Baroque to the present day. Classes will explore the characteristics of individual instruments and strategies for combining them, including issues of balance, voicing, doubling, and effective control of orchestral textures.

Techniques of Music Analysis (Year 2)

This module will introduce you to a range of techniques for analysing both tonal and non-tonal music, including Schenkerian analysis and pitch-class set theory. Classes will explore the theories behind these approaches and give you plenty of practice in their practical application. The module is assessed through coursework analyses of two pieces of piano or chamber music.

Music for the Moving Image B

This practical module will develop your key skills in screen composition, arrangement, and orchestration, including the art of creating quality mock-ups using sampled instruments. Classes will examine a range of approaches to composition for film, videogame, television, animation, and music video, and will work towards a portfolio of your own original compositions.

Performance Skills 2

You will choose one practical option from an array of ensembles, bands, and approaches to performance. Options typically range from conducting, music theatre, and improvisation through to groups like orchestra, big band, brass band, classical and pop choirs, and a huge variety of pop, rock, soul, funk, and folk bands. Specialist performance tutors will coach you towards assessed performances that are open to the public.

Performance Skills 2 (Major)

You will choose two practical options from an array of ensembles, bands, and approaches to performance. Options typically range from conducting, music theatre, and improvisation through to groups like orchestra, big band, brass band, classical and pop choirs, and a huge variety of pop, rock, soul, funk, and folk bands. Specialist performance tutors will coach you towards assessed performances that are open to the public.

Year 3 - optional placement year

Choose one from:

Industrial Placement

This work placement module is designed to help you develop social and personal skills through work based activities appropriate for registration in the initial stages of professional institutions. You will be able to develop an understanding of the operating environment, in industrial and commercial terms, and of the roles and responsibilities of its staff. You will have the chance to develop an understanding of the significance of your work within the commercial operation of the company. You will have the opportunity to get involved in the planning of work and projects from the initial investigation through to conclusion, selecting appropriate methods and data. This is a pass/fail module. The criteria for success in this module depends on an employer appraisal, a technical logbook and a company profile report.

Placement Year

The optional one-year (48 weeks) work placement after the second year can be completed in the UK or abroad. It will give you the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience, insight into your chosen career and open up your graduate employment prospects.

Final year

Core modules:

Final Year Project

This double-weighted module gives you a flexible opportunity to showcase your skills, either as an individual or collaboratively. Working with the support and guidance of a specialist tutor, you will devise your own criteria, manage, and deliver your project independently. Whether your interests lie in performance, production, composition, research, or songwriting, Final Year Project gives you the freedom to create the work that best represents you as a musician.

Option modules:

Choose one from a list which may include:

Composition Practice

You will build on the experience you have gained previously in composition, production, and/or songwriting modules to produce a sophisticated piece (or small set of pieces) of music based on a set of staff-led options relevant to your compositional practice (examples include multichannel audio composition, instrumental composition, songwriting, music production and audiovisual composition). Tutorial support for this creative work will be provided. You will be introduced to relevant techniques such as spatialisation, the use of complex orchestration/arrangements, advanced studio production, video, interactive or mixed media work. You will develop your ability to work with such techniques creatively.

Advanced Composition

With support provided by weekly one-to-one tutorials, you will work towards the production of a unique portfolio of compositions and an accompanying commentary. You will also attend regular masterclasses and workshops and have the opportunity to write for at least one visiting artist or ensemble of international importance, and to explore various in-house opportunities.

Plus choose at least one from a list which may include:

Applied Music Research: Investigating Culture and Creativity

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of methodologies for musical research, including empirical and ethnographic approaches. Seminars will provide you with opportunities to debate and apply these methods to a range of contemporary issues in music and musical culture, providing the basis for investigating your own topic of study in an extended research project. You will be encouraged to explore new areas of study, additional methodologies and approaches to 'real world' research, and to question the ways in which music functions as a social, cultural, and aesthetic text.

Music in the 21st Century

The diversity of music in the 21st century not only raises aesthetic challenges, but also debates about the role of music and musicians in society. You will explore the major issues and materials of current musical thought and practice as a stimulus for your own research and creative work. The module leads towards a final project that represents your personal engagement with these issues, with opportunities for performance, composition, installations, or the presentation of website, blog, podcast or curatorial work.

Techniques of Music Analysis (Final Year)

Plus choose up to two additional options from a list which may include:

Performance Skills 3

Performance Skills 3 (Major)

Advanced Interactive Tool Design for Music and Audio

You will gain experience of advanced techniques of signal processing and synthesis in an audio programming environment such as Max, Supercollider, Csound or Chuck, including concepts that are relevant to and transferable between a range of software environments. The significance and creative potential of real-time software for synthesis and audio processing will be explored, both in classes and in a range of supervised projects for you to work on.

Orchestration (Final Year)

Sound for Image B

You will learn the skills needed to produce and design sound for film, television, video games, and mobile devices, working towards a coursework portfolio of practical work accompanied by professional technical documentation. The module provides practical training in location recording, dealing with equipment, making sound effects, sound design, preparing layers of audio for post-production, and the skills needed for soundtrack compilation.

Making Interactive Tools for Music and Audio (Final Year)

Work and Professional Practice in Music

Guest lecturers from a range of music-related professions will introduce you to current issues and opportunities in their industries, supported by coursework where you will research your own career aspirations. You will also develop your own professional practice and employability skills in a practical assignment of your choice: completing a work placement, or developing a business plan or professional website.

Composing Music for Film and Videogames B

This composition module equips you with the skills needed to write original scores for film, television, and videogames. Working towards portfolios of original compositions, you'll receive tuition in the technical practices of soundtrack composition: spotting cues, creating live soundtracks for film, arranging and orchestrating pre-existing music, and working with technology to create realistic instrumental sounds and effects.

Teaching and assessment

An average 24.3%* of the study time on this course is spent with your tutors (either face to face or online) in lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops etc. Teaching is split between large group lectures and computer and studio based seminars, workshops and masterclasses. Final year studio tutorials are in small groups of one to six students and there's a welcome community of peer evaluation and feedback that is nurtured at all levels across all degree courses.

*based on 20/21 programme specifications.

Study and assessments will be based on your choice of modules; this can include performances, compositions, presentations, examinations, learning journals, portfolios, recitals, essays and technical documents. The final year large project is based on your choice of specialism.

Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.

Feedback (either written and/or verbal) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

Full-time or part-time study

This course is not available to study on a part-time basis on an evening, at the weekend, or via distance learning.

Further Information

The teaching year normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

Your course is made up of modules and each module is worth a number of credits. Each year you study modules to the value of 120 credits, adding up to 360 credits in total for a bachelor’s qualification. These credits can come from a combination of core, compulsory and optional modules but please note that optional modules may not run if we do not have enough students interested.

If you achieve 120 credits for the current stage you are at, you may progress to the next stage of your course, subject to any professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

Teaching excellence

Triple proof of teaching excellence: our staff rank in the top three in England for the proportion who hold doctorates, who have higher degrees, and hold teaching qualifications (HESA 2022). So, you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.
We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 20 since 2008 (2022 data).
We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

Global Professional Award

At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive the Level 5 in Leadership and Management Award from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), meaning you’ll graduate from the University of Huddersfield with an internationally recognised professional qualification, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

*full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees

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 Where are you from information pages.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

Music Technology and Composition

Why choose to study *Music Technology and Composition at the University of Huddersfield? The University of Huddersfield offers a diverse and vibrant student environment, located on one central town centre campus site. Students talk about their experiences here at the University: what they like about their courses and what they enjoy most outside of the curriculum.

*Previously titled Sonic Arts and Composition

Music Facilities at Huddersfield

We have some fantastic equipment and facilities available for you to use throughout your studies, including recording studios, lighting rigs and an electronics lab. Watch the video to learn more.

Music composed and produced by Huddersfield postgraduate music student Johnny Swailes.

Visiting Artists

Just some of our recent visiting artists, from top left: John Warhurst - Oscar and Bafta winning Sound Editor and Huddersfield alumnus; Matt Stiff - Professional Opera singer, former member of G4 and Huddersfield alumnus; Nitin Sawhney - Producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and orchestral composer; Rachel K. Collier - One-woman electronic production machine; Chantel McGregor â Yorkshire born, female guitar prodigy; Craig Blundell â Legendary Prog Drummer, currently with Steven Wilsonâs band.

See Our Students at Work

See our students use a wide range of our professional standard recording facilities to produce a music track.

Mowgli - Student Credited

Jay Witsey, who is currently studying Creative Music Technology BMus(Hons) at the University of Huddersfield, has been credited on the 2018 release of Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. The undergraduate worked on the Warner Bros and Netflix collaboration as part of his placement year with Nitin Sawhney - an award-winning composer who produced the official soundtrack for the newest edition to the Jungle Book franchise.

World-famous composer and performer, Nitin Sawhney, has been offering our music and music technology students work experience placements at his London studios for 15 years. An earlier placement student, Harry Timson, who is now a permanent studio manager for the musician. Nitin also visits campus to give presentations providing fascinating insights into his musical philosophy and his near-incredible work schedule.

Hear from our Students

"What I liked the most about my course was definitely the staff availability and help and also the studios - the facilities were just great."

Felipe Reyes graduated Music Technology BA(Hons) in 2018.

Music and Music Tech Showcase

Every year we run a Summer Showcase featuring some of the best undergraduate Music and Music Technology student work, holding a fixed-media concert in Phipps Hall using our excellent HISS sound system. As we cannot run that live show this year due to COVID, the department have compiled a YouTube playlist for the MMT YouTube channel.

Click to listen to our students work

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 donât know where I would be currently.

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

Facilities

Recording Studio

Dummy head in recording studio live room

Green Room's live room

Progressive Rock Band Performing in Phipps Hall

Spiral

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.

Our ensembles and bands

We have a great selection of bands and emsembles you can join whilst studying at Huddersfield including:

Brass Band
Big Band
Symphony Orchestra
String Orchestra
Symphonic Wind Band
Sax Ensemble
Edges (experimental music)
Early Music
Percussion Ensemble
Choir
Chamber Choir
Opera and Music Theatre
Plus a range of student chamber ensembles

Also, a range of Popular Music Ensembles including:

A cappella Pop choir
Blues
Folk and Roots
Funk
Progressive Rock
Reggae
Student originals bands

Studio Facilities

The facilities at the University of Huddersfield are built to the highest professional standards, with a wide variety of studios and technology for you to experiment with. To find out more about the specialist facilities we offer, click here.

Julian Surma

Watch the film and hear Julian's thoughts about his growth as a musician and composer during his time at the University of Huddersfield.

Lawrence Berry - Weightless

"I wanted to create a very abstract, and kinetic set of images with no real narrative. Originally the shots displayed objects and elements in motion, but this basic idea developed into more about how the objects on screen are being affected by gravity, some shots are weightless, while some feel very heavy. Visually, this is shown with lighting and filtering, but in terms of sound design bass drones, metallic sounds and distortion are used to illustrate what gravitysounds like. More tonal sounds, reverse effects and cleaner recordings are used to portray weightlessness."

This piece of work was produced for his final year project.

Max Auty - Ophanim

A sonic depiction of an experience with cosmic horror. Inspired by the Judaic divine entities of the same name, 'Ophanim' utilises digital distortion techniques to drive and direct its narrative.

This piece of work was produced for his final year project.

Ching-Fang Wu - Inertia

The concept behind the piece is to represent a mental state of uncertainty. When people find themselves in a confusing stage in their life, everything received from the external world becomes too overwhelming to digest and turns vague and fragmented in their mind. They are floating like plankton, adrift aimlessly and lacking strength and direction.

This piece of work was produced for their final year project.

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 graduates from this subject area who are in work and/or further study fifteen months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 18/19, UK domiciled graduates).

**Source: LinkedIn

96% Graduates employed*

Professional links and accreditations

This BA(Hons) course is accredited by the Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES). This means this course has been acknowledged by industry professionals to meet the industry needs.

This accreditation is reviewed on a regular basis.

Career support

We know you’re coming to university to study on your chosen subject, meet new people and broaden your horizons. However, we also help you to focus on life after you have graduated to ensure that your hard work pays off and you achieve your ambition.

So while you’re here (and even after you graduate) the Careers and Employability Service offer professional help, support and guidance, including industry-supported workshops, careers fairs and one-to-one guidance sessions.Find out more about the service

Further study

Progression to a postgraduate course is dependent on successful completion of your undergraduate studies, there may also be minimum qualification requirements such as a first class or higher second (2.1) degree. Please check the course details to confirm this.

Inspiring Graduate

An undergraduate degree from the University of Huddersfield could be the start of an exciting career in your chosen field. Our graduates go on to succeed in a whole range of exciting careers. Hereâs just one example.

As a graduate of the University of Huddersfield youâll also become a member of our alumni community, allowing you to stay in touch and continue to access university services.

I am self-employed working in the area of Creative Media. I have started a company called Blue Teapot Media which is going very well. We offer services such as Photography, Video Production, Audio Production and Recording. Huddersfield is a great university, there's so many different options within the each course. The lecturers were really helpful and there were so many collaboration and networking oppertunities.

Zoe Butler, graduated Creative Music Technology BA(Hons) in 2016 and is now the Owner of Blue Teapot Media Company

This BA(Hons) course is accredited by the Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES). This means this course has been acknowledged by industry professionals to meet the industry needs.

This accreditation is reviewed on a regular basis.

Career support

As a graduate of the University of Huddersfield youâll also become a member of our alumni community, allowing you to stay in touch and continue to access university services.

I am self-employed working in the area of Creative Media. I have started a company called Blue Teapot Media which is going very well. We offer services such as Photography, Video Production, Audio Production and Recording. Huddersfield is a great university, there's so many different options within the each course. The lecturers were really helpful and there were so many collaboration and networking oppertunities.

Zoe Butler, graduated Creative Music Technology BA(Hons) in 2016 and is now the Owner of Blue Teapot Media Company

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 2014 REF, 85% of music research at Huddersfield was judged to be Internationally Excellent, with 44% of the overall submission ranked as ‘World-Leading’. In addition to a strong profile of individual research outputs, Huddersfield’s research environment for music was ranked alongside Edinburgh, Southampton, Royal Holloway and Cambridge. The impact of Huddersfield’s music research received the second highest possible score. This acknowledged the breadth and reach of research at Huddersfield, with case studies encompassing innovations in music technology and audio software, historically-informed performance practice in early music, and intercultural exchange in music composition as a model for social change.

For more information, please refer to our research pages.

Fees and Finance

Tuition Fees - full-time

The information provided below is for those applying to study at the University of Huddersfield in the academic year 2022/23. Information is subject to change resulting from the government review of higher education funding in England, and other potential policy changes. This webpage will be updated with 2023/24 tuition fees as information becomes available.

The full-time undergraduate tuition fee for 2022/23 entry will be £9250.

Tuition fees will cover the cost of your study at the University as well as charges for registration, tuition, supervision and examinations. For more information about funding, fees and finance for UK students, including what your tuition fee covers, please see Fees and finance.

If you are an EU or international student coming to study at the University of Huddersfield, please visit the International Fees and Finance pages for full details of tuition fees and support available.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Fees and Finance

Tuition Fees - full-time

The full-time undergraduate tuition fee for 2022/23 entry will be £9250.

Please email the Student Finance Office or call 01484 472210 for more information about fees and finance.

Important information

We will always try to deliver your course as described on this web page. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below.

Changes to a course you have applied for

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.

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Although we always try and run all of the course we offer, 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 to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will contact you to discuss other suitable courses with us we can transfer your application to. If we notify you that the course you have applied to has been withdrawn or combined, and 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

We will always try to deliver your course and other services as described. However, sometimes we may have to make changes as set out below:

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 a range of options to choose from and 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 the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change in this context is a change that materially changes the services available to you; or 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), classes, 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; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. 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.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but this may not always be the case. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation with affected students. 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.

Termination of course

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 and we will notify you as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include transferring to a suitable replacement course for which you are qualified, being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered, or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If you do not wish to take up any of the options that are made available to you, then you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the course without liability to the University for future tuition fees and you will be entitled to a refund of all course fees paid to date. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and disciplinary procedure, fees and finance and compliance with visa requirements (where relevant). It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to abide by them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to. You should read these carefully before you enrol. Please note that this information is subject to change and you are advised to check our website regularly for any changes before you enrol at the University. A person who is not party to this agreement shall not have any rights under or in connection with it. Only you and the University shall have any right to enforce or rely on the agreement.

Equal opportunities

Undergraduate

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Start date

Duration

Entry requirements

About the course

Reasons to study

Why study Music Technology and Composition at Huddersfield?

Course detail

Sonic Arts and Electronica 1

Composition 1

Desktop Music Production 1

Introduction to Music Research

Studio Engineering and Mixing Essentials

Introduction to Analysis

Performance Skills 1

Critical Approaches to Recorded and Electronic Music

Experimental Music (Year 2)

Sonic Arts and Electronica 2

Composition 2

Desktop Music Production 2

Making Interactive Tools for Music and Audio (Year 2)

Studio Production and Spatial Recording Techniques

Orchestration (Year 2)

Techniques of Music Analysis (Year 2)

Music for the Moving Image B

Performance Skills 2

Performance Skills 2 (Major)

Industrial Placement

Placement Year

Final Year Project

Composition Practice

Advanced Composition

Applied Music Research: Investigating Culture and Creativity

Music in the 21st Century

Techniques of Music Analysis (Final Year)

Performance Skills 3

Performance Skills 3 (Major)

Advanced Interactive Tool Design for Music and Audio

Orchestration (Final Year)

Sound for Image B

Making Interactive Tools for Music and Audio (Final Year)

Work and Professional Practice in Music

Composing Music for Film and Videogames B

Entry requirements

Music Technology and Composition

Music Facilities at Huddersfield

Visiting Artists

See Our Students at Work

Mowgli - Student Credited

Hear from our Students

Music and Music Tech Showcase

Placements

Facilities

Music Technology Department

Our ensembles and bands

Studio Facilities

Julian Surma

Lawrence Berry - Weightless

Max Auty - Ophanim

Ching-Fang Wu - Inertia

Your Career

Career support

Student support

Research excellence

Fees and Finance

Fees and Finance

Important information

Changes to a course you have applied for

Cancellation of a course you have applied for

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules

Major changes

Termination of course

Equal opportunities

Data protection

Students’ Union membership

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