Intro

Our Digital Music and Sound Arts MA is aimed at graduate and professional artists who are interested in exploratory, experimental and interdisciplinary approaches to sound, music, AV media, and sound arts practices and productions.

The course enables students to address new developments in digital music and sound arts and the role of sound in contemporary culture in its widest sense. It is structured around a framework for developing advanced practices relevant to artistic and commercial contexts, and for potential researchers wishing to further their research-based practice.

Through creative practice-based research students will engage with musical composition and sound design productions, as well as focusing on the relationship of sound to other art forms and related media key areas including:

sound for screen and moving image
sound arts
sound and new media.

Key facts

Apply direct to the university

Location Brighton: City campus

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

Find out about postgraduate events

Apply online

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Apply now for your place

Course content

Why study with us?

You’ll be exposed to sound across a wide spectrum of aesthetic forms and in diverse technological media, especially the relation of sound to other art forms.
Our staff are experts in the field and work as artists, producers, curators, composers and authors as well as in teaching.
The course combines practical experimentation in both music and sound art with theoretical reflection and contextual research.
You are encouraged to articulate, explore and develop your ideas within group and independent projects.

Areas of study

Through creative practice-based research students will engage with musical composition and sound design productions. Studies will place particular emphasis on the relationship of sound to other art forms and related media key areas including:

sound for screen and moving image – addressing screen-based musical composition and sound design for film, video, games, new media, television, multi-channel audio-visual installations and audio-visual projections in space
sound arts – addressing sound in relation to other art forms, such as sculpture, installation art, photography, architecture, soundscape composition, environmental art as well as sound ecology, sound in space and spatialisation of sound, audio-visual installations and radiophonics
sound and new media – covering sound and music in the context of the new content afforded by the digital media, such as generative composition and sound design, audio programming for new media applications and interactivity, hybrid (lived and virtual) environments, interface and new instrument design, computer games, locative media, apps design for mobile media.

Modules

Experimental Sound Practice
Professional Practice
Thesis – Research and Writing
Contemporary Debates in Sound/Music and Sound Arts
Sound Research Proposal
Sound Research Project

Facilities

Students have access to high-end equipment, resources and expert staff support, including:

four state-of-the-art networked digital studios equipped with surround sound, high-end sound processing, AV post-production capable via fully automated mixing and mastering, which includes an array of analogue hardware synthesizers and specialised analogue outboard equipment and instruments, for example the theremin
two sound isolated sound recording booths with connection to all studios
sound diffusion lab dedicated for multi-channel sound (up to 16 channel), HD video projections and digitally controlled LED DMX eight channel lighting system for research and experimentation with multi-channel audio-visual interactive systems
computer suite with specialised audio and AV software
recording equipment: digital mobile multi-channel professional digital recorders, professional condenser and dynamic microphones, 5.1 surround sound microphone
specialist software: IRCAM Spat, MaxMSP, Pure Data, Logic Audio Pro, Cubase, Pro Tools, Melodyne, Final Cut Pro, full Adobe Suite
dedicated electronic workshop mash-up area to aide building and experimentation with interface design, new instrument design, sensors via dedicated Arduino kits
AV technical support
technical inductions and workshop sessions
tutor support for practice-based research and theoretical research project development.

Click to view a virtual tour of our digital music and sound arts facilities.

How this course is delivered

How will my course be taught?
For the academic year that starts in September 2022 we’re planning for all students to be taught face-to-face on campus, enhanced by some online learning.

Students who started their course with us in 2021 are on campus for some face-to-face learning including tutorials, workshops, laboratory classes and studio sessions. They are also taking part in off-campus learning activities such as placements, field trips and study visits. And all of our campus facilities – libraries, learning spaces, restaurants, gyms and more are open.

Like all universities we are following government guidance and we are monitoring the pandemic very closely. Should Public Health advise it we have robust plans in place for additional safety measures to be introduced to enable everyone to continue learning on campus, and, as a last resort, for students to continue their learning remotely.

We will update you regularly on our teaching plans for the next academic year as you progress your application with us.

When does my course start?
The 2022 academic year begins on Monday 26 September 2022. Teaching for most courses starts the following week.

Many education courses, some health science courses including Medicine, and some postgraduate business courses have an earlier start date. Check your offer letter for the start date of your course.

Our latest news

Graduates 2021: Andrea Hladikova: Digital Music and Sounds Arts MA

“I love combining different techniques in order to achieve the most accurate expression of my concept.

Graduates 2021: Bob Smith: Digital Music and Sound Arts MA

“Coming from a science and engineering background I wanted a course that would allow me to focus those skills alongside an arts practice, and the new MA at DMSA seemed to fit the bill.

Graduates 2021: Alex Lewis-Whitaker: Digital Music and Sound Arts BA

“Many courses in this area seemed more focused on the technical considerations within a recording studio whereas Brighton allowed me to interpret the course how I wanted to and take it in my own direction.

Graduates 2021: Joe Gilling: Digital Music and Sound Arts

“My time at the University of Brighton has been an eye-opening and artistically inspiring three years.

Careers

Preparing for your career

The course emphasises the creative exploration of sound in the context of both new creative industries and contemporary arts practices. Students are encouraged to develop a strong portfolio preparing them for professional opportunities as creative specialists or researchers, who can move across different fields of practice and respond to conceptual and technical innovations with imaginative solutions.

Employment demand for arts graduates

The British Academy has compiled a report (May 2020) quantifying the demand for arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) skills in the workplace. It helps to answer the legitimate question of what the economic return is on undertaking a degree, both in time and money. 

According to the report:

As arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates progress through the first ten years of their career they are able make strong progress up the career ladder into roles attracting higher salaries
Arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates are employed in some of the fastest growing sectors including financial services, education, social work, the media and creative industries
Of the ten fastest growing sectors, eight employ more graduates from AHSS than other disciplines

This makes AHSS graduates at the heart of some of the most exciting, productive, largest and fastest-growing sectors of the UK economy.

Future skills demand

According to the report:

With the challenges the world is facing – climate change, global pandemics, the growth of populism – the UK needs the insights of the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS) as much as those from science, technology and engineering (STEM)
Evidence within the report shows that Arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) graduates are central to these challenges and changes – they will be vital in giving us the tools to examine and explain human behaviour, understand how society functions, learn from the past and apply those lessons to the present, and analyse the drivers and implications of a changing world and how different countries, places and cultures interact.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
Normally 2:2 in a related subject. However, given the nature of the course it is anticipated that students from a variety of backgrounds will apply. For example, practitioners without a good first degree but with a substantial professional experience and portfolio will be considered. Applicants with non-relevant academic qualifications may be assessed for accreditation prior learning (APL) equivalence on the basis of appropriate professional or work-related experience.

Interviews
Due to COVID-19, we expect interviews to be online and the processes may change slightly – check back here for updates. If you've already applied, we will tell you about any changes.

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International students whose language skills do not match the IELTS scores set out here should consider applying for this course through our Extended Masters programme.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visit our language centre

For English language preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Portfolio advice

When you apply, you will be asked for:

a digital portfolio on a platform such as Flickr, Tumblr or Blogspot. We also accept professional websites or professional, curated social media accounts
a 500-word project proposal .

Portfolio
Your portfolio should be a showreel of your own compositions or sounds works – this could include compositions, multimedia works or audio-visual projects.

We are interested in a varied portfolio, which might not necessarily consist only of refined work but may demonstrate work-in-progress with scope for future development.

Project proposal 
The 500-word project proposal should outline your main interest area in which you would like to develop a practice-based research project. It is useful as an example of your thinking, research interests and professional practice. However, many students change their projects by agreement either after interview or once they have joined the course.

Fees

Course fees

UK (full-time) 8,856 GBP

International (full-time) 15,462 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies, although we have tried to keep this to a minimum. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that you may be expected to pay, and what is included in your fees, while studying a course in the School of Art and Media in the 2021–22 academic year are listed here.

Typically, practice-based courses incur more costs than text-based subjects.

For most courses you will need to budget for the cost of specialist materials, equipment, stationary and printing and are likely to spend between £50–£300 per year.
Course books and a wide range of magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies, but if you wish to, you should budget up to £200 over your course to buy them.
For some courses you may also need to budget up to £100 for specialist personal protective clothing which, with care, will last for the whole of your course and beyond.
Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning, and you will have access to computers and necessary software across the university, but students may choose to buy their own specialist equipment. These may include cameras, or computers and software. Budgets can range from £50–£2,000. Buying specialist equipment is best undertaken in consultation with our academic and technical staff. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
For some courses you will need to budget up to £200 for printing and publishing. Photography courses may incur higher costs (£500–£2,000) when printing and framing images of professional standard for public presentation.
Costs in your final year of study are very likely to be higher than in earlier years as you bring together your final body of work and portfolio, and you may need to budget between £200 and £1,000.
Final-year graduation shows are opportunities to present your final, independent project work to the public. Practice-based courses will typically incur higher costs. Depending on the specific nature of your final project you will need to budget between £20–£2,500. 
For most courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits, for example to galleries, exhibitions and studios both in the UK and overseas. These are optional and are not required to pass your course. The nature of the costs vary from provisions for a packed-lunch to flight and accommodation costs for international field trips. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken, and typically range between £30 and £700 across the duration of your course.
For courses which feature an optional placement year, you will need to budget for living costs (rent, food, travel etc) in that city/country, as if you were on site at the university.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2022–23.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

Location

Campus where this course is taught

City campus

City campus is located at the heart of central Brighton.

The facilities for making and designing, the theatre, galleries, workshops, studios, archives and the independent arts organisations based on site provide a unique and inspiring environment where creativity thrives.

St Peter’s House library and Phoenix halls of residence are close to the exhibition and learning facilities in the Grand Parade main building where you will also find the student centre with careers, counselling, student advice service and disability and dyslexia support. Edward Street provides extensive teaching and gallery space for media, photography and film.

Also on site are Photoworks, Screen Archive South East and University of Brighton Design Archives. Leading visual arts agency Photoworks runs the Brighton Photo Biennial and a national programme which frequently features the work of our graduates, staff and students.

Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, the iconic pier and beach are a very short walk away. The independent shops and businesses of the North Laine and Kemptown, and Brighton main line station, with frequent express services to London, are 10 minutes walk.

Accommodation

Brighton: City campus

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students who apply by 30 June.

Halls of residence
We have halls of residence across Brighton in the city centre, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer. All rooms are self-catered.

You'll be prioritised for accommodation in the halls that are linked to your teaching base, subject to availability.
City campus is linked to Phoenix halls, Mithras halls and Moulsecoomb Place.
- Phoenix halls are a short walk from City campus in the centre of Brighton.
- Mithras hall and Moulsecoomb Place are located on the Moulsecoomb campus, around two miles from City campus. Public transport in the city is excellent.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Accommodation for City campus is in the nearby Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city’s reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year. Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements, live briefs and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

We provide support and venues for key events in the city’s arts calendar including the Brighton Festival, the Festival Fringe, the Great Escape, the Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Photo Biennial and the CineCity Brighton Film Festival. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate Show transforms our campus into the largest exhibition space in the South East as we celebrate the outstanding talent and creativity of our students.

As a student you’ll get lots of opportunities to experience these events at first hand and to develop your skills through the volunteering and other opportunities they offer.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Maps

City campus map

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Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition.

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

Cricket Academy

New for September 2023, our Cricket Academy offers aspiring players the opportunity to continue their cricket development alongside studying for a degree. The programme offers a world-class training environment with the highest quality coaching.

Find out more about the Cricket Academy.