Music and Sound Production (Top-up)
WW38This top-up degree allows students who have completed relevant Level 4 and 5 qualifications elsewhere to join the final year of our BA (Hons) Music and Sound Production, enabling you to gain a full Bachelor's degree in just one academic year
Does professional studio recording and sound design thrill you? Are you seeking to push audio boundaries, discover emerging musical trends or forge new collaborations with musicians and creative artists? You can achieve all this and more on our Music and Sound Production programme, which is designed to provide you with an in-depth exploration of music and sound’s role in the convergent media industries of today enabling you to become the professional you want to be.
Clearing
Unsure if you have the right grades? Make sure you talk to our friendly Admissions Team before ruling out any options. Visit our Clearing page to find out more.
-Music-and-Sound-Production_1-1.jpg)
Course overview
You will develop as a confident professional. The defining activity of this year are the Final Major Projects, which will become the centrepiece of your portfolio. You are encouraged to explore your specialisation and produce an original piece of work to a professional industry standard, such as an album of multitrack recordings, a portfolio of sound design, a performance portfolio or a project exploring an area of audio/visual media production of interest to you.
You are expected to push your creative ability to the limit and are supported throughout with tutorials and professional development, together with modules designed to enhance your professionalism, portfolio and employability.
On graduation, you can seek work equipped with a strong foundation in sound for all aspects of media, a deep knowledge of technological and industrial practice and an understanding of how sound contributes to television, film and radio. Graduates find employment in key areas such as studio-based engineering, sound design and composition as well as production opportunities within broadcast, film and theatre.
What you need to know
Course start date
September
Location
Winchester campus
Course length
- 1 year full-time
Apply
WW38
Typical offer
HND or Foundation Degree
Fees
From £9,535 pa
Course features
- Establish a strong theoretical and technical foundation alongside your unique creative output
- Access our superbly equipped Multimedia Centre featuring industry standard multi-track recording studios and facilities for mixing, post-production and broadcast
- Push your ability to produce studio recordings, digital music and sound design
- Top 10 in the UK for Music in The Guardian's Best Universities 2022
- Expert academic support in modules designed to enhance your professionalism, portfolio and employability
- Accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES)
Course details
Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.
You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.
In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc.), you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.
Independent learning
Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.
Overall workload
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.
While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.
Level 6: Timetabled teaching and learning activity*
- Teaching, learning and assessment: 132 hours
- Independent learning: 1068 hours
*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.
Teaching hours
All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.
Assessment
Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.
We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.
Percentage of the course assessed by coursework
The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:
Level 6*:
- 100% coursework
- 0% written exams
- 0% practical assessment
*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.
Feedback
We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.
Further information
For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures.
Modules
Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing. The University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed. For further information please refer to winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions
Entry requirements
A Foundation degree or HND in a related subject such as an HND in Music (Performance & Technology), with a merit profile.
If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on their website which may be of interest.
If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:
- IELTS Academic at 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
- We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT.
If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by contacting our International Recruitment Team via our International Apply Pages.
2025/6 Course Tuition Fees
| UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland |
International |
|
|---|---|---|
| Year 1* | £9,535 | £16,700 |
Additional tuition fee information
*(UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland) £9,535 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. The fee is currently subject to a governmental fee cap for each academic year. It is our policy to charge tuition fees at the level of the cap set by the Government. If the cap set by the Government changes, then we may increase our Fees in line with governmental policy.
*(International) £16,700 for the 25/26 academic year. Fees for future academic years will be determined in line with our Terms and Conditions. We decide the annual level of increase of our Tuition Fees by taking into account a range of factors including the cost of delivering the course and change in governmental funding.
Remember, you don’t have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year.
UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £79.45 and a 15 credit module is £1,191. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £7,145
International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £139.14 and a 15 credit module is £2,087.
Additional costs
As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.
There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the optional costs for this course:
Mandatory
Disclosure and Barring Service
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance check may be required if you undertake a placement, volunteering, research or other course related activity where you will have contact with children or vulnerable adults. The requirement for a DBS check will be confirmed by staff as part of the process to approve your placement, research or other activity. The indicative cost is £40.
Optional
Field trip
Students have the option to attend the BVE Expo each year. Admission is free, but students are required to cover their travel costs. Indicative cost £10-50.
Technology
Short term loans of hard drives are provided by the loan counter but we recommend students come equipped with their own hard drive for the duration of the course. Indicative cost £50-80.
Equipment
Students choosing the optional module 'Interactive Sound and Music' are advised that it would be advantageous to purchase their own soldering iron. Indicative cost £20-80.
SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS
We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.
CAREER PROSPECTS
On graduation, you can seek work equipped with a strong foundation in sound for all aspects of media, a deep knowledge of technological and industrial practice and an understanding of how sound contributes to television, film and radio. Graduates find employment in key areas such as studio-based engineering, sound design and composition as well as production opportunities within broadcast, film and theatre.
The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment and/or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023, HESA.
OUR CAREERS SERVICE
