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Creative Music Technology (Professional Placement Year)

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-B,C,C

A Level – grades BBB-BCC including a grade B in Music, Music Technology or a related subject.

Access to HE Diploma

M:45

Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher) together with evidence of a high level of experience in music, composing, music technology or music performance.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

A minimum of 32 points are required.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-DMM

BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) in a related subject, or evidence of experience in Music or Music technology.

T Level

M

Grade Merit preferred in a relevant subject.

UCAS Tariff

104-120

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Perform an audition

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time with year in industry | 2024

Subject

Music technology

**Innovate and thrive as an artist producer or audio professional on our Creative Music Technology degree.**

- Make an impact. Our graduates have made significant contributions to the UK music scene and global creative audio industries.

- Prepare for industry. Graduate with an impressive industry-facing portfolio of innovative and creative work.

- Select a specialised route that supports your professional aspirations via optional modules in your final year.

Creative Music Technology at Bath Spa University fuses production, composition, sound design, critical listening, and the creative exploration of audio technologies alongside a wider view of digital media through three core areas:

- Cutting edge urban and commercial music creation and production.

- Experimental music, the sonic arts and ‘visual music’.

- Sound design, music and audio production for the AV sector such as gaming, broadcast and audio-post.

The course seeks to extend your individual creative voice as well as your technical confidence and knowledge, developing a wide range of skills required by the creative industries.

**More about the Professional Placement Year**

A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in up to 3 placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team.

Modules

In your first year we'll encourage you to explore and grow your existing creative activities alongside important foundational practical and interpretive skills. This is supported in topics such as audio recording and production, sound design, critical listening, and the exploration of the relationship between music and sound to picture. In your second year you'll take your skills and creativity into the professional arena, with a series of industry guest lectures, and the opportunity to engage with external collaboration, an internship or an industry placement. You’re guided toward greater technical competence in the core areas of sound production, critical listening and sound design. We also introduce multimedia skills that will open the opportunity of creative multidisciplinary projects and support the creation of powerful self-marketing and promotional tools. Your third year is a Professional Placement Year. In your final year you’ll continue to develop your practice to produce a body of work for public exhibition.

Assessment methods

Over 90% of assessment is through coursework, with the majority of assignments aiming to develop your professional portfolio. We're also committed to developing your written communication skills, as a way of empowering you to discuss your own work and the work of others. Tutors are always available to support assignments and particular assessment style preferences if needed.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,905
per year
International
£16,905
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Bath Spa University

Department:

School of Music and Performing Arts

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

63%
Music technology

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

86%
Staff make the subject interesting
87%
Staff are good at explaining things
69%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
77%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

64%
Library resources
78%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
55%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
48%
Male students
52%
Female students
89%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
C
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£15,600
low
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education
69%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

32%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Teaching and educational professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£14k

£14k

£18k

£18k

£22k

£22k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of York | York
Music and Sound Recording
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 48-136
Lower entry requirements
University of Nottingham | Nottingham
Music and Music Technology
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 96-135
Nearby University
Falmouth University | Falmouth
Music Production & Sound Engineering
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 104-120
Same University
Bath Spa University | Bath
Professional Music: Performance and Production
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time with year in industry 2024
UCAS Points: 80

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here