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Creative Sound Design and Audiovisual Media at University of Glasgow - UCAS

University of Glasgow

Degree level: Postgraduate

Creative Sound Design and Audiovisual Media (Taught)

Course options

2025 - 20262026 - 2027
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

This Masters programme provides advanced training in creative practice with sound and audiovisual technologies. The programme offers topics relevant to practising musicians and sound designers, digital artists, and the creative industries, including sound shaping and design, audiovisual composition, creative sound recording, creative sound and media performance, and sound and media aesthetics. Later in the programme, you will develop an individual portfolio of creative practice based on your particular skills and interests. WHY THIS PROGRAMME

  • We are a leading research centre for Music in Scotland, with a supportive and welcoming community of scholars and practitioners. 95% of our research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent' in the UK’s most recent Research Excellence Framework exercise (REF2021).
  • You are supported in developing your own distinctive creative identity through experimentation and risk-taking in your sound and audiovisual work. Most courses are assessed through creative, practice-based projects.
  • You will benefit from studying in the city of Glasgow, the UK’s first UNESCO city of music, with its vibrant and exciting music scene; this includes festivals such as Sonica, Counterflows, Radiophrenia and Tectonics as well as a host of grass-roots sonic activity. There is a wide range of venues providing programmes of creative sound work, including The Old Hairdressers, Tramway, Mono, SWG3, CCA and City Halls, all of which have hosted our students’ work. The presence of music-performing organisations such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, RSNO, Scottish Opera, and the Scottish Ensemble, as well as experimental music ensembles such as the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, provides a rich musical context for your studies.
  • We work with the city’s cultural programme (Glasgow Life), and in collaboration with local arts houses and organisations such as Cryptic, to bring leading sonic artists to Glasgow, with associated workshops and collaborative opportunities for our students.
  • Your work can be showcased in our annual postgraduate event Sound Thought, which takes place at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) and also at the Glasgow Electronic and Audiovisual Media (GLEAM) Festival.
  • You will have access to high-quality facilities, including a Mac-equipped audio lab and media lab; three studios, one of which features an ambisonic surround sound space; a Concert Hall with a Genelec and D&B sound diffusion system; as well as seminar and practice rooms.
  • You will be supported by award-winning technical staff.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE You will take four core courses and one optional course. You will also produce a creative portfolio. Semester 1 Core Courses
  • Sound Shaping and Design
  • Creative Sound Recording
  • Thinking Through Sound and Media
**Semester 2 Core Courses**
  • Audiovisual Composition
  • Creative Sound and Media Performance
Optional Course One optional course, typical choices are listed below. However, other courses from across the College of Arts & Humanities can be taken with the approval of the programme convener and subject to availability.
  • Sonic Arts: Sound for Narrative Film
  • Art, Embodiment, Transgression
  • Experimental Art and Media
  • Festivals
  • Genders
  • Making Time: performing and thinking temporalities in the creative arts
  • Music Cities
  • Music Research Seminar (A)
  • Music Research Seminar (B)
  • Popular Music History
  • The Global Music Industries
  • Working in the Screen Industries (MCS)
Please note that not all optional courses may be available every year. Summer You will produce an individual creative sound and media portfolio over the summer

How to apply

International applicants

International applicant information can be found via gla.ac.uk by searching for 'international'. Classes start September 2023 and you may be expected to attend induction sessions the week before.

Entry requirements

2.1 Hons (or non-UK equivalent) in Music or Audio; we also accept degrees in other relevant subjects such as other areas of arts & humanities, fine arts, art & design, performance, electronics, computing or acoustics. We may also accept degrees in Arts or Humanities subjects. We may sometimes accept degrees at 2.2 Hons or non-UK equivalent. Work experience may be considered in lieu of qualifications. A personal statement is required for this programme. Applicants should have some experience of working creatively with sound, audiovisual media, digital media or music technology and submit a portfolio for entry including examples of your prior work in this areas. This can be done through common streaming services such as SoundCloud, Vimeo or YouTube, or through a file sharing or transfer service. Normally applicants should provide two or three examples of their work in audio or video format as appropriate. Applicants should include links to their work in a document uploaded with the online application.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

All fees are published on the University of Glasgow website. https://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/feesandfunding/

Sponsorship information

Sponsorship and funding information can be found via gla.ac.uk by searching for 'scholarships'.

Creative Sound Design and Audiovisual Media at University of Glasgow - UCAS