Creative Music Technology Degree 2013
As a student on our Creative Music Technology degree, you will work in music of many different styles and for many different purposes. On our programme you will develop an understanding of what is needed in the concert hall and in the film, TV and computer games industries from both the artistic and technical viewpoints. To acquire these skills, you will interact with both leading practitioners in the department and creative specialists from the music industry.
Degree programme
Entry requirements
Minimum entry requirements
- A-level grades ABB
We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.
Conditional offers from Surrey will be made in grades or marks, and not listed in points from the UCAS tariff.
Required subjects
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent).
A-level Music or Music Technology at grade A.
Grade 5 theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency.
Applicants not taking A-level Music will normally also require grade 7 practical (ABRSM) or equivalent.
English language requirements
Non-native speakers of English will normally be required to have IELTS 6.5 or above, with a minimum of 6.0 in each
component (or equivalent).
Please note that the University of Surrey offers English language programmes and is also an IELTS Test Centre.
Other suitable qualifications
Cambridge Pre-U
M1, M1, M2
European Baccalaureate
74%
International Baccalaureate
34 points
BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma
DDM
In addition, we accept a wide range of qualifications, including other Level 3 QCF Level 3 qualifications, Scottish qualifications, the Irish Leaving Certificate, Access Diplomas and foundation courses. Other qualifications will be considered on an individual basis.
It is important to check whether the qualifications you are taking are suitable for your chosen degree. If you are uncertain whether your qualification meets our entry requirements, please contact us.
If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements to this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year.
Selection process
Offers are usually made in terms of grades. Suitable candidates will be invited for an interview where they will present a portfolio of their work. During the visit to the University, the candidate can find out more about the programme and meet staff and students. Applicants based overseas, who are unable to attend an interview, are assessed via telephone interview and by submitting a portfolio of work.
Tuition fees
UK/EU students
Tuition fees are currently set at £9,000 per year for UK/EU undergraduates starting in 2012.
The tuition charge will be accompanied by a generous financial support package, underlining our continued commitment to widening access for those students who come from low income households.
Overseas students
The fee for students classed as overseas for fees purposes is £12,130.
The University will assess your fee status. If you are unsure whether you are likely to be considered a home, EU or overseas student for fees purposes, the UKCISA website offers more information.
Our Degree
At the end of the degree programme, you will have a strong portfolio of works that will help you in your career, and also the skills necessary to create new works for a broad range of media.
The Creative Music Technology programme is an innovative degree, carefully designed to meet the needs of music graduates going into the broad range of careers available in the contemporary and computer-based music industry.
During the programme you will work with creative artists and academics to acquire the skills and understanding needed for employment and/or further study. Your practical work will be strengthened through analysis, theory, history and repertoire study to help you create your own works and build a professional practice portfolio to bid for work when you leave.
Since the music industry is a difficult one to understand, you will receive training from your first year in all aspects of business, from contracts to entrepreneurship, and will also develop personal skills in communication and professional practice.
You will have the opportunity to choose your specialist topics from modules including film, dance, multimedia, rock and pop. Our programme is geared towards your creative practice and our modules are supported by a strong performance ethic within the Department that means your works will be played and recorded to professional standards.
At Surrey you will join a thriving community of musicians actively involved, as performers and composers, in music across a broad range of historical periods and contemporary styles.
Programme content
Programme overview
Your chosen degree should afford you the opportunity to study a wide range of topics within an academically strong yet creative environment. This programme offers you this in an area of music that is growing, vibrant and challenging.
You may shape parts of your study by choosing options that fit with your personal interests. Each of the three years offers you a variety of modules covering topics that will benefit you, whether you are a performer, composer, analyst or sound designer.
In year 1 you will focus on the essentials of creativity, technique and industry skills, writing pieces that are immediately relevant and engaging. You will acquire a good understanding of how to unlock creative processes and how music works emotionally and functionally, learn about sound design and be taught industry and professional skills.
During year 2 you will continue to develop core skills such as composition, sound synthesis and knowledge of the music industry. However, you can specialise in different musical genres, including film music, dance music, digital multimedia, jazz and pop song analysis, depending on your preferences.
In year 3 you will focus on building your professional portfolio, including writing and presentation skills, but you will still be offered a wide range of options including commercial music, music for TV, adverts and computer games.
If you wish to keep up your high-level performing skills, instrumental lessons are included, and you will have the opportunity to perform in choirs, orchestras, recitals and recording sessions. Many of our students form their own ensembles and rock/pop groups.
Programme structure
Year 1 (FHEQ Level 4)
Compulsory modules include:
- Creating Music with Computers 1
- Composition Technologies
- Understanding Music
- Harmony and Analysis
- Sound Design
Optional modules include:
- Performance 1
- Business of Music
- Instruments and Orchestration
Year 2 (FHEQ Level 5)
Compulsory modules include:
- Creating Music with Computers 2
- Synthesis and Sampling
Optional modules include:
- Performance 2
- Applied Music 1
- Electronic Improvisation 1
- Event Planning
- Event Management
- Orchestration and Arrangement
- Jazz Studies 1
- Popular Music Studies 1
- World Music
- Arts Policy and Practice
- Music, Politics and Society
Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6)
Compulsory modules include:
- Creating Music with Computers 3
Optional modules include:
- Performance 3
- Composition Techniques
- Electronic Improvisation 2
- Applied Music 2
- Jazz Studies 2
- Popular Music Studies 2
- Music Therapy
- Folk Music
- Afro/American Music
- Opera Studies
- Dissertation
Professional training
Your Professional Training is integrated into the degree programme, rather than being a separate period of study or work placement. From the first week, we help you acquire presentation, writing, teamwork and analytical skills. Professional standards of creating and delivering projects are covered in the first semester and reinforced through all your projects.
Industry modules include copyright, contracts, payment methods, entrepreneurship and skills required for running a small business. You will also benefit from a programme of visiting speakers and lecturers that includes award-winning composers, music editors and film specialists. Additionally, all lecturers leading the creative modules are themselves working practitioners.
For many musicians, work is a vibrant collection of separate projects covering many disciplines and industry strands. Building a portfolio of works or a showreel is an important part of preparing yourself for the professional world. We will help you build a professional portfolio using material from this practice-based programme.
Career opportunities
Graduate prospects
Graduates of this programme have gone on to become successful film and TV sound designers and composers, have found employment in music education, business and marketing and have also achieved higher degrees and qualifications.
Additional information
Teaching
You will acquire your skills though a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. Appropriate teaching materials are made available to you through the University’s online e-learning system, ULearn. Practice rooms, audio labs and self-study areas are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Whether your classes are practical or theoretical, you will develop your skills through a combination of academic, theoretical and creative practice led by teaching staff who are qualified to approach topics from all points of view.
Facilities
We have an enviable set of facilities for you to use, including performing spaces, professional recording studios, a good selection of practice rooms (exclusively for use by Department of Music and Sound Recording students), a Steinway concert grand piano and a collection of instruments, some of which may be loaned to students. You will have access to a well-stocked audiovisual room, with scores, CDs, DVDs, cassettes and LPs located in the nearby University Library.Assessment
Studying by module allows you to be assessed on elements as the programme develops, and you can expect most of the assessments to be spread throughout the academic year. More than two thirds of the work you submit will be coursework rather than examination.
Your degree classification does not take into account the marks for your first year and is weighted to take most account of the more detailed work in your third year. You will receive written confirmation of marks as you move through the programme so that you can monitor your own progress.
Why Surrey?
Creative Music Technology degree 2013 at Surrey
- The Complete University Guide 2013 ranks Surrey thirteenth nationally for its music programmes. The Guardian University Guide 2013 and The Times Good University Guide 2013 also rank us in the top twenty
- Learn from leading industry practitioners including Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA winners
- You will benefit from excellent teaching facilities
- Receive free instrumental lessons
- In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, 75 per cent of our research was rated as international quality, of which 21 per cent was world leading
- Participate in compositional modules covering composing for TV, film, adverts, computer games and more
- Enjoy the modular structure, allowing you to specialise in your chosen areas
- Benefit from outstanding preparation for a variety of music career paths
- You will leave with a composition and sound design portfolio for professional work
I’m focusing on my ambition to become a music producer for talented musicians, requiring me to compose and produce a high standard of music.
Jonathan Yates
BMus Music Composition
I initially chose to come to Surrey because of the variety of modules in the Music programme. When I got here it was great to discover that the lecturers and tutors support you to achieve great results and push you even further in achieving your potential and more. They have a professional level of understanding of the music industry, and the knowledge they have handed down to me has been invaluable. The equipment, technology and facilities in the Department are also first class. The programme has really developed my skills to become a better musician, composer and producer.
Your peers also have a great impact on you during your degree programme. Everyone’s here to learn and build their portfolio, and being surrounded by your fellow undergraduates – who all have new, creative ideas and concepts – is an opportunity to absorb each other’s talents, enabling you to grow into crafted musicians and to become professionals in the future.
I’m focusing on my ambition to become a music producer for talented musicians, requiring me to compose and produce a high standard of music. I compose and sound design for functional music, film, TV shows, adverts and games, and am a session musician. Since graduating, I’ve been working for a studio based in London where young, talented musicians are put in contact with me to produce EPs for their portfolio, so that my company can sign them to a record deal. I’ve also decided to do a Masters of Music to push myself even further.
You can study a wide range of modules, focus on a specific area of music, learn about the more traditional and historical side of music or about the technological side.
Jenny Morgan
BMus Creative Music Technology
I chose to study at the University of Surrey because of the course content. The module choice offered so many things I wanted to learn and practise. Also, the University campus is one of the prettiest and most friendly I have visited.
The best thing about my course is its flexibility. You can study a wide range of modules, focus on a specific area of music, learn about the more traditional and historical side of music or about the technological side. The facilities available to produce my compositions are plentiful and regularly updated. Anyone interested in making music, in any style, would be happy at Surrey.
Throughout my time here I have developed musical skills in composition and using software. I have also gained confidence, can manage my time well and have learnt to budget.
After I graduate, I would like to write music for children’s media. I’m also currently applying to do a PGCE as I hope to teach music and/or music technology to secondary and AS/A level.
I enjoy cooking, playing piano and exercising, and I also work in the Students’ Union bar. It’s really fun, friendly and a great place to meet people. I stayed in Surrey Court in my first year and had a really good time; I’m still living with some of those people now.
The location of campus couldn’t be better as it is close to town and supermarkets, as well as only being a short train ride into London.