Queen's University Belfast

Source: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/audio-engineering-bsc-j930/ Parent: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/

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Undergraduate 2027

Undergraduate 2025

BSc | Undergraduate

Audio Engineering

Apply via UCAS Register Interest

Entry year : Academic Year 2027/28

Entry requirements : ABB

Attendance : 3 years (Full-time) \

UCAS Code : J930

Overview
Course content
Modules
Entry requirements
Careers
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The Audio Engineering programme is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in engineering within the audio and digital media industries. Students will gain technical skills and knowledge relevant to the broader field of electrical and electronic engineering including electronics, embedded systems, computer programming and mathematics. Students will also gain practical experience of recording, editing, mixing and mastering music using professional studio facilities and designing new hardware/software musical instruments and interfaces.

This degree is co-taught with the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EEECS)

Course highlights

Global Opportunities

Students may opt to spend a semester or a year studying abroad. The School has links with a number of international institutions including Sibelius Academy (University of the Arts Helsinki), University of Groningen, Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo do Porto (Instituto Politecnico do Porto), Université François Rabelais Tours, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and Technological Educational Institute of Crete.

http://go.qub.ac.uk/Erasmus-StudyAbroad

Professional Accreditations

The School is an Avid Learning Partner with certified instructors in both Media Composer video editing software and Pro Tools audio editing software. \ Undergraduates at the school have the opportunity to be certified in editing and notations software used in both the Film and Audio Industries as an additional qualification outside their course. The cost of these courses ranges from £20 to £90 per course. \ The school offers the following additional certifications:\ MC101 | Media Composer Editing Essentials\ MC110 | Media Composer Effects Essentials \ PT101 | Pro Tools Fundamentals I\ PT110 | Pro Tools Fundamentals II\ PT130 | Pro Tools for Game Audio\ PT201 | Pro Tools Production I\ PT210M | Pro Tools Production II (Music Production)\ SB101 | Sibelius Fundamentals I\ SB110 | Sibelius Fundamentals II\ https://www.avid.com/education/certification

https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/ael/Discover/AvidTraining/

Industry Links

The School benefits from strong industry partnerships including BBC NI, Ulster Orchestra, Opera NI, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, Cathedral Arts Festival, Moving on Music, Diatribe Records, DTS and Dolby.

Companies currently employing our graduates include Google, BBC, UTV, Apple, BT, Rapid 7, Sensum, Mogees Ltd, Storyful, Cased Dimensions, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Stevens Institute of Technology and Queen’s University Belfast.

Career Development

The Level 3 Work Placement module is an excellent opportunity for students to gain real-world industry experience. Some of the organisations our students have completed placements with include DTS, Pi Communications, RTÉ, Production House, Start Together Studios, Redbox Recording, Smalltown America Studios, Blast Furnace Studios and Sonic Visuals.

World Class Facilities

The School is one of the largest and best equipped institutions in the UK working in the field of music and sound. Students have access to state-of-the-art audio resources including two dedicated computer suites, ten sound studios an equipment loan store and the world’s first Sonic Laboratory – a unique performance space capable of three-dimensional sound projection, all housed in SARC.\ \ Since its founding in 2001, SARC has become a globally recognised institute for music-based practice and research, broadly conceived. SARC brings together researchers in composition, performance, musicology, computing for musical applications, acoustics and perception, sound recording, interaction design, broadcast, critical improvisation studies, sound art, aesthetics and media theory. It is a purpose designed building with a state-of-the-art Sonic Laboratory and multichannel studios was opened by Karlheinz Stockhausen in 2004 during the Sonorities Festival, which is hosted biennially by SARC. SARC also includes associate members based in computer engineering, anthropology, psychology and architecture who are involved in research collaborations and co-supervision of PhD students, to form a research environment with academics and postgraduate students with diverse backgrounds and interests.\ \ SARC regularly hosts visiting artists and scholars and has ongoing research collaborations with international institutions including Stanford University, University of São Paulo, IRCAM, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, McGill University, Bach-Archiv Leipzig, Stony Brook University, Orpheus Institute and University of Oxford. SARC also has formal professional partnerships with high profile local artists and ensembles including the Ulster Orchestra, Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble and Michael Keeney, of which the latter two are currently employed as Industry Professionals. The link below is a student-led video tour of the SARC building.

The Sonic Laboratory at SARC could best be thought of as a 'cinema for the ear' - a specialist acoustic space designed to provide a unique and immersive listening experience - the auditory equivalent of an IMAX cinema. 84 loudspeakers, strategically located, project and move sounds throughout the 360 degrees of the space, including above and underneath the audience, some of which work together for wave-field synthesis. The Sonic Lab was designed with an acoustically transparent, modular grid floor suspended 4m above the basement level. No other auditorium for sonic art performance and experimentation currently exists with this revolutionary feature. The provision of this facility gives Northern Ireland a unique and pioneering role in a rapidly developing field.\ \ The Sonic Lab is a flexible space used for teaching, public concerts, screenings, installations and for developing and implementing cutting edge research linked to the emerging creative industries. As an engineering research facility, the Sonic Laboratory provides unique opportunities to develop and test new ideas relating to virtual reality / augmented reality, immersive media, Dolby Atmos, loudspeaker design, music perception, musical interactions, new instrument design and sound engineering.\ \ Specifications\ AUDIO\ • 84 loudspeakers across 4 levels: Basement, ground, mid-height and over-head consisting of Meyer and Genelec loudspeakers.\ • Studer Vista 5 mixing console located at the rear of the lab - 72 mic/line inputs, 56 line outputs. \ • DANTE audio connection to the Broadcast Studio in SARC.\ • Adjacent Control Room equipped with AMS-NEVE DMC mixing console with PMC loudspeaker monitoring and Pro Tools HDX multitrack playback and recording system.\ \ ACOUSTICS\ 48 acoustic absorbers which can be raised and lowered to alter the reverberation time of the space between 0.4 – 2.3 seconds. This allows the space to be configured to suit different performances, \ recording situations, and testing environments.\ \ VISUAL\ Large 7 meter-wide retractable acoustically-permeable screen with high definition video projection.\ \ LIGHTING\ LED powered lighting system - Avolites Titan Mobile console controlling 6 x moving head lights, and 28 x LED Par fixtures.

http://go.qub.ac.uk/SARCtour

http://go.qub.ac.uk/Sonic-Lab

Internationally Renowned Experts

Many of our staff are leading international experts in their fields of research. Additionally, the School employs a number of Industry Fellows – internationally renowned professionals in their fields of\ composition, performance, songwriting, sound engineering and audio production. Each member of staff teaching on this course is listed on the next page with a link to their research profiles.\ \ We also run a series of research seminars and lunchtime concerts with guest speakers/performers joining us each term.

http://go.qub.ac.uk/EventsListings

Student Experience

Northern Ireland has an exceptional track record for producing outstanding musical talent and has a unique identity within the global music industry. Belfast is the creative hub of the Northern Irish music industry and students on this programme will contribute to the vibrant musical life of both the University and the wider city.

https://www.qub.ac.uk/about/Living-in-Northern-Ireland/Life-in-Belfast/nightlife-and-music/

Further Study Opportunities

Further study, including Master’s programmes, is also an option; see the School website for further information.

"I have just finished my final year of studying the BSc in Audio Engineering. The course has prepared me for a career in engineering specifically in audio and electronic applications, as it is taught jointly between the School of Music and the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The modules offered vary from the likes of instrument design and audio mixing to embedded systems and electronics, which provided me with the opportunity to gain knowledge and a wide range of skills including building circuitry, coding digital audio effects, and sound recording techniques. The facilities and equipment available at SARC were excellent."\ Elizabeth Brown

I have just finished my final year studying the BSc Audio Engineering at Queen's. The course has provided a perfect balance of engineering and arts modules throughout the duration of the three years, with excellent facilities and equipment for both. The staff at Queen's are second to none in terms of not only their teaching, but also their enthusiasm, knowledge, approachability, and student support. There were also\ opportunities to attend lectures taken by industry professionals such as Julian Parker, Principal DSP Designer of Native Instruments. I am looking forward to the prospect of future study at Queen's next year.\ Robert Acheson

"I have just finished my final year of studying the BSc in Audio Engineering. The course has prepared me for a career in engineering specifically in audio and electronic applications, as it is taught jointly between the School of Music and the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. The modules offered vary from the likes of instrument design and audio mixing to embedded systems and electronics, which provided me with the opportunity to gain knowledge and a wide range of skills including building circuitry, coding digital audio effects, and sound recording techniques. The facilities and equipment available at SARC were excellent."\ Elizabeth Brown

I have just finished my final year studying the BSc Audio Engineering at Queen's. The course has provided a perfect balance of engineering and arts modules throughout the duration of the three years, with excellent facilities and equipment for both. The staff at Queen's are second to none in terms of not only their teaching, but also their enthusiasm, knowledge, approachability, and student support. There were also\ opportunities to attend lectures taken by industry professionals such as Julian Parker, Principal DSP Designer of Native Instruments. I am looking forward to the prospect of future study at Queen's next year.\ Robert Acheson

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