Brayford Pool
3 years
J933
This specialist degree offers the opportunity to develop the creative, technical, and professional skills needed for a career in music production and sound across a wide range of media, from film and television to animation and video games.
The course is centred on hands-on, practical work in music and sound. You can create, experiment, and refine your own projects in our dedicated specialist facilities, working with professional-standard tools and industry workflows from day one. Throughout your studies, you'll gain experience in recording, producing, sound design, and crafting audio for screen-based media.
Collaboration is at the heart of the programme. You can work directly with musicians, filmmakers, animators, game designers, and visual artists, developing the real-world teamwork skills the industry demands. Creative projects are designed to challenge and expand your practice, underpinned by critical study and research. This integration of making and thinking will support you in becoming a confident, adaptable audio practitioner, prepared for a fast-moving creative industry.
Our specialist facilities, including multichannel recording studios, audio post-production suites, music rehearsal spaces, and dedicated editing rooms, enable extensive practical exploration. High-end mobile equipment is available for field recording and location sound, and all students have access to professional software throughout their studies.
You can learn from an experienced team of researchers and industry-active professionals working across music production, film and television, radio, animation, game audio, and experimental sound. Teaching is enriched by guest lectures, masterclasses, and opportunities to engage with contemporary professional practice.
95% teaching satisfaction rate in National Student Survey 2025
Opportunities to gain paid work experience on campus
Learn from staff and guest speakers directly connected to industry
Option to participate in sessions at Abbey Road Studios
Receive your own copy of Avid Pro Tools for the duration of the course
Industry-standard professional studios and edit suites
*National Student Survey 2025
Teaching on the programme is centred on practical, project-based learning, supported by critical study and reflection. You can work in professionally equipped studios, edit suites, rehearsal rooms, and specialist audio spaces, using industry-standard software and workflows. Demonstrations, hands-on sessions, and small-group practical classes provide close support as you develop both your technical expertise and creative voice.
Lectures introduce key theories, contexts, and approaches, while seminars and workshops create space to share work, exchange ideas, and build confidence in discussing your practice. One-to-one tutorials offer tailored guidance, supporting your progression towards increasingly specialist and independent projects.
Your studies evolve from establishing core skills in Year 1, to developing greater specialisation and creative autonomy in Year 2, culminating in advanced, portfolio-ready work in Year 3. Assessment includes practical studio projects, collaborative work, and flexible written assignments, with options that enable you to build on your strengths and career ambitions.
Beyond the Studio Recording introduces you to creative and critical approaches to recording sound outside traditional studio environments. Focusing on field recording and soundscape composition, the module explores how sound captures and reflects the environments, cultures, and social contexts in which it is produced. Through a blend of lectures, seminars, and workshops, you will develop practical recording skills whilst engaging with key theoretical and historical debates about listening, place, and histories of recording.
Cultivating Creativity is a first-year interdisciplinary module designed to develop students' creative thinking and industry awareness. The module fosters curiosity, ideation, and practical application while equipping students with essential academic, creative and professional skills. Through engagement with contemporary issues, students will explore how these topics intersect with their chosen industry contexts.
In this module, you learn how to create music using a digital audio workstation (DAW). You work with MIDI, synthesis, and sampling, and explore practical tools and techniques that you can use in your own music composition and sound design. By the end, you’ll be able to develop your own ideas and build complete pieces within the DAW.
This module introduces you to the multi-track studio environment, giving you the chance to explore the key techniques and skills needed to work in a professional audio recording setting. You’ll get hands-on with digital audio recording, editing, and mixing tools, developing the practical and technical abilities essential for studio-based music and audio production. You’ll also begin sharpening the critical listening skills required to judge audio quality, using them to build your confidence and creativity in the studio.
To become an expert in the studio, you first have to understand how sound really works. This module introduces you to the fundamental principles of audio and shows you how this knowledge can be applied in the practical context of music production.
In this module, you will explore the cultural, historical, political, and social forces that sound and music both reflect and transform. We will investigate how they construct identity, express power, mediate technology, and drive social change. Through key theories, case studies, and creative practice, you’ll tackle topics like listening in the digital age, the cultural impact of popular music, and the evolving influence of media technologies. Seminar discussions and research-led learning will sharpen your ability to interpret sonic and musical practices as active forms of cultural production and communication. By the end, you will understand the power of music and sound to shape lives and societies.
This module introduces students to the historical development, formats, and cultural practices of criticism across film, television, and screen media. It explores the distinctions and overlaps between criticism, reviewing, and analysis, developing students’ understanding of how each operates within different professional and cultural contexts.
Through collaborative discussion and close engagement with a range of media texts, students will strengthen their ability to articulate informed interpretations and critical judgements for diverse audiences. The module supports the development of both analytical rigour and creative communication skills.
The module culminates in the production of a portfolio of critical work across multiple formats — which may include written, audio, video-based, and interactive pieces — reflecting the varied ways in which contemporary screen media criticism is produced and shared.
Your learning on this module encourages you to be adaptive and inquisitive in the face of change, equipping you with the critical awareness and agility needed to navigate a rapidly shifting media landscape. Alongside theoretical inquiry, you will engage in practical experimentation with selected emerging technologies or tools, analysing their creative potential through testing and evaluation. You will communicate your findings through research-led creative outputs, such as a video essay or another critically informed presentation format.
Expanded Film invites students into the world of experimental and artist-led moving-image practice. Through screenings, lectures and hands-on workshops, the module explores how filmmakers and visual artists challenge conventional storytelling to create bold, alternative screen works. Students experiment with a range of techniques and forms, such as expanded cinema, installation, video essay and title-sequence design. W, while developing their own short experimental artefact. Along the way, they learn to connect creative choices with key artistic influences and critical ideas, building confidence in imaginative, boundary-pushing practice.
The module is designed to be flexible in both content and assessment. Students may use a wide range of tools, methods, and forms. The portfolio format supports different working styles and access needs. Readings are short, accessible and available digitally.
This module introduces students to experimental approaches within animation, encouraging exploration beyond conventional workflows through the use of 2D rigs, hybrid techniques, and emerging digital tools. Students engage in short practical projects that integrate traditional animation principles with innovative processes, developing confidence in creative risk-taking and technical experimentation. By testing the boundaries of animation practice, students broaden their understanding of how alternative methods can enhance storytelling, motion design, and visual expression. The module provides a foundation for more advanced creative and technical development in later years.
Sound for Visual Media equips and empowers you to apply fundamental sound production skills in a variety of visual media contexts. Through a range of industry-aligned methods and practices, you will create complex soundtracks in response to specific visual media, drawing on key principles and theories of sound.
Creative Collaboration is a Level 5 shared core module that develops students’ ability to work effectively with others in the conception, development, and presentation of creative media projects. Through a series of intensive design sprints, students will collaborate in small groups to respond to a set of themed creative challenges aligned with real-world contexts such as social impact, sustainability, and emerging cultural practices.
The module emphasises collaboration as a creative and professional practice, foregrounding communication, negotiation, leadership, and problem-solving alongside ethical and cultural awareness. Students will be supported to reflect critically on both the creative outcomes and the collaborative processes that shape them.
The module culminates in a project-pitching event in which students present their collaborative projects and participate in a panel discussion, demonstrating their ability to articulate creative intent, evaluate collaborative dynamics, and respond to critical questioning.
Step into the world of live events and take control of the sound and lights that bring performances to life. In this module, you’ll learn how to set up, operate, and troubleshoot professional audio and lighting systems for gigs, theatre shows, and more. From small venues to large-scale productions, you’ll get hands-on experience with industry-standard equipment and live bands, developing the technical confidence to make every event sound (and look) amazing.
This module provides you with advanced creative and technical skills aligned with the professional expectations of the contemporary recorded music industry. You learn core tracking and production practices while developing a considered approach to sonic aesthetics, technical precision, and coherent project delivery. Through the application of industry‑standard mixing and mastering techniques, you refine and contextualise your work to a professional standard. The module culminates in a portfolio of high‑quality recordings that demonstrate your ability to realise a brief and present finished production work with clarity and rigour.
In this module students will explore the development of music and audio culture through an eclectic range of case studies illustrating how situating music within diverse cultural contexts provides a broad and nuanced understanding of the role music plays in the lives of individuals, the formation of communities, and the influence on global culture. Through analytical and critical approaches, such as musicology, ethnography, socio-history, and psychology, the module aims to deepen students' comprehension of the myriad ways in which music can be studied, analysed, and comprehended.
This module aims to give you an opportunity to immerse yourself in a specialist area within the creative arts. The content of the module is shaped by the research and practice expertise of staff members who actively collaborate with and mentor you throughout your exploration of this specialist area. This ensures that you benefit from the latest insights and methodologies within the chosen specialist area, gaining a well-rounded understanding that integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application.
The Industry Placement Year is an exciting opportunity for students to take a year out of formal study to gain real-world experience in the creative industries. Whether you’re looking to build industry connections, develop professional skills, or explore career options, this year will give you a full-time, hands-on experience within an arts, cultural, or creative organisation.
This year is a collaborative experience between you, your employer, and the University—ensuring that you get the most out of your time in a professional setting.
Creative Futures is a final-year module designed to prepare students for the transition into professional life. Through guest talks, lectures, tutorials, and flexible online learning, students gain a critical understanding of creative careers and the wider labour market. The module focuses on key transferable skills such as emotional intelligence, resilience, digital literacy, critical thinking, leadership, and intercultural awareness. Students will reflect on their strengths, values, and goals, and emerge confident, career-ready, and equipped to thrive in diverse professional environments.
This module is the culmination of the Sound and Music Production course. Taking advantage of the specialist skills and interests developed throughout your studies, you will undertake a substantial project or set of projects. You can work individually or collaboratively, producing anything from the sound design for a film, through to recording and releasing an EP. Whatever you do, this work will form a key part of your professional portfolio as you move from student to professional.
Take control of your learning with a self-directed research project on a topic that inspires you. This module lets you explore your interests in depth, guided by expert academic supervision. You will develop your ideas into a polished dissertation and present your work with confidence. Your project is a chance to showcase your creativity, independence and critical thinking, all whilst exploring a subject that you are passionate about.
† Some courses may offer optional modules. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by staff availability.
We want you to have all the information you need to make an informed decision on where and what you want to study. In addition to the information provided on this course page, our What You Need to Know page offers explanations on key topics including programme validation/revalidation, additional costs, and contact hours.
We are excited to announce that our courses have received JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Support) accreditation. This recognition from industry professionals ensures our students benefit from a curriculum that meets the highest standards of the music and media industries, ensuring they are well-prepared for their careers.
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We have strong relationships with industry including a partnership with the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. You can participate in workshops with industry professionals at Abbey Road Studios which may form an integral part of your learning and development. Our industry partnerships have led to students securing audio positions with the BBC, Channel 4, Sky, The Church Studios, Pinewood Studios, Fonic, and Sweet Justice Sound, as well as freelance roles.
Students on the programme can undertake a wide range of creative and industry-focused projects. These may include music production, sound design for film, television, animation, and video games, multichannel studio recording, experimental sound practice, and location or field recording. There are also opportunities to contribute to collaborative productions with filmmakers, musicians, animators, and other creative practitioners.
In the final year, students develop substantial, client-style audio projects and produce a professional portfolio tailored to their individual career ambitions, supporting their transition into the creative industries.
Students have the opportunity to undertake a dedicated industry placement module in their second year, gaining valuable experience within the music and wider creative industries. Previous placements have included roles in radio studios, live music companies, recording studios, and other areas of the music and audio sector, providing insight into professional practice and workplace expectations.
Students have had the opportunity to take part in an annual trip to Abbey Road studios in London, where they work with Music students on a recording project.
Our students were able to experience a day in the life of some of the world’s most eminent record producers and performers during their time at Abbey Road Studios. Industry professionals on hand to lend their support to the students included Abbey Road engineer Paul Pritchard. Paul has worked with some of the biggest recording artists in history, including Paul McCartney, Elton John and Freddie Mercury.
Students recently visited London's Abbey Road Studios where best-selling albums have been recorded by artists including The Beatles.
Students have the opportunity to hear from those working in the industry on optional field trips
Assessment is centred on creative practice. Projects may include music production, sound for screen and interactive media, live sound, experimental work, and collaborative projects with filmmakers, musicians, animators, and other artists. Many modules offer flexibility and choice, enabling you to shape your work around your interests, creative identity, and preferred ways of working.
Alongside practical projects, critical assessment supports you in contextualising and articulating your creative decisions. This may take the form of reflective writing, research-informed assignments, creative documentation, or critical essays. These tasks are designed to deepen your understanding of sound, situate your work within wider contexts, and strengthen your artistic voice.
In line with the University of Lincoln's policy, staff aim to provide prompt and constructive feedback on all assessments, supporting your continued development throughout the programme.
Students on this course have access to a range of specialist equipment, including two multi-channel recording studios for music and drama production; two dubbing theatres for audio post-production for film, TV, games, and animation; the University's digital audio platform; three radio production studios; music rehearsal rooms; and several audio edit suites with an extensive range of editing and audio processing software. High-end mobile kit is available for sound and field recording on location. All Sound and Music Production students can currently use Pro Tools software and have access to Ableton Live Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud software, including Audition, for the duration of their studies.
There may be opportunities throughout the course to volunteer for the University's digital audio platform, as well as potentially secure experience and paid work in live sound through our on-campus performance venue, The Engine Shed.
Find out more on the Film and Media subject webpage.
What I enjoyed the most was learning both theoretical concepts and professional practices. Each assignment allowed a personal approach where I collaborated creatively with students on other courses and outside the University, which helped with developing professional relationships.
Helena Spychala
BA (Hons) Sound and Music Production
This course aims to equip graduates for a wide range of roles in music production, radio, film, and TV, games, animation, mobile and web applications, audio engineering, and audio event management. Lincoln graduates have gone on to work for the BBC, Channel 4, The Church Studios, Fonic audio post production, Sweet Justice Game Audio, Pinewood Studios, and Sky.
Congratulations to graduate Dan Hibbert for winning the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing' Verna Fields Award at the 70th Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards, for his work on the National Film and Television School graduate film 'Brutal'. Dan specialised in Sound Post-Production and went on to study this subject at postgraduate level at the National Film and Television School following his time at Lincoln.
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104 to 112 UCAS Tariff points.
This must be achieved from a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications. For example:
A Level: BCC to BBC
BTEC Extended Diploma: Distinction Merit Merit
T Level: Merit Overall
Access to Higher Education Diploma: 104 to 112 UCAS points to be achieved from 45 Level 3 credits.
International Baccalaureate: 29 points overall.
GCSE's: Minimum of three at grade 4 or above, which must include English . Equivalent Level 2 qualifications may be considered.
The University accepts a wide range of qualifications as the basis for entry and do accept a combination of qualifications which may include A Levels, BTECs, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
We may also consider applicants with extensive and relevant work experience and will give special individual consideration to those who do not meet the standard entry qualifications.
Non UK Qualifications:
If you have studied outside of the UK, and are unsure whether your qualification meets the above requirements, please visit our country pages
https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/studywithus/internationalstudents/entryrequirementsandyourcountry/ for information on equivalent qualifications.
EU and Overseas students will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency equivalent to IELTS 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. For information regarding other English language qualifications we accept, please visit the English Requirements page
If you do not meet the above IELTS requirements, you may be able to take part in one of our Pre-sessional English and Academic Study Skills courses.
If you would like further information about entry requirements, or would like to discuss whether the qualifications you are currently studying are acceptable, please contact the Admissions team on 01522 886097, or email admissions@lincoln.ac.uk
Please note application assessment criteria may vary by country and we may close to applications from some domiciles. Please view the Your Country pages of our website before making an application.
Going to university is a life-changing step and it's important to understand the costs involved and the funding options available before you start. A full breakdown of the fees associated with this programme can be found on our course fees pages.
For eligible undergraduate students going to university for the first time, scholarships and bursaries are available to help cover costs. To help support students from outside of the UK, we are also delighted to offer a number of international scholarships which range from £1,000 up to the value of 50 per cent of tuition fees. For full details and information about eligibility, visit our scholarships and bursaries pages.
Project costs can vary depending on the nature of the practical work chosen by the student. Students are asked to consider costs when proposing a project.
Students are responsible for travel, accommodation, and general living costs while undertaking work experience, study abroad, or internships.
The best way to find out what it is really like to live and learn at Lincoln is to visit us in person. We offer a range of opportunities across the year to help you to get a real feel for what it might be like to study here.
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