BSc (Hons) Music Composition and Technology for Film and Games

"Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, examinations may be replaced by an alternative form of assessment during the academic year 2021/2022. Please refer to the Programme Specification on these pages for further details."

Why choose this course?

• You are fascinated by the potential of technology in the creative process and wish to explore the likes of Unreal Engine, Unity, WWise, FMOD, Logic, and Pro Tools.
• Involvement from our alumni, providing their experiences of how the course has helped them into employment.
• You wish to understand and explore current trends in film music and game audio.
• Gain a BSc – because we genuinely explore the art and science of music composition/ audio design.
• You wish to be taught by current practitioners and exponents in the art of writing film and games.
• You wish to be part of a department within a school that includes filmmaking, animation, and game design.
• The Music Composition and Technology for Film and Games degree is a unique and distinctive degree award in the UK.
• We have some of the best resources in the UK, including state-of-the-art music studios and specialist film, animation and game design facilities.

Professional accreditations

• UK Music Academic Partnership (MAP)

What's the course about?

This specialist degree focuses on game audio and film music, covering creative, technical, and business. You’ll compose, produce, and implement music and sound for a huge variety of film, animation, and game audio titles, and be part of networking and collaboration within the school of creative arts. With the support of industry professionals, you’ll analyse the styles of different composers and genres, understand film/ game workflows, explore middleware, and develop a critical understanding of how musical parameters affect visuals. You’ll also study the business aspects of this sector, pursue work experience and build the skills to become a creative, technical, and entrepreneurial musician/ audio professional.

Your main campus is College Lane

This is where the creative arts, science, and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists, and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.

What will I study?

You will receive a mixture of interactive lectures, seminars and tutorials, with much practical-based teaching. Module content is reviewed each academic year to remain current and industry-relevant, and you will have opportunities to independently collaborate with student filmmakers/ game designers in addition to the timetabled sessions. You can also benefit from the input of additional music industry experts visiting our University.

This course includes the options of:

• Work placement
• Study abroad

Course Content

The BSc (Hons) in Music Composition and Technology for Film and Games brings an enhanced emphasis on music for video games and media. The course focuses on two specialist areas of equal importance. From a game audio perspective, you will create and implement music and sound designs for a variety of projects across both leading Unreal and Unity engines, exploring industry-relevant skills. From a media composer standpoint, you will be developing your composition talent across areas such as film, TV production music, animation, and live performance. Subject currency is a key strength of the course, with content reviewed by industry professionals, and enhanced on a regular basis to meet industry needs.

You will analyse the styles of different game/ film composers and genres of soundtracks, study the scriptwriting, reading process and understand different stages of the practical production across Pro Tools and Logic. You will develop a critical understanding of how different musical and technical parameters affect visuals, and study business aspects associated with specialist creative roles in the industry.

Importantly, you will pursue professional work experience and build working relationships with other students developing collaborations in the Faculty.

Most of all, you will be an entrepreneurial musician - someone who has talent as a composer and has the ability to get their music out there…

Our location is at the heart of the UK film and media industries and we utilise this unique benefit in combination with well-designed and practical courses.

Level 4

• Techniques and Technology 1 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Learning Skills II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Perspectives of Music 1 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Composition for Film and Games 1 II 30 Credits II Compulsory

Level 5

• Techniques and Technology 2 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Studies and Investigations 2 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Perspectives of Music 2 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Composition for Film and Games 2 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Professional Work Experience 30: Music II 30 Credits II Optional

Level 6

• Year Abroad II 0 Credits II Compulsory
• Sandwich Year (Creative Arts) II 0 Credits II Compulsory
• Perspectives of Music 3 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Project (Film and Games) II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Techniques and Technology 3 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Studies and Investigations 3 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Perspectives of Music 3 II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Project (Film and Games) II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Techniques and Technology 3 (Version 2) II 30 Credits II Compulsory
• Studies and Investigations 3 (Version 2) II 30 Credits II Compulsory

Study abroad

An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, the experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, and closer to home in Europe.

If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Listen to student Marcus Warner’s ‘Twice Above The Atlantic’ uplifting theme, which was inspired by his time studying abroad in America.

Work placement

Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought-after professional skills.

Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process.

We have a long history of students working with industry supplementing the taught university curriculum with real-life on-the-job experience. This includes Matthew Mainprize and his year-long audio intern at RARE on ‘Sea of Thieves.

If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

The games industry is a continually growing area, with our graduates in a range of audio-based roles. 2019-20 student stories include Robin McGovern (Junior Audio Designer) at Ubisoft Düsseldorf, Matthew Mainprize (Audio Designer), Gavin Chuong (Graduate Audio Rigger) at Frontier Developments for games such as 'Jurassic World Evolution', and Jamal Green (Composer) for SKELATTACK, published by Konami - out on PS4 / XboxOne / Nintendo Switch & PC. Our students are also progressing into successful production music careers, 2020 has seen both Oscar Aldred and Toby Ellis join Universal Production Music as composers.

Our graduates have also gone on to be professional Film composers and songwriters (including exclusive contracts with EMI and Sony Music for example), working for major companies such as the BBC, PRS, as well as sound engineering and teaching. Several have continued their studies for Masters and Ph.D. degrees.

Our graduates have gone on to successful careers as film and TV composers and songwriters (including some with exclusive songwriting contracts with EMI and Sony Music). They work for organisations such as the BBC and PRS, create sound design for computer games, and work in sound engineering and teaching. Others continue their studies with a Master’s and Ph.D.