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What next for you? > BA (Hons) Sound Design > BA (Hons) Sound Design

BA (Hons) Sound Design

This course is aimed at students who wish to develop their existing sound and music production skills in order to work across a range of industries. Sound designers tend to have ‘portfolio’ careers: they work for a number of employers and in a number of mediums, all the while using the same creative and technical skills.

The course will develop your skills in recording, editing, mixing and mastering sound in the following industries:

• TV (documentary and advertising)
• film (drama)
• video games
• radio and radio drama
• live events and theatre
• sound art and sound installation
• music production.

The idea is that by the end of the degree you’ll be able to work across different industries, take up all the opportunities that come to you and be versatile and adapt as the music and media industries develop.

There is an emphasis in the course on collaboration, of learning to work with directors, musicians, actors and producers – of understanding their language, their difficulties and their requirements. That’s what makes a top quality sound designer, dubbing mixer or studio engineer – the combination of technical with personal and creative skills. You will take responsibility for projects and manage budgets, personnel and time, and learn how to market yourself and, most of all, how to think, how to work independently and pragmatically, and be prepared for constant change.

Level 1

Level 1 of the programme will develop your understanding of the principles, both conceptual and technical, of recording, editing, synthesising and manipulating sound and music, as well as introducing you to the basics of radio production, alongside business and contextual studies.

You will study the following subject areas at level 1:
contextual studies: theory and context; opportunities, trends and ideas; professional context; communication and visualisation; sound theory; radio production; laptop musicianship; and recording studio techniques.

Level 2

You will apply these principles in level 2 to screen-based drama and factual work, giving you the opportunity to design sound and work with both linear and non-linear narratives. You will also develop entrepreneurial acumen and hone your critical analysis skills through Contextual Studies.

You will study the following subject areas at level 2:
contextual studies: debate and polemic; contextual studies: dissertation preparation; marketing strategy; advertising and promotions; sound and music for moving image; sound design for factual programming; sound and music for film; and sound and music for interactive media.

Level 3

Level 3 introduces you to one of a range of modes of professional practice (theatrical sound, radio drama for studio engineering) – you will also explore the esoteric field of sound art. These units are followed by a series of self-directed projects and studies that provide the opportunity to research a specific area of interest in considerable depth and offers flexibility in applying design skills in a professional context through the portfolio of collaborative work and a self-initiated individual project. The final business and enterprise unit effectively prepares you for the moment when you will emerge into a highly competitive marketplace.

You will study the following subject areas at level 3:
contextual studies: dissertation; enterprise and entrepreneurship – making it happen; major project report; modes of production; sonic arts; major project; and negotiated individual project.

Programme Specification

Click here for the full programme specification.

Contextual studies, and enterprise and entrepreneurship

The adaptability necessary to succeed as a design or media specialist comes not only from deep disciplinary knowledge. Graduates also need a breadth of knowledge and skills which some commentators have referred to as being ‘T-Shaped’. These additional skills include the ability to work with and increasingly work across disciplines, entrepreneurial attitudes and a knowledge of the business contexts in which they will operate. All undergraduate Ravensbourne programmes incorporate curriculum and learning activities designed to develop these skills in our students. Cross-disciplinary collaborative projects offer students the opportunity to work in teams with other disciplines.

The course structure draws on the creative synergies and frictions of the different disciplines at Ravensbourne and provides physical and intellectual opportunities for students to meet, learn and work together with students from different disciplines.

Students study subject specialist units, shared units and core units. Subject specialist units focus on subject specialist methodologies, technologies and processes and offer project-based learning that simulates contemporary professional practice.

Shared units are units which bring together courses in analogous specialist subject areas and allow students to gain skills common across these specialist subject areas, or to develop skills complimentary to those of the other specialisms and to work together on collaborative projects in the kinds of interdisciplinary teams common in industry. They therefore begin to introduce students to the real world context of specialism, a world where inevitably specialists work in inter-disciplinary teams.

Core units provide fundamental knowledge, skills and contexts which we believe are necessary for all the creative professionals who graduate from Ravensbourne and set students up with a model of the types of knowledge they will need continuously to update throughout their careers. Core units equip students with the ideation, visualisation and communication skills required in the creative process characteristic of design and media industries and common across our disciplines. They also provide the conceptual skills, theoretical frameworks and professional contexts necessary for students to position their work and develop their professional identity. Additionally, they ensure that students gain the promotional, marketing and enterprise skills necessary to make success happen in the real world.

Three years full-time

Ravensbourne’s BA (Hons) Sound Design course is available as a full time three-year course.

Assessment

You will be assessed through the completion of practical and written work including essays and a range of individual or group artefacts, presentations and project reports that focus on practical and business skills. There will also be critical self and peer-evaluation to allow you to reflect on your development, and support to give you feedback and help you succeed.

Learning and support

The course’s learning and support methods aim to develop you both technically and professionally. You will learn through tutorials, masterclasses focusing on specific creative and technical skills, workshops, work experience and a mix of group and individual projects. Learning is facilitated by a well-qualified permanent teaching staff, sessional staff and visiting guest speakers who bring an important industry perspective to the course.

Laptops

You are required to own or have access to a laptop from the beginning of your studies. Laptops are an essential tool to support personalised learning and give you access, when and where you want it, to many of the creative tools and educational resources you will encounter during your studies.

Laptops are used extensively in all of our courses. You will need one to access our network, and to research, communicate and collaborate during your studies.

Career prospects

Graduates can expect to find employment in a wide range of sound design roles in radio, film, television, theatre, video games, animation or web production. Other roles include sound engineering, sound recording, audio post production, sound composition, installation and sonic arts.

Some of our previous graduates have worked on The Archers, The Bill, Cirque de Soleil, The One Show, Charlie and Lola, at a Japanese mobile-phone games company, with the BBC Asian Network, EA Games, Union Chapel (London), and at Fitzrovia Post.

You could become a...

View >Radio Producer

View >Live Sound Engineer

View >Sound Designer

...and many more!

See life as a student

“I originally planned to have a career in computing, but after studying ICT at A level, I realised I just didn’t enjoy it. I first became interested in sound design through watching ‘behind the scenes’ documentaries on films, learning how the sound effects and music are created. The Harry Potter films are one of my main inspirations.

“During my first…