BA (Hons) Sound Design with Professional Placement Bachelor's degree at Falmouth University
BA (Hons) Sound Design with Professional Placement at Falmouth University. Sound Design involves learning the creative and technical digital audio skills needed to work professionally in the field.
About this course
Study a degree in Sound Design and learn core creative and technical digital audio skills to launch your career as a talented sound designer. Apply now. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Sound Design with Professional Placement is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at Falmouth University, based in Penryn Campus. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Cinematics and photography graduates from this provider, 86% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 51% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £23,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Moderate evidence Published sample: 45; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 86% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 88% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year one 6 modules
- Understanding Sound & AudioCore
Module details
You'll learn the fundamentals of sound and audio theory, concepts and aesthetics, and associated terminology as relevant to contemporary sound design practices.
- Designing SoundCore
Module details
You'll be immersed in the creative possibilities of sound design for different visual media, including film, TV, animation and games. Over the course of the module, you will be introduced to new concepts, techniques and workflows and encouraged to explore the ways in which audio can be sculpted to create new sonic forms.
- Sound Design: Workflows, Tools & TechniquesCore
Module details
This module prepares you for a future career in professional audio. You'll be introduced to the workflows, tools and techniques involved in professional practice, helping you to gain an industry-standard skill set.
- StudiocraftCore
Module details
You'll learn to record, edit, mix and master audio in a recording studio environment using microphones, audio interfaces, mixing desks and digital audio workstations (DAWs).
- Music & Sound: Contexts and CulturesCore
Module details
You'll examine key concepts and debates in music and sounds studies whilst thinking critically about the relationship between music, sound, and culture.
- Non-Linear Sound DesignCore
Module details
In this module you'll focus on developing skills and understanding of sound design for non-linear contexts, such as games, apps and the web.
Year two 7 modules
- The Art of PostCore
Module details
You'll explore the creative and technical possibilities of audio post-production. Over the course of the study block, you will be introduced to professional concepts, techniques and workflows and encouraged to explore a variety of professional roles and associated creative strategies in areas such as audio editing and mixing in post-production contexts.
- Music and Sound: Resonant FuturesCore
Module details
In this module you will question and explore the relationship between music, sound, technology, context and culture in ways that seek to imagine and speculate on the future of music and sound.
- The Business of Music and SoundCore
Module details
You'll be introduced to intellectual property regulations and the subsequent risks of exploitation across the creative industries. You'll learn the necessary business skills to work sustainably within the music and sound sectors with confidence.
- Sound Design Project 1: Game AudioCore
Module details
You'll work as a sound designer in a team with students from our Games Academy to create and implement audio assets for an original game, while also learning about the contemporary games industry.
- Sound Design Project 2: Team ProjectCore
Module details
You'll push the limits of your practice by taking on projects as part of a multi-skilled team. You'll develop your collaboration skills and learn to operate as an effective member of a dynamic team, contributing towards a shared set of aims, objectives and deadlines.
- Immersive & Interactive AudioOptional
Module details
You'll be introduced to a range of technologies, techniques and applications of immersive and interactive audio. The module is highly interdisciplinary and relevant to film sound, game audio, digital arts and experience design.
- Composing Music for MediaOptional
Module details
You'll develop a critical understanding of music/image relationships and conduct practical work across a range of media. You'll also enhance your composition and production skills through being shown industry-standard workflows and techniques.
Year three 4 modules
- Music and Sound: DissertationCore
Module details
In this module you will expand on your music and sound subject-based intellectual skills developed in your first and second years through an independently-driven written research project.
- Professional DevelopmentCore
Module details
This module enables you to continue developing your specialist skills, contextual knowledge, experience and entrepreneurial mindset in preparation for the Showcase Portfolio module, careers and/or artistic practice beyond your degree.
- Your FutureCore
Module details
This module enables you to understand, develop, practice and analyse skills pertinent to your chosen career path in sustainable ways; both now and in the future. You will further develop legal, financial, marketing and digital skills that relate to specialist areas of the music sector and be able to critically analyse trends and future opportunities that relate to your career.
- Showcase PortfolioCore
Module details
You'll produce a professional portfolio of creative work that showcases your specialist skills and artistic practice developed over the last three years, ready to take to industry.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This degree teaches core creative and technical digital audio skills to establish you as a sound designer. Year 1 typically covers visual studies and design principles, materials and processes, and contextual studies to build your foundation. In Year 2, you'll usually undertake sustained studio practice, explore digital and emerging media, and work on live client briefs. By Year 3, you move into specialist studio work and professional practice, developing a portfolio and completing a final self-directed project. Throughout, you'll progress from foundational techniques to independent, industry-focused work. A professional placement year is integrated into the course structure, giving you practical experience in the sound design field.
Who it's for
This course suits you if you have a strong interest in audio and how sound works technically and creatively. You'll need to be comfortable with digital tools and willing to develop problem-solving skills across both technical and artistic challenges. Study will feel collaborative and project-driven, with time spent in studios, on placements, and developing your own creative work. Most accepted students arrive with A-levels or equivalent qualifications, typically in the 112–127 UCAS tariff band.
Careers & job market
Across Art & Design courses nationally, 87% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months, and 55% of working graduates are in highly skilled positions. National graduate earnings figures show starting salaries of £22,000–£27,000 at 15 months after graduation, rising to £20,825–£29,400 by year five. Your professional placement year gives you direct industry contact and experience to build your professional network.
University & format
This BA (Hons) Sound Design with Professional Placement is studied full-time over 4 years at Falmouth University, a university located in Penryn Campus. Instruction is in English. The qualification is a nationally recognised Bachelor's degree from a recognised UK degree-awarding body, and the university holds Silver for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. Most entrants held A-levels or equivalent qualifications.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Professional placement. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 91% |
| another higher-education qualification | 3% |
| No / unknown prior qualifications | 3% |
| a previous degree | 1% |
| a Baccalaureate | 1% |
| a foundation course | 1% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code W611). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at Falmouth University →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £23,000 | £21,000 – £26,000 | 45 |
| 3 years after | £19,500 | £14,500 – £24,000 | 300 |
| 5 years after | £23,500 | £18,500 – £29,000 | 300 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 45; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 45; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 23% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 12% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 280; response rate: 55%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
86% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £23,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.4 out of 10: NSS 79.3% · in work or study 86% · continued 88%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Falmouth University
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Penryn Campus
153 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Falmouth University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £19,950 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Falmouth University’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Falmouth University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Falmouth University
Common questions
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