Program Overview
Skip to content Accessibility statement Home Study at York Postgraduate taught Courses 2026/27 Audio and Music Technology (MSc) MSc Audio and Music Technology Blend science, technology and creativity to develop innovative solutions to audio problems Year of entry: 2026 (September) Overview Course content Fees and funding Teaching and assessment Careers Entry requirements Start date September 2026 View semester dates Length 1 year full-time School/department School of Physics, Engineering and Technology Apply for this course Sign up for event invites Sign up for our postgraduate emails to get event invites straight to your inbox. Find out more Combine a unique mixture of science, technology and creativity to develop innovative audio applications for music making, recording, analysis and reproduction. Recent advances in digital audio technology have seen an explosion of interest in surround sound for home entertainment and virtual reality, voice recognition and synthesis applications, as well as environmental and architectural acoustics. This course provides thorough grounding in scientific theory and creative engineering techniques in audio technology, audio analysis and audio programming. It will prepare you for further research or employment in the audio technology and digital creative industries.
Key Program Features
- Immersive On-Campus Experience: In-person seminars, laboratory sessions, and professional networking at University of York.
- Expert Faculty: Taught by research-active academics and practitioners with deep expertise in Humanities & Arts.
- Diverse International Cohort: Study alongside students from around the world, broadening your global professional network.
- Research-Informed Curriculum: Content grounded in the latest academic research and real-world industry practice.
- Dissertation / Capstone Project: Culminating independent project applying your expertise to an original research question or industry challenge.
- Dedicated Career Support: Access to career coaching, employer networking events, and job placement assistance.
- 12 months Duration: Part-time and accelerated options may be available — enquire with the admissions office.
Career Opportunities
Careers and skills
This course will equip you for a career in various fields within the audio industry. You'll develop strong skills in acoustic analysis and design using industry-standard tools and practices. Dealing with the psychoacoustics behind audio technologies and the programming elements will empower you to design and debug audio systems for a wide variety of applications. Virtual acoustics and surround sound over loudspeakers and headphones are core to the course and support careers in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and games systems development as well as other interactive audio technologies.
Our students have gone on to successful careers with many leading companies in the audio industry including Abbey Road, Jaguar Land Rover, AECOM, Bowers and Wilkins, Arup, AECOM, Sony, Meridian, DTS, and Dolby.
Career opportunities
- Audio app developer
- Audio DSP engineer
- Acoustic consultant
- Acoustic test engineer
- Audio programmers
- Automotive audio systems designer
Transferable skills
- Analysing complex problems
- Designing innovative solutions
- Practical technical ability
- Communicating analysis, findings and solutions to a variety of audiences using a variety of formats and media
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
Program Curriculum
Course content
You'll study a number of modules designed to help you get to grips with essential topics in audio and music technology, as well as undertaking a research project.
Modules Research project Modules Core modules Audio Signals and Psychoacoustics Audio Application Development and Marketing Project Development Sound Interactions in the Metaverse Immersive and Interactive Audio Modelling and Analysing Sound and Music Signals Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning. Research project Research Project Alongside practical work, you'll undertake a dissertation as part of your Research Project. For this project you'll produce a novel study on an aspect of the course ranging from the development of a technical audio component or solution through to perception of sound within specific audio technologies. Throughout the project, you will receive the support and guidance of an academic supervisor. You will also have the opportunity to choose projects in collaboration with industry partners.
Admission Requirements
Entry requirements
| Qualification | Typical offer |
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent in Music or Music Technology, or a relevant technology, mathematics, science, engineering or computing degree where candidates can demonstrate music performance or music production skills. We are willing to consider applications from students with lower qualifications, particularly when the student has high marks in relevant modules and/or appropriate industrial experience. As a general rule, we prefer subjects that have a technical element or significant industrial experience. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis. |
| International pre-masters programme | Pre-masters from our International Pathway College |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
English language
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.0, minimum 5.5 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 169, with no less than 162 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 6, minimum of 5 in each component |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 126, minimum 116 in each component |
| Duolingo | 105, minimum 95 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 65 with a minimum of 60 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 444-477, with 410-443 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Pass with Merit overall, with Pass in each component |
| PTE Academic | 55, minimum 51 in each component |
| TOEFL | 79, minimum 17 in Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing |
| Trinity ISE III | Pass in all components |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements .
If you haven't met our English language requirements You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses . These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer. The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements. After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York .
Tuition & Financial Information
Tuition Fee
GBP 20,300/year (international)
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
| Full-time (1 year) | £13,900 | £32,900 |
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status .
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
- Postgraduate taught fees and expenses
Additional costs
All course text books and materials are available in the Library or via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Depending on how you work, you may wish to pay for printing of notes and other material. You may find it beneficial to purchase a set of good quality, professional headphones.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees for 2026/27
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
| Full-time (1 year) | £13,900 | £32,900 |
Fees information
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status .
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
- Postgraduate taught fees and expenses
Additional costs
All course text books and materials are available in the Library or via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Depending on how you work, you may wish to pay for printing of notes and other material. You may find it beneficial to purchase a set of good quality, professional headphones.
About University of York
University of York
Heslington, United Kingdom
University of York is a distinguished institution of higher education committed to academic excellence, innovative research, and preparing students for leadership in their chosen fields. The...
University Profile- Application Deadline 2018-06-15
- Start Date 2018-09-24
- Language English
- Duration 12 months
- Credits 60 ECTS / 180 credits (1-year programme)