- Undergraduate
- Clearing
Sound and Music for Gaming with Foundation Year BA (Hons)
Overview
Start your studies in September 2024 - call our Clearing hotline and find the right course for you.
Clearing lines are open from 9am - 5pm on weekdays.
Why study at UWL?
- In the top 30% of universities nationwide - The Guardian University Guide 2024
- University of the Year for Social Inclusion - Daily Mail University Guide 2024
- Best university for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024
- Number 1 London university for overall student satisfaction - National Student Survey 2024**
BA (Hons) Sound and Music for Gaming will inspire you to become an innovative and creative professional. The games industry is experiencing huge growth.
Based in Ealing, West London, the Sound and Music for Gaming degree combines practical and vocational skills allowing you to develop hands-on approaches and creative enterprise.
Throughout the course, you will:
- Enjoy access to one of the largest audio complexes in Europe
- Discover how to capture, manipulate and produce audio for games
- Study essential concepts of middleware, studio and game audio production
- Explore new industry trends and directions
You will also focus on developing a portfolio showcasing a diverse range of skills integrating middleware, sound design, composed music, audio post-production, studio recording skills and Dolby Atmos surround sound mixing.
Additionally, you will learn from a highly experienced lecturing team that has composed for AAA game titles such as Chains of Fury (2023), H1.Jack (2022), Futurust (2022), and on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2021).
Their original sound and music has seen them win a host of accolades for game soundtracks, including Cannes Lion Gold Awards, One Show Awards and BAFTA Nominations.
Foundation Year
The foundation year course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to continue onto your Honours degree. You will study a range of subjects that will underpin your future study and also gain valuable experience of university life, with full access to campus facilities. Successful completion of the year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course. Please note that a £2000 Path to Success bursary is available to all UK foundation year students, which is non-repayable.
![Sound recording and audio engineering](/sites/uwl/files/styles/16_by_9_960_x_540/public/2019-05/students-in-a-recording-studio.jpg?h=10d202d3&itok=UYz2746b)
Select your desired study option, then pick a start date to see relevant course information:
Start date:
If your desired start date is not available, try selecting a different study option.
Why study Sound and Music for Gaming with Foundation Year with us?
![A collage of students](/sites/uwl/files/styles/testimonial_slider/public/2019-02/Collage%20%282%29%20small%20squares.jpg?h=83bcce71&itok=ENEiNjj2)
What our students say…
The lecturers are fantastic and I don't think I would get as many work experience opportunities at any other university.
![Graphic stating "Lecturers are active industry practitioners"](/sites/uwl/files/styles/statistic/public/2023-11/Tiles%20-%20UWL%20Website%20%2831%29.png?h=57024e64&itok=rq3nLxd_)
![Guest speakers and networking opportunities on this UWL course](/sites/uwl/files/styles/statistic/public/2023-11/Tiles%20-%20UWL%20Website%20%2832%29.png?h=57024e64&itok=Uo6sJbtk)
![Graphic stating "Learn the essential skills and disciplines required to enter the gaming industry"](/sites/uwl/files/styles/statistic/public/2023-11/Tiles%20-%20UWL%20Website%20%2833%29.png?h=57024e64&itok=0msuD6rn)
![Graphic stating "one of the largest studio complexes in the UK"](/sites/uwl/files/styles/statistic/public/2023-11/Tiles%20-%20UWL%20Website%20%288%29_0.png?h=57024e64&itok=9E_SECTv)
Course detail & modules
Designed to help you flourish in the exciting games industry, our BA (Hons) Sound and Music degree offers a comprehensive grounding in:
- middleware/DAW implementation
- creative sound design
- music for gaming
- recording studio and mix production skills.
The course modules are designed to nurture your creative potential and individual artistic identity. The course has been designed from the ground up, using industry input to prepare you with the skillset (and mindset) to succeed in this industry.
You will also benefit from interaction with industry practitioners who have designed BAFTA/Cannes Lion Award/Apple Top Ten award-winning game audio.
Added value collaborations include studying with VFX and Gaming students. At the same time, you will also work closely alongside film and audio post-production, allowing you to develop a portfolio with a range of skills and vocational outputs.
Finally, the course involves a range of guest speakers to offer you invaluable networking opportunities and the chance to immerse yourself in the vibrant world of London game audio production.
Foundation year
There are many reasons for joining a foundation year course; you may not have the exact subjects or grades at A level to meet the entry requirements, you may have been living abroad or want to change direction with your career. Whatever your starting point, the foundation year offers a firm grounding in the skills and knowledge that you will need to get the most from your studies and thrive at University. Successful completion of the foundation year allows you to progress straight onto Level 4 of this course.
Compulsory modules
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Academic Performance
This module allows you to further develop a range of transferable skills that you will demonstrate in your own subject-specific studies and apply to a final piece of written work at the end of the module. The module is designed for you to further develop your skills in a range of academic, investigative and research techniques including how to evaluate and select evidence appropriate to your discipline from a range of learning resources. The module also aims to develop your critical thinking and writing strategies, encouraging you to become aware of personal learning development and to apply the introductory skills learned in your first semester in order to produce a final piece of academic writing relevant to your discipline.
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Personalised Learning
The Personalised Learning module is intended to equip you with the study skills needed to successfully progress onto level 4, the first year of undergraduate study. Tutor group sessions are an integral part of the module, where you will consolidate your learning and frame it in the context of your subject area. The module will focus on various aspects of study skills, such as those skills related to reading and writing, learning approaches, problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, researching, referencing, plagiarism, legal research and time management.
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Sound Production Workshop
This module will provide the fundamental skills required to be successful in analogue studio-based work, exploring technique through supported practice. The module will focus on the fundamental skills of signal routing between hardware devices typical in modern studios.
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Project Studio
This module will move you towards the applied creative side of studio production work. You will explore a range of tools, techniques and instruments typically found in modern pop and electronic music styles. By doing so you will learn to operate and perform with these tools in an integrated analogue and digital small-studio environment.
This module will introduce you to concepts and practice of:
- Sequencing
- MIDI
- Sampling
- Drum programming
- Synchronisation
- Compositional strategies
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Digital Skills
This module will give you the chance to edit music video material, to use Photoshop to design cover art, to create a band web page using HTML and to develop your blogging skills in WordPress.
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Introduction to Contemporary Production Studies
Making music involves understanding how it works – the sounds and the structures – and in this module you will examine the way that others have made music and use some of those ideas to make your own productions. You will explore musical structure, rhythm, melody, harmony, instruments and how computers represent those sounds on a screen.
Compulsory modules
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Audio Production for Games
Capture, manipulate, produce game audio.
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Introduction to Professional Practice
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Audio Workshop
Essential concepts of studio and game audio production.
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Soundtrack Analysis
The Aesthetics & Development of Game Audio, genres, styles, history and evolution of gaming.
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Portfolio Development
Focus on the development of a portfolio career. Through a diverse range of skill sets in writing styles, technique, arrangement, production and the ability to expand a client base and income streams.
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Game Engine Environments
Introduction to middleware software & creative coding in gaming contexts.
Compulsory modules
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Recording Music
'Recording music' is an advanced-recording subject designed to develop the required skills to operate both physical and virtual recording technology to a higher standard. Students will engage in a combination of practical and theoretical workshops aimed at developing a fluency in recording planning and practice. The module aims to further develop students’ abilities to critically evaluate, and confidently produce musical recordings in a chosen style.
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Intro to Audio Post Production
An overview of audio post-production theory, practice and technologies, their use and applications. The module aims to give students a near real-world experience by carrying out project work in a departmental group situation.
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The Evolution of Sound for Games
A historical and contextual overview of game sound and music with an emphasis on a research project.
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Sound and Music for Screen
The module is putting the student in the role of a ‘Sound Designer’ and ‘Composer’, an increasingly important role in the life of the audio post-production and music freelancer. This module should serve as a springboard for students to proactively engage in this field. By the end of the module students will have created a body of sound and music to picture work, which can serve as an industry standard tool to promote their work with other film makers and content producers to work to near professional workflow standards and circumstances, reflective of current industry practice.
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Creative Sound for Games
Gaming is a fast growing and lucrative area of the entertainment industry. By the end of the module you will have a solid appreciation of the power of audio for games, combined with the skills to develop audio assets and implement them in middleware. This in turn will form the basis of a show-reel which can be used for future promotion and collaboration within the gaming industry.
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Soundtrack Composition
Non-linear sound design, implementation and creative application of audio in a middleware context.
Compulsory modules
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Interactive Sound & Music for Gaming
(immersive audio, surround formats, implementation)
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Experimental Sound
In this module, you will have to design an experiment that generates an audio experience. You will have the freedom to explore and develop individual ideas and abilities in the context of sound, producing a portfolio that shows confident expression and creative risk-taking, but with technical accomplishment.
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Major Project– part 1
A self-directed research project intended to encapsulate and progress their chosen area of specialism.
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Major Project – part 2
A self-directed research project intended to encapsulate and progress their chosen area of specialism.
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Non-Linear Soundtrack Production
Compositional techniques with a focus on interactivity and in game implementation.
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Mixing for Audio Post & Industry Workflows
A combination of lectures, workshops and tutorials detailing the necessary processes required to prepare mix and deliver audio-to- picture content for gaming and other contemporary formats such as VR and AR.
Entry requirements
These can include:
- A Levels at grades B and C (if you have two A levels) or grades D, D and D (if you have three), or above
- BTEC Extended Diploma with Merit, Merit, Pass
- Access to HE Diploma
- T Levels
You also need GCSE English and Maths (grade 9 – 4 / A* - C) or Level 2 equivalents.
Looking for BA (Hons) Sound and Music for Gaming without Foundation Year?
You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.
Looking for BA (Hons) Sound and Music for Gaming without Foundation Year?
You need to meet our English language requirement - a minimum of IELTS 5.5 for each of the four individual components (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening). Visit our English language requirements page for information on other English language tests we accept.
You also need academic qualifications at the same level as UK applicants. In some countries where teaching is in English, we may accept local qualifications. Check for local equivalents.
We offer pre-sessional English language courses if you do not meet these requirements.
Looking for BA (Hons) Sound and Music for Gaming without Foundation Year?
You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.
Looking for BA (Hons) Sound and Music for Gaming without Foundation Year?
Fees & funding
The fee above is the cost per year of your course.
If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.
Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.
If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.
Funding your studies
You may be eligible for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition fees, or a maintenance loan. Additional funding is available to some types of students, such as those with dependants and disabled students.
Foundation year bursary
If you are a UK student joining a foundation year course with UWL, you will receive a £2000 Path to Success bursary to support your studies. This is not a loan and does not need to be repaid. You will receive £500 per year subject to your attendance, engagement and progression through your studies.
To find out more, explore our Undergraduate scholarships and bursaries page.
The fee above is the cost per year of your course.
If your course runs for two years or more, you will need to pay the fee for each academic year at the start of that year. If your course runs for less than two years, the cost above is for your full course and you will need to pay the full fee upfront.
Government regulation does affect tuition fees and the fees listed for courses starting in the 2025/26 academic year are subject to change.
If no fee is shown above then the fees for this course are not available yet. Please check again later for updates.
International students - funding your studies
We offer scholarships for international students including International Ambassador Scholarships.
Further information about funding and financial support for international students is available from the UK Council for International Student Affairs.
Teaching staff
![Sam Sutton](/sites/uwl/files/styles/statistic/public/staff-profile/sam_sutton_18_small.jpg?itok=atQNj533)
Sam Sutton
I am a Senior Lecturer in Music Technology, specialising in sound design and production for media. I compose for advertisements, computer games and film, and bring this experience into my teaching practice at the London College of Music.
I am a Senior Lecturer in Music Technology, specialising in sound design and production for media. I compose for advertisements, computer games and film, and bring this experience into my teaching practice at the London College of Music.
Study & career progression
![A singer records vocals in a recording studio using a pop shield in front of the mic](/sites/uwl/files/styles/16_by_9_960_x_540/public/2021-02/Singer%20recording%20vocals%20in%20a%20music%20studio_0.jpg?h=20e3ee4c&itok=2nVKlsBj)
This sound design degree course prepares you to enter the gaming industry as a sound designer and/or composer, while also delivering vocational training towards the music, film, and audio post-production industries.
You will develop a wide range of experience working in the studio environment, creating sound and music for AAA video games, and even attempting professional briefs.
There are a range of potential jobs for Sound and Music for Gaming graduates including:
- composer
- sound designer
- mix engineer
- audio post-production
- AR/VR audio
- studio professional
- mixer/producer.
Additionally, you may wish to continue your studies. Explore our postgraduate courses for more information.
How to apply
Start your studies in September 2024 - call our Clearing hotline and find the right course for you.
Clearing lines are open from 9am - 5pm on weekdays.
Find out more about Clearing
![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MWcF5tMlFAU/maxresdefault.jpg)
Head to the UCAS website where you can apply using:
- our institution code - W05
- the UCAS course code (below)
Want to ask us a question first? We would love to hear from you. Contact us free on:
- 0800 036 8888
- courses@uwl.ac.uk
We may invite you to an interview at the university and ask you to submit a portfolio of work. Find out more about music technology portfolios and the interview process.
Apply for this course
- Institution code
- W05
- UCAS code
- currentVariantData.field_p_cv_ucas_code
Next steps after making your application
We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.
In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an open day or join a campus tour.
Visit us and see for yourself
Talk to our tutors and find out about our courses and facilities at our next open day or join a campus tour.
Our prospectus
All of our courses in one place - download now or order a hard copy.
We're here to help
Any questions about a course or studying at UWL? We're here to help - call us on 0800 036 8888 (option 2, Monday – Friday 10am-4pm) or email us on courses@uwl.ac.uk.
![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MWcF5tMlFAU/maxresdefault.jpg)
Head to the UCAS website where you can apply using:
- our institution code - W05
- the UCAS course code (below)
Want to ask us a question first? We would love to hear from you. Contact us free on:
- 0800 036 8888
- courses@uwl.ac.uk
We may invite you to an interview at the university and ask you to submit a portfolio of work. Find out more about music technology portfolios and the interview process.
Apply for this course
- Institution code
- W05
- UCAS code
- currentVariantData.field_p_cv_ucas_code
Next steps after making your application
We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.
In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an open day or join a campus tour.
Visit us and see for yourself
Talk to our tutors and find out about our courses and facilities at our next open day or join a campus tour.
Our prospectus
All of our courses in one place - download now or order a hard copy.
We're here to help
Any questions about a course or studying at UWL? We're here to help - call us on 0800 036 8888 (option 2, Monday – Friday 10am-4pm) or email us on courses@uwl.ac.uk.
![How to apply to the University of West London title on a blue circle. Woman with blonde hair and blue eyes is to the left and is featured throughout the video.](https://www.uwl.ac.uk/sites/uwl/files/styles/16_by_9_960_x_540/public/2022-11/how%20to%20apply.jpg?h=c673cd1c&itok=eoplaw-u)
You can apply to us in two ways:
- on the UCAS website you will need our institution code (W05) and the UCAS course code (at the top of this page)
- directly on our website – follow the ‘apply now’ link below
Want to ask us a question first? Our dedicated international students’ team would love to hear from you.
- Ask the International Recruitment Team a question
- learn more about international student applications
- find out more about why you should study in London at the Career University.
Apply for this course
Next steps after making your application
We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.
In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an open day or join a campus tour.
Visit us and see for yourself
Talk to our tutors and find out about our courses and facilities at our next open day or join a campus tour.
Our prospectus
All of our courses in one place - download now or order a hard copy.
We're here to help
Any questions about a course or studying at UWL? We're here to help - call us on 0800 036 8888 (option 2, Monday – Friday 10am-4pm) or email us on courses@uwl.ac.uk.
![How to apply to the University of West London title on a blue circle. Woman with blonde hair and blue eyes is to the left and is featured throughout the video.](https://www.uwl.ac.uk/sites/uwl/files/styles/16_by_9_960_x_540/public/2022-11/how%20to%20apply.jpg?h=c673cd1c&itok=eoplaw-u)
You can apply to us in two ways:
- on the UCAS website you will need our institution code (W05) and the UCAS course code (at the top of this page)
- directly on our website – follow the ‘apply now’ link below
Want to ask us a question first? Our dedicated international students’ team would love to hear from you.
- Ask the International Recruitment Team a question
- learn more about international student applications
- find out more about why you should study in London at the Career University.
Apply for this course
Next steps after making your application
We aim to make a decision on your application as quickly as we can. If we need any more information about your qualifications, we will be in touch.
In the meantime, come and visit us and find out more about what studying at UWL is like. Sign up for an open day or join a campus tour.
Visit us and see for yourself
Talk to our tutors and find out about our courses and facilities at our next open day or join a campus tour.
Our prospectus
All of our courses in one place - download now or order a hard copy.
We're here to help
Any questions about a course or studying at UWL? We're here to help - call us on 0800 036 8888 (option 2, Monday – Friday 10am-4pm) or email us on courses@uwl.ac.uk.
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Important notes for applicants
Disclaimer
*Modern universities - defined as higher education institutions that were granted university status in, and subsequent to, 1992.
**The National Student Survey 2023 and 2024 - Average of answers to all questions by registered student population. Excludes specialist institutions.
Testimonials - our students or former students provided all of our testimonials - often a student from the course but sometimes another student. For example, the testimonial often comes from another UWL student when the course is new.
Optional modules - where optional modules are offered they will run subject to staff availability and viable student numbers opting to take the module.
Videos - all videos on our course pages were accurate at the time of filming. In some cases a new Course Leader has joined the University since the video was filmed.
Availability of placements - if you choose a course with placement/internship route we would like to advise you that if a placement/internship opportunity does not arise when you are expected to undertake the placement then the University will automatically transfer you to the non-internship route, this is to ensure you are still successful in being awarded a degree.