Acoustical Engineering with Industrial Placement Year

Acoustical engineering is concerned with how sound and vibration behave, how they are generated, propagated, and controlled, and how engineering solutions can be designed to improve acoustic environments and reduce unwanted noise. It is a discipline with applications that range from the design of concert halls and noise barriers to the development of quieter aircraft engines and the protection of hearing in industrial settings. Sound and vibration affect human wellbeing, the performance of machinery, and the quality of built environments in ways that make acoustical engineering relevant across an unusually broad range of industries.

This five-year full-time programme at the University of Southampton leads to a Master's level qualification in acoustical engineering. Southampton's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research is internationally recognised, and the programme draws on its expertise across the full breadth of the discipline. You will build strong foundations in engineering mathematics and physics before developing specialist knowledge in acoustics, structural vibration, signal processing, and noise control.

The course title specifies an industrial placement year, giving you extended exposure to professional engineering practice and allowing you to apply your developing expertise in a real-world context.

You will learn to model acoustic and vibration problems mathematically, to design and evaluate solutions, and to use the computational and experimental tools that modern acoustical engineering relies on. The integrated Master's structure means that by the time you graduate you have the depth of knowledge and the problem-solving capability associated with postgraduate-level study.

Graduates work as acoustical engineers and consultants across sectors including aerospace and automotive engineering, construction and building design, environmental consultancy, the defence sector, broadcasting, and consumer electronics. The combination of strong engineering fundamentals and specialist acoustic knowledge makes graduates well suited to research roles and doctoral study, as well as to professional engineering practice.