Acoustics and Music Technology

Acoustics and music technology is a discipline that sits between the physics of sound and the creative practice of music, addressing how sound is produced, transmitted, perceived and manipulated and how that understanding informs the design of musical instruments, recording systems, architectural spaces and digital audio tools. It is a field of growing practical importance, encompassing architectural acoustics, room design, audio engineering, electronic music and the technology of sound reproduction and synthesis.

The University of Edinburgh offers this four-year full-time programme with a year abroad, drawing on Edinburgh's distinctive combination of strengths in both the physical sciences and music. The programme covers the physics and mathematics of sound and vibration, psychoacoustics, architectural and room acoustics, audio signal processing, digital music technologies and the history and analysis of music and its technologies. A year abroad gives you the opportunity to study acoustic science or music technology in a different national and academic context, broadening your perspective on how these disciplines develop and are applied in different settings.

Edinburgh's rich musical culture and its strong physics and engineering faculty provide an outstanding environment for this combination.

The degree develops both scientific analytical capability, including the mathematical modelling of acoustic phenomena, and creative and technical competence in music technology and audio engineering. It also develops the interdisciplinary perspective needed to work at the boundary of science and creative practice.

Graduates pursue careers in audio engineering, music production, architectural acoustics consulting, acoustic design, sound for film and television, noise control engineering, music technology education and research. The combination of scientific rigour and musical-technical competence is valued in recording studios, architectural practices, audio equipment manufacturers, research institutions and the broader audio and music technology industry. Postgraduate study in acoustics, audio engineering or music technology is a natural option for those wishing to specialise further.