Music (Production) with Placement Year

Music production sits at the intersection of creativity and technology, concerned with how recorded and electronic music is made, shaped and realised in a studio context. It encompasses sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering, and the creative use of technology as a compositional tool, as well as the broader musical understanding that allows a producer to work intelligently across genres. The contemporary music industry increasingly demands practitioners who can operate fluently in both the creative and technical dimensions of production, and a degree that takes both seriously is genuine preparation for that world.

At Brunel University London you will study this four-year programme with a placement year built in, giving you direct experience of the music industry before you graduate. The degree is designed to develop your particular musical interests alongside a deep understanding of the contemporary musical world, equipping you to work across a wide range of styles and genres rather than narrowing your practice to a single idiom. You will engage with music technology, production techniques, music theory and the cultural and commercial contexts in which contemporary music-making takes place.

The placement year takes you into a real professional environment, building industry contacts and practical experience.

Graduates of music production work as record producers, recording engineers, sound designers, composers for film, television and games, music supervisors, studio managers, and in music technology education. The music industry also offers roles in artist management, music publishing, sync licensing, and digital music distribution for graduates whose interests combine the technical with the commercial. Postgraduate study in music production, music technology, sound design, or composition is an option for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or pursue research careers.

The creative and technical skills the programme develops also transfer into audio post-production, broadcasting, and the growing field of spatial and immersive audio.