Music Production and Psychology

Music production and psychology is an unusual but productive combination, connecting the technical and creative craft of making recorded music with the scientific study of how the mind works. Music production encompasses recording, mixing, sound design, digital audio workstations, acoustic principles, arrangement and the creative and commercial processes through which music is made and released. Psychology provides frameworks for understanding how people perceive, experience and are affected by music, as well as broader knowledge of cognition, emotion, behaviour and the social contexts in which music is made and consumed.

At Liverpool Hope University, this three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you professional experience and international exposure alongside your studies. You will develop creative and technical production skills across the full range of music production disciplines, drawing on Liverpool's extraordinary musical heritage and its living music scene. The city's connections with the music industry give you access to a vibrant professional context throughout your studies.

Psychology modules develop your understanding of cognitive psychology, research methods, social psychology, psychoacoustics and the psychology of music, giving you the conceptual and analytical tools to think rigorously about the relationship between sound and mind.

Graduates from this combination go on to careers in music production, studio engineering, sound design, music supervision for film and television, music therapy (with further training), music technology, research in music perception and cognition, music education, artist management and the broader music industry. The psychology strand opens additional paths in applied psychology, market research, user experience and human factors. Further study in music production, sound arts, music psychology or psychology is an option for those who want to deepen a specialism or pursue academic research.