Music Technology
Music technology is the discipline that sits at the intersection of music and engineering, addressing how sound is captured, manipulated, synthesised, and distributed through electronic and digital means. It is a field that has transformed music-making over the past half century, from multitrack analogue tape recording and analogue synthesis through to digital audio workstations, software instruments, and the algorithmic and generative systems that are reshaping how music is created and experienced. Studying it seriously means developing both technical expertise and musical understanding in parallel.
At the University of Sussex, this three-year full-time programme takes you well beyond standard music production into genuinely experimental and creative territory. You will learn to record on multitrack analogue tape as well as in digital environments, build your own interactive music systems, and perform with both new digital and classic analogue instruments. The programme develops your ability to create music that engages audiences in new ways, with an emphasis on creative ambition and technical innovation.
A foundation year is available for students who need additional preparation, and the programme also includes a sandwich year, a year abroad option, and work placements, giving you professional and international experience alongside the creative and technical core of the degree. The typical entry tariff is 136 UCAS points.
Graduates of music technology programmes work as recording engineers, music producers, sound designers, interactive media developers, audio programmers, live sound engineers, film and television music technicians, and music technology educators. The combination of musical sensitivity and technical competence is valued across the music industry, broadcasting, gaming, film, and interactive media. Many graduates also pursue entrepreneurial routes, developing their own creative practice or technology projects, and others pursue postgraduate study in music technology, audio engineering, computer music, or sound design.