Sound Arts

Entry requirements

The course team welcomes applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, from all over the world.

Applicants to MA Sound Arts will have a good honours degree in a relevant subject such as sound arts, fine art, film and video or other related fields, or a professional or academic qualification recognised as equivalent to an honours degree.

We also welcome applications from prospective students with a background in fine art or other related fields and those who wish to move their practice or research in other areas towards sound art and sonic practices.

Key subjects in Sound Arts are:

• Composition
• Sound recording and mixing
• Photography
• Field recording and acoustic ecology
• Interactive work
• Sound installations
• Live performance
• Radiophonic practices
• Sound for film
• A variety of cross-platform work

Your educational level may be demonstrated by:

APEL (Accreditation of Prior Learning)

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

• Related academic or work experience
• The quality of the personal statement
• A strong academic or other professional reference
• OR a combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Intensive and specialised, MA Sound Arts at LCC is designed to further the development of your conceptual and contextual understanding of sound arts practice and its discourse.

What can you expect?

The aim of the course is to facilitate individual practice and guide you towards a professional career as a sound artist or into research. The course culminates in a curated show and a public symposium where you will get the opportunity to present your work and research to an audience. An advantage of studying at LCC are the opportunities for collaboration with students from other disciplines, such as film students, both inside and outside the college.

All staff delivering the course are active practitioners and researcher, their specialist areas of interest include the following:

• Composition
• Sound recording and mixing
• Phonography
• Field recording and acoustic ecology
• Interactive work
• Sound installations
• Live performance
• Radiophonic practices
• Sound for film
• A variety of cross-platform work

There is also an extensive programme of visiting speakers and performers and both undergraduate and postgraduate students are extremely active in promoting their work both inside and outside the college. The sound arts department is constantly developing new links with other institutions and other disciplines and is committed to extending the boundaries of this developing discipline. The course is designed for students who have a substantial background in producing sound-based work within the context of contemporary arts and media practice. You may have studied some aspect of sound arts - such as sound design, music technology and sonic art - at an undergraduate level. You may come from other disciplines, such as fine art, digital arts, or time-based or performance art. Or you may have no formal qualifications but have significant experience of producing creative work with sound and wish to develop this work in an academic context.

The main characteristic of a successful applicant is that they will already have achieved a distinctive and enquiring approach to and an understanding of the aspects of sound arts that they wish to develop further in a creative and experimental academic environment.

About London College of Communication

The communications sector is evolving fast. Through our world-leading community of teaching, research and industry partnerships, we enable our students to develop the critical, creative and technical excellence needed to succeed and to discover new possibilities and practices. Our Design, Media and Screen Schools produce experts and award-winners across virtual reality, journalism, photography, television and sound, graphic communication, games, design management – and more. The London College of Communication experience is all about learning by doing. Our students get their hands dirty and develop their skills through the exploration of our facilities and technical spaces. Students work on live briefs and commissions, with everything from independent start-ups and charities in Southwark, through to major global companies. Student designers, makers and innovators have worked with Nike, Penguin, the EU Commission, Colgate, Plan International, the National Trust, Nokia and Royal Mail, to name a few.

Information for international students

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend you let us know your English language test score in your application. If you have booked a test or are awaiting your results, please indicate this in your application. When asked to upload a CV as part of your application, please include any information about your English test score.

• IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four skills.
• If your first language is not English, you can check you have achieved the correct IELTS level in English on the Language Requirements page.

Fees and funding

Learn more by visiting our funding page.