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Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA

London, Stratford (UCL East)

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA (2025/26), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£19,300

£9,650

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£39,200

£19,600

Duration

1 calendar year

2 calendar years

Programme starts

September 2026

Applications accepted

Applicants who require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 26 Jun 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 20 Oct 2025 – 28 Aug 2026

Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

We seek students who can show evidence of active engagement with visual or audio storytelling in previous work or study experience. We require a portfolio of work to support all applications. This should consist of one piece of creative work including (but not limited to) audio production/ filmmaking / installation of no more than 20 minutes duration. We also accept writing, painting, photography, music composition, or theatre. For those with a performing arts background, evidence of productions such as photos or reviews can be submitted in place of portfolio works.

We normally require an upper second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. Applicants with lower second class degrees (i.e. UK 2:2 or the overseas equivalent) may be considered if their application is supported strongly by relevant experience. In exceptional circumstances, we will also consider applicants without higher education qualifications provided they demonstrate a significant track record in this or a related field.

The English language level for this course is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The practice-based Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA will train you to understand a range of relevant topics, enabling you to create compelling and original audio experiences for diverse audiences and contexts.

You will explore many aspects of sound, including its propagation and perception, audio storytelling techniques, soundscape composition and sonic anthropology, aesthetic principles of sound, real and virtual sonic spaces, sound for moving image and sound in material environments.

Today, with the growth of extended reality (including virtual and augmented realities) there are more opportunities for experiencing immersive sound. You will graduate with expert skills in spatial audio technologies, combined with the creative confidence to embrace the medium in original and exciting ways, blurring the pathways available to convention audio production, making work that hasn’t been seen before, and for which there is a huge demand. This will make you stand out against people with more conventional audio skills.

You will learn to think critically about the role sound plays in human development across different societies and cultures, developing your artistic and technical abilities to create ambitious works that defy existing conventions, with the audience at their core.

You will also develop demonstrable competencies transferable to any profession, including complex problem solving and creative initiative, design and communication skills, the ability to interpret and present complex ideas to diverse audiences, effective independent and team working, leadership, and time and project management.

This practice-based Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA will train you to understand how humans make sense of the world through sound, and to create compelling, convincing audio experiences for diverse audiences and contexts.

From documentary filmmaking to experimental cinema, you will specialise in the elements of public anthropology that interest you most, choosing from a range of optional modules to enrich your learning experience.

Who this course is for

The Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA degree is best suited to students looking to develop their immersive audio experience design in a professional framework, guided by leading industry figures and informed by innovative and scientific approaches to immersive audio.

The course is well-suited to working professionals who wish to study part-time over two years.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

You will be trained in the fundamentals of audio experience for spatial sound, in pre-production, production and post-production, including independent research.

You will also develop demonstrable competencies transferable to any profession, including complex problem solving and creative initiative; communication skills and the ability to interpret and present complex data to diverse audiences; independent and team working; leadership; and time and project management.

You will study at the top university in London, and 4th in the world, for Anthropology (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).

You will study in a warm and welcoming department that is also one of the largest and broadest anthropology departments in the UK, which researches and teaches across five sub-sections, and which continually works to expand and reshape the discipline.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA graduates will be equipped to pursue a range of careers, including broadcasting; immersive audio; installation; theatre; and virtual and mixed reality.

Employability

You will graduate an expert in audio experience design, fully equipped to pursue a successful career in immersive audio design or production or any profession requiring strong project management, problem-solving and communication skills.

Networking

As a student in the Department you have access to many opportunities to help further your career:

You will become part of the department's Public Anthropology section, learning from and networking with leading internal and external industry practitioners through a weekly seminar series, regular masterclasses and visits to audio specialist partners.
You will be supported by an industry mentor while planning and producing your final project, who will help you to forge links with and gain access to relevant professional organisations.
You will be encouraged to attend complementary departmental seminars given by active researchers in environmental, evolutionary and social anthropology and material, visual and digital culture throughout your studies.
You will benefit from cultural and educational connections with our East Bank partners, including the V&A and BBC Music.
You will be encouraged to take advantage of the broader audio and factual storytelling communities at UCL, our neighbouring institutions and across London more widely, including attending and participating in seminars, conferences, exhibitions and research partnership opportunities to help you establish industry connections and extend your professional networks.
You will be encouraged to engage with the department’s active careers support activities and initiatives, which include regular career development seminars and networking events.

All students are encouraged to host and/or participate in a Reading and Research Group (RRG), which are open spaces to exchange ideas on themes of mutual interest and welcome staff and student participation from across UCL and our neighbouring institutions.

The department's London location presents a range of opportunities to work, volunteer and carry out fieldwork in major government, business and third sector organisations.

The department also houses London's global non-fiction film festival, Open City Documentary Festival, which all students are invited to volunteer to support to network with non-fiction film industry leading professionals.

Teaching and learning

The first 12 weeks of the programme are conducted full-time as they set the stage for the rest of the year. Part-time students will also need to be available on a full-time basis during this period to fulfil these requirements.

You will learn through lectures; interactive seminars involving critical discussion; fast-turnaround practical exercises; personal listening; and independent directed and self-directed reading.

Across the programme, you will spend a minimum of six hours every week completing recording and editing exercises, building up a portfolio of work.

While planning and producing your final project, you will benefit from one-to-one academic supervision.

You will be assessed through a series of formative exercises for which you will receive feedback (these do not count toward the degree). These include audio works of varying lengths and styles which demonstrate your grasp of spatial sound techniques and technical ear training. Through these formative assessments you will also receive feedback on your integration of discursive knowledge and theoretical literature. This composite feedback will form the basis of your critical evaluation, which you will submit as your summative assessment (which does count towards the degree).

In Terms 1 and 2 full-time students can typically expect between 12 and 15 contact hours per teaching week, depending on their module choices. Contact hours comprise a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, crits and tutorials. In Term 3 and the summer period students will be completing their own graduation project research and will keep regular contact with their graduation project mentors.

A further 12-30 hours per week is typically expected to be spent on independent study, which typically includes reading, preparing for class and project work. Outside of the teaching term, students are typically expected to spend an equivalent amount of time to prepare for and complete their assessments.

Modules

The degree comprises three compulsory modules and one optional module. You will spend the summer term researching and producing your final project, with many students choosing to undertake self-funded fieldwork-based projects in the UK or abroad.

The specific days vary throughout the year depending on module choice, and the teaching and training needs.

In Term 1 and Term 2, Introduction to Designing Audio Experiences: Art and Science and Sonic Experience Production will prepare you to design and produce engaging immersive audio experiences using relevant technology.

Term 3, to be completed over the summer, Advanced Design of Audio Experiences enables you to apply your learning to design and produce ambitious audio experiences. You will also produce an extended written work, critically evaluating your work and how it contributes to the field of immersive audio storytelling.

As a part-time student, you will complete Introduction to Designing Audio Experiences: Art and Science and Sonic Experience Production in the first year (and likely also your optional module).

In the second year, you will complete Advanced Design of Audio Experiences (and your optional module if you did not take it in the first year). You will also produce an extended written work, critically evaluating your work and how it contributes to the field of immersive audio storytelling.

Compulsory modules

Introduction to Designing Audio Experiences: Art and Science

Sonic Experience Production

Advanced Design of Audio Experiences

Optional modules

The Story and I - Finding the Form: A Practical Exploration of Storytelling

Experimental cinema and new media: Form and narrative

An Introduction to Social Theory - a foundation course

History and Aesthetics of Documentary

Practical Documentary Filmmaking

Developments in Global Cinema

Documentary Radio - A Practice-Based Introduction

Interactive Factual Narratives

Developing Ideas for Non-Fiction Film and Audio

Make a difference: the art and science of storytelling for impact

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MA in Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production.

Fieldwork

Students will spend the summer term researching and producing their final project, with many students choosing to undertake self-funded fieldwork-based projects in the UK or abroad.

The scope and nature of fieldwork is formulated in discussion with your appointed supervisor, and subject to departmental approval.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£19,300	£9,650
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£39,200	£19,600

Additional costs

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

All students will be provided with an external hard drive and professional monitoring headphones. You will be able to access audio editing software whilst using UCL computers. We encourage and expect students to complete their coursework on campus as the computers on site are equipped to support audio editing. Some user licenses will allow you to work from home but we cannot guarantee this, or support you to upgrade or purchase personal devices.

As this programme is based at the UCL East campus in Stratford, students choosing to take an optional module only available at the Bloomsbury campus will need to fund their own travel between campuses. Tickets from zone 2 to zone 1 costs £8.50 for students or a travel card zone 1-4 for £15.90. Optional networking opportunities within London will incur similar travel costs. If students choose to attend networking conferences or other events outside of London, the costs will vary and will need to be covered by the student.

Students are free to choose the topic and recording location of their final project, provided the project receives approval through the ethics and risk assessment process. Please note that travel and other costs associated with the production of the final project, such as accommodation and living expenses, are funded by students. These costs can vary greatly depending on location and duration of the production.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

UCL East Scholarship

The scholarship works to support the ambitions of east Londoners by funding the fees and living costs of eligible Master's programmes including this MA at UCL. For further details, visit: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/ucl-east-london-scholarship

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

: Aziz Foundation Scholarships in Social and Historical Sciences

Value: Full tuition fees (equivalent to 1yr full-time) (1 year)

Criteria Based on financial need

Eligibility: UK

UCL East London Scholarship

CLOSED FOR 25/26 ENTRY

Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()

Criteria Based on financial need

Eligibility: UK

Next steps

There is an application processing fee for this course of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

• why you want to study Designing Audio Experiences at graduate level
• why you want to study Designing Audio Experiences at UCL
• how your personal, academic and professional skills and experience inform your interest in, and will enable you to succeed on, this MA degree
• where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Please include a portfolio of audio or audio-visual work, demonstrating both the range and depth of your technical skills, and the rigour and scholarly basis for your conceptual thinking.

Please submit your portfolio by including a link to an external site of your choice at the end of your personal statement, or by attaching a PDF to your application.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course only requires one reference in support of your application. Your reference should be academic unless you have been out of university education for more than four years. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.