Game and Interactive Audio

If your goal is to create vibrant, immersive audio experiences across today’s evolving extended reality and games landscape, SAE’s BA/BSc (Hons) Game and Interactive Audio is the course for you. This industry-focused degree blends sound design, game engines, audio middleware and adaptive systems, giving you the tools to design, implement and optimise audio for interactive environments.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR GAME AND INTERACTIVE AUDIO DEGREE
As games, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) continue to advance, so too does the demand for specialists who can create immersive, responsive and dynamic audio experiences. SAE’s BSc (Hons) Game and Interactive Audio course has been built for the next generation of sound designers and audio developers, equipping you with the creative mindset, industry connections and technical know-how to meet that demand.
Whether your goal is to work on games, immersive installations or experimental interactive experiences, this course is your launchpad. During your time at SAE, you’ll dive into every aspect of interactive audio – from sound design and game engines to audio middleware, adaptive music systems and real-time implementation. You’ll also explore industry-standard tools like Unreal Engine, FMOD and Wwise, while working with DAWs such as Reaper and Ableton Live.
With guidance from SAE’s expert tutors, plus a host of real-world industry input, you’ll gain vital industry knowledge and experience across team-based projects on this game and interactive audio course. Through a series of hands-on, interdisciplinary projects in modules including Creative Studio 1 and 2, you’ll collaborate regularly with your fellow course mates, as well as SAE and ICMP students from other creative disciplines like Audio Software Engineering, Games Programming, Film, Animation and Music Production. You’ll compose audio across rich, multimedia environments as you turn theory into practice and take your creative experimentation to new levels.

By the time you complete your Major Project in an area of your choosing – which could involve building an audio plugin, games soundtrack, music app or something else entirely – you’ll have compiled a compelling portfolio to present to industry for the next stage of your audio for games career. Upon graduation, you’ll have discovered your own unique voice in the world of interactive sound, as well as the skills and confidence to launch a long and sustainable career in game audio or interactive sound design. Whichever creative path you choose next, you’ll have the connections and motivation to make it a success – as you hit the ground running to shape the future of sound.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
By the end of your game and interactive audio degree, you’ll have:
• Learned the core principles of sound theory, game audio pipelines and interactive audio design.
• Explored real-time implementation techniques using Unreal Engine, FMOD, Wwise and Pure Data.
• Developed advanced skills in adaptive music systems and generative composition.
• Created immersive multichannel and spatial audio for games, VR, AR and XR.
• Collaborated with students from other SAE and ICMP creative courses to complete real-world briefs.
• Built a portfolio showcasing your interactive audio skills, creative vision and technical proficiency.
• Graduated career-ready with a BSc (Hons) from one of the world’s most respected creative education institutions.
• Interactive audio for games courses begin in January and September.

Course Modules

Two year accelerated degree

Year 1:
Trimester 1 - Principles of Audio; Game Audio, Engines and Middleware
Trimester 2 - Designing Sound; Adaptive Composition
Trimester 3 - Creative Studio 1

Year 2:
Trimester 4 - Creative Studio 2
Trimester 5 - Advanced Specialised Project
Trimester 6 - Game and Interactive Audio Major Project