Skip navigation
You are viewing our beta course page.

Music and Sound Design for Film, Television, and Interactive Media

Course details
  • BA (Hons)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-time
  • 21/09/2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

BA Music and Sound Design for Film, Television, and Interactive Media at Royal Holloway is a flexible, all-round music degree with a special focus on music and sound for film, TV, games and other media.

Studying across both our music and media arts departments, you’ll deepen your core skills in both areas, whilst gaining expertise in music and sound design. You’ll collaborate and work with the next generation of filmmakers and media creatives, designing soundtracks for new projects just as you would in professional practice. Whilst being taught by our expert scholars, composers and sound designers, you’ll have access to our excellent facilities including our professional-grade composition studios.

You will join a music department that is among the very best in the country, ranked third in the UK for research quality (REF 2014) and the only music department in the country to hold a prestigious Regius Professorship. Our well connected department means you have the opportunity to make valuable music industry contacts. Our staff are connected with musical networks such Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, Royal Opera House.

  • Learn to compose and create soundtracks for a variety of media and contexts

  • Graduate with a portfolio of work to get you started on your career

  • Gain musical and academic skills to become a creative, versatile and employable practitioner

  • Study music and sound to understand how it works in film, television, games, and beyond

  • Learn how to collaborate and work as a composer on media projects

  • From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience, and this is particularly the case as we continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as we can.

From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience, and this is particularly the case as we continue to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as we can.

Modules

Please visit our website for full details:
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/undergraduate/music/music-and-sound-design-for-film-television-and-interactive-media/

Assessment method

You will take modules from both the Music and Media Arts departments on this degree, but you’ll spend most of your time in Music, where you’ll have a personal tutor and become part of the Music department family. Teaching in the Music department is through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, or group instrumental/vocal lessons - performance modules that include individual instrumental or vocal lessons are not available on this course.

In the first year, you will learn the foundations of composing and understanding music. You’ll gain a broad overview of music to draw from in your creative work. This year doesn’t count towards your final degree result, so you can relax and explore all sorts of new topics.

In the second year, you will develop your skills for composing and designing sound for picture even more, while still having room in your timetable for other subjects from the Music and Media Arts departments.

In the final year, amongst other topics, you will undertake a large collaborative project. You will collaborate as a composer/sound designer on a project with students from the Media Arts department, working with the production team. This is a simulation of real-world professional practice, building your network and giving you experience and preparation for your future careers.

There are a wide variety of assessments and forms of delivery on this degree. Composition modules are assessed by coursework portfolios, but you’ll also perform, write essays, give presentations, and so on, depending on the options you take. Some courses are lecture-based, while others primarily use tutorials, one-to-one sessions, or seminars. On this degree, you’ll spend your time composing, playing music, writing, reading, watching/studying examples and experimenting with new approaches to music and sound on screen.

You’ll join a vibrant School of Performing and Digital Arts. We have a huge number of concerts and events, giving you opportunities to perform, compose and listen to music of any style, both as part of the degree and beyond.

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W350
Institution code:
R72
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Open days

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

A level - ABB - BBB

Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A-levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio-economic factors which may have impacted an applicant’s education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Required: Grade A in Music A-Level or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory. Applicants without A-level grade A in Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory may be eligible for the Intensive Theory entry. This requires Music GCSE grade A/7 or equivalent, plus performance at Grade 7 level. In term 1 you will be required to take Fundamentals of Music Theory, an intensive music literacy course. If you are studying two A-level subjects, you may still be eligible for entry to the Music BMus (single honours), if you are able to provide evidence of your ongoing commitment to music. For this pathway, the standard offer is A, B (with an A in music).

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM

BTEC must be in a relevant subject plus Grade 7 Music Theory at Pass.

Access to HE Diploma - D: 27 credits M: 18 credits

Pass with at least 27 level 3 credits at Distinction, and the remaining level 3 credits at Merit, plus evidence of A-Level standard Music proficiency grade A equivalent or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory.

Scottish Higher - AABBB

Including Music or or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DD

BTEC must be in a relevant subject plus A- Level music grade B or one A level grade B and Grade 7 Music Theory at Pass

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016) - D

Plus A-Level grades BB including Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) - DDD

BTEC must be in a relevant subject, plus evidence of A-Level standard Music proficiency, Grade A equivalent or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory

Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF) - D*D

BTEC must be in a relevant subject plus A- Level music grade B or one A level grade B and Grade 7 Music Theory at Pass

Scottish Advanced Higher - ABB - BBB

including Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 32 points

6,5,5 at Higher Level OR 32 points overall including Music at Higher Level or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (last awarded Summer 2024)

Requirements are as for A-levels where one non-subject-specified A-level can be replaced by the same grade in the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H2, H2, H3, H3, H3

H2,H2,H3,H3,H3 at Higher Level, including Music at Higher Level, or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

Applicants with the Cambridge Pre-U are strongly encouraged to apply to Royal Holloway. Offers will be made on the basis of equivalent A-Level grades as can be found on the Royal Holloway website.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

We require English and Mathematics at grade 4/C.

Combinations of qualifications will be considered on an individual basis, please contact us at admissions.enquiries@rhul.ac.uk to discuss your situation.

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

At Royal Holloway, we know every student approaches university with different experiences and backgrounds. We look at each application individually, and different factors can affect the exact offer a student receives. For instance, our contextual offer scheme means students from disadvantaged socio-economic background can receive a different offer. For full details please see our website.

Learn more on the Royal Holloway, University of London website

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
EU£28500Year 1
Republic of Ireland£9535*Year 1
England£9535*Year 1
Northern Ireland£9535*Year 1
Scotland£9535*Year 1
Wales£9535*Year 1
Channel Islands£9535*Year 1
International£28500Year 1

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £9,535

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £28,500

Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course.

*The tuition fee for Home (UK) undergraduates is controlled by Government regulations. This figure is the fee for the academic year 2025/26 and is shown as a guide. The fee for the academic year 2026/27 has not yet been announced.

**This figure is the fee for EU and international students on this course in the academic year 2026/27.

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase tuition fees annually for all students. For further information see: https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studying-here/fees-and-funding/

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2026/27 academic year. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.

Sponsorship information

Please visit our website for further information.
https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/undergraduate/feesandfunding/bursariesandscholarships/home.aspx

Like this page