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Sound, Light & Live Event Engineering with Foundation Year

Course details
  • Bachelor of Science (with Honours)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-Time
  • September 2027
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

One of the leading courses of its kind in the country, our course is an ideal route to technical careers in live events. You’ll learn from industry-experienced tutors in our dedicated facilities with world-class equipment. With the technology involved becoming ever more complex, there is an urgent demand for more skilled engineers and technicians in the industry.

Key features of this course

  • FACILITIES: Work in a challenging, stimulating and creative learning environment – harnessing world-class equipment in our dedicated facilities

  • INDUSTRY EXPERTS: Learn from inspirational tutors who have vast experience in the industry and are experts in their fields

  • EXPERIENCE: Gain experience working on real live events

  • PLACEMENT YEAR: Take the chance to go on an optional industrial year to strengthen your practical skills further still

  • EMPLOYABILITY: Look forward to excellent employment prospects: our graduates have gone on to work internationally on everything from James Bond film premières to star-studded concerts

WHAT YOU'LL COVER:
This degree covers a broad range of subjects – from lighting technology, audio engineering, video systems, live streaming, power distribution and rigging to electronics, computer networks, acoustics, computer-aided design and simulation. You will learn both the theory and practice relating to the underlying technologies and will develop hands-on skills by planning and delivering real live events. As this is an engineering course, you will study 'how it works' – learning about the underlying mathematics and electronics in our electronics and computing laboratories. You will also learn ‘how to work it’ - developing professional skills in lighting design, sound engineering and event management, with practice in our dedicated production space and in venues around the city.

HOW YOU WILL LEARN:
You will have the opportunity to take an optional work placement between stages two and three. In addition, you will benefit from guest lectures, product demonstrations and venue visits. Many of our students also take on casual work with production and hire companies in the area, adding a new dimension to their real-world learning experiences. You can also take part in collaborative projects, working closely with other students specialising in subjects such as music technology, music, electronics and theatre

YOUR CAREER:
Our Sound and Light graduates are highly sought-after in the events industry. The careful blend of theory and practice underpinning this degree will boost your employability and professional status. In one of many success stories, the World Premiere of the James Bond film, Spectre, saw no fewer than eight Sound, Light and Live Event Technology graduates working on the production at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

STUDY OPTIONS:
You will have the opportunity to take a placement year between years two and three.

How to apply

Apply by
13 January 2027

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:
HJ3X
Institution code:
D39
Campus name:
Main Site

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

Entry requirements

Typical qualification requirements

A level
DDD

T Level
P

UCAS Tariff
Offer: 72

We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.

Access to HE Diploma
Merit: 30 Pass: 15

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification

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

English language requirements

IELTS overall score at a minimum of 6.0; with at least IELTS 5.5 in each band (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) or another Secure English Language Test(SELT)at CEFR level B2 or above

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.

We have excluded the Grades on Entry data for this course. We may operate some flexibility with entry grades to support widening participation, though most of the students that enrol on this course achieve the published entry tariff or above. Applicants who achieve grades below the published tariff may be offered an alternative course or a 4-year route if there is one available. For further information please contact askadmissions@derby.ac.uk.

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course 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

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Republic of Ireland, EU & InternationalTBC

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

The Home and International fees for the 2027 term have not yet been confirmed.

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