About

How is Creative Audio different?

Let's begin with a simple question: how important is sound?

Our media-rich world is often dominated by the visual. As a result, sound is frequently overlooked, despite being one of the most powerful ways we experience and understand the world. Every day, more than a billion people listen through headphones, creating deeply personal audio experiences while connected to a global network of music, stories, conversations, and ideas.

On the Creative Audio programme, we see sound as the ultimate cultural medium. It combines music, speech, and environmental sound to create rich, meaningful experiences. Because our brains are wired through association, sound shapes how we think, feel, remember, and connect with the world around us. Music is a powerful example. It can be enjoyed on its own, but when combined with film, games, apps, immersive media, or virtual environments, it becomes an essential part of how we experience those worlds.

Creative exploration lies at the heart of everything we do. Our goal is to give you the knowledge, practical skills, and creative freedom to shape the future of music and sound. You'll learn not only how to create, record, and manipulate audio, but also how to design engaging sonic experiences that are meaningful, innovative, and relevant to the rapidly evolving world around us.

For further information, please see our current prospectus

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Philosophy

How we approach learning?

As a practice-based, industry-focused programme, Creative Audio is designed to give you the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to build a successful career in the creative industries. No two weeks are the same. You'll join a supportive community where experimentation is encouraged, collaboration is valued, and you'll have the freedom to explore the areas of music and sound that inspire you most.

Throughout the programme, you'll develop practical skills in composition, production, recording, implementation, and sound design alongside essential professional and business knowledge. Continuous feedback from experienced practitioners and tutors will help you refine your craft while developing the discipline, confidence, and professional mindset expected of today's creative industries.

Beyond the classroom, you'll have opportunities to form bands, perform and manage live events, collaborate with students from other disciplines, and create original music and audio for a wide range of genres, media, and platforms.

As a full-time student, you can expect around 10–12 hours of scheduled teaching each week, typically combining practical workshops with lectures and seminars. You'll also spend time in one-to-one tutorials, collaborative projects, and independent practice in our studios and labs. The timetable is designed to provide flexibility, allowing you to balance your studies, creative practice, and travel to and from campus efficiently.

Graduate Qualities

We have created an illustration highlighting the qualities we hope to assist our students realise. A university education is an education for life. Yes, the specific skills we develop (1) are important, however, there is much more to explore (2 + 3).

Feedback

What our students say…

Testimonials

“Creative Audio at Ulster University introduced me to many new techniques and technologies used in audio production. The course helped me discover new interests in creating and programming (including Max for Live and TouchDesigner), and all of the lecturers have always been there to point me in the right direction.”

“The overall experience was very enjoyable. The wide spread of topics covered over the course was great and very interesting. The approach of covering topics encouraged us to find areas of interest and conduct our own research. It helped develop independence as students by the end of our studies, supporting the transition away from a secondary school mindset, which I personally felt I fully left behind in my third year.”

“I was extremely satisfied with Creative Audio, and I feel that it has given me the exact knowledge and experience I hoped to gain. I always found the lecturers to be approachable and very helpful, and the studio facilities will be greatly missed. I found all the modules to be current and relevant to the industry, especially through the use of software such as Wwise and Max.”

“I'm enjoying my time on the [Creative Audio] programme. My favourite element of the programme... the Designing Sound module... learning how to break down a sound, and how to effectively recreate that sound.”

“The quality of information and the streamlined nature in which it is delivered speaks volumes about the staff. This course finds a way to explain every topic, regardless of depth or difficulty, in an easy to follow format. In terms of subject matter, the team spends time versing you on why the information presented is important for your venture into the world of music technology. Every topic is carefully selected and is essential for a career in music technology.”

“The [Creative Audio] programme has been brilliant from start to finish. Each module brought something new and even when I thought I was relatively experienced in the topic at hand I always learnt numerous new techniques and developed a deeper understanding of the topic. Each module was delivered in a clear and concise manner that catered to all experience levels... One thing that consistently amazes me about the Creative Audio programme is the sheer breadth of the content delivered while still going in depth on each topic.”

“[It's] really great to work with such talented and creative people and...a really invaluable experience to me”

“The modules I enjoyed the most were the coding ones however all the teaching staff were great. The coursework oriented style of the course really suits it and it teaches you some great skills. It taught me how to be more independent when it came to researching and problem solving but there was help available if you really needed it... There's more than one way to fix things and I think the [Creative Audio] course teaches this flexibility when it comes to problem solving really well. I think if there was one big impact the course had on me it was to be an independent thinker and it made me a better problem solver.”

Find out more…

Contact Us