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1. Admissions/ Management Information
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Title of the programme – including any lower awards
Please provide the titles used for all awards relating to this programme. Note: all programmes are required to have at least a Postgraduate Certificate exit award.

See guidance on programme titles in:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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Masters MSc Audio and Music Technology.
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Postgraduate Diploma PGDip Audio and Music Technology.Please indicate if the Postgraduate Diploma is available as an entry point, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Postgraduate Certificate PGCert Audio and Music Technology.Please indicate if the Postgraduate Certificate is available as an entry points, ie. is a programme on which a student can register, is an exit award, ie. is only available to students exiting the masters programme early, or both.Exit
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Level of qualificationLevel 7
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This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:2018
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Awarding institutionTeaching institution
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Unviersity of York University of York
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Department(s):
Where more than one department is involved, indicate the lead department		Board of Studies
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Lead Department Department of Electronic Engineering.TBC
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Other contributing Departments: N/A
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Route code
(existing programmes only)		PMELESAMT1
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Admissions criteria
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Applicants are normally expected to hold (or expected to gain) the equivalent of a 2:1 honours degree or above from a university recognised by the University of York. We are willing to consider applications from students with lower qualifications, particularly when the student has high marks in relevant modules and/or appropriate industrial experience. Graduates of other disciplines such as Electronic Engineering, Mathematics, Natural Sciences or Computer Science, or graduates of any other subject with demonstrable technical experience/aptitude, will also be considered if they also can demonstrate an understanding of music theory, digital audio or have proven skills in music production or music performance. Applicants lacking formal qualifications may be considered if they can demonstrate significant relevant industry experience.
A pre-programme learning/revision package is provided which is strongly recommended for those who do not have formal qualifications in a signal processing/music technology related field, or for those who have taken time out between graduating and commencing the masters programme.

For non-English native speakers English language skills at the standard university requirement of at least IELTS 6.0 or the equivalent are expected.
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Length and status of the programme(s) and mode(s) of study
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ProgrammeLength (years/ months) Status (full-time/ part-time)
Please select		Start dates/months
(if applicable – for programmes that have multiple intakes or start dates that differ from the usual academic year)		Mode
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Face-to-face, campus-basedDistance learningOther
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MSc in Audio and Music Technology.1 yearFull-timeSeptemberPlease select Y/NYesPlease select Y/NNoN/A
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Language(s) of study
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English
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Language(s) of assessment
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English
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2. Programme accreditation by Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRB)
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2.a. Is the programme recognised or accredited by a PSRB
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Please Select Y/N: NoPlease note that we are planning for IET Accreditation for this programme in our next visit in 2019
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3. Additional Professional or Vocational Standards
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Are there any additional requirements of accrediting bodies or PSRB or pre-requisite professional experience needed to study this programme?
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Please Select Y/N: Noif Yes, provide details
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N/A
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4. Programme leadership and programme team
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4.a. Please name the programme leader for the year to which the programme design applies and any key members of staff responsible for designing, maintaining and overseeing the programme.
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Dr Gavin Kearney
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5. Purpose and learning outcomes of the programme
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5.a. Statement of purpose for applicants to the Masters programme
Please express succinctly the overall aims of the programme as an applicant facing statement for a prospectus or website. This should clarify to a prospective masters student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
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Audio and Music Technology combines science, technology and creativity to develop innovative audio applications for music making, recording, analysis and reproduction. Recent advances in digital audio technology have seen increased interest in surround sound for home entertainment and virtual reality, voice recognition and synthesis applications, as well as environmental and architectural acoustics. The MSc in Audio and Music Technology is taught by leading experts in audio research. You will have access to excellent facilities, including several fully equipped recording studios, a bespoke 50 channel loudspeaker array, a fully anechoic chamber and a newly updated Mac and iOS computer suite. You will gain a thorough grounding in scientific theory and creative engineering techniques in audio technology, audio analysis and audio programming. This will prepare you for further research or employment in the audio technology and digital creative industries, working freelance, or setting up your own business.
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5.b.i. Programme Learning Outcomes - Masters
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PLOOn successful completion of the programme, graduates will be able to:
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1Subject Knowledge: Conduct research into digital audio signal processing, audio software programming or acoustic analysis, advancing the state of knowledge by applying specialist engineering techniques and research methodology.
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2Engineering Analysis: Extract and critically evaluate literature and other data about complex audio, acoustic and music technology systems through analytical and computational methods and modelling.
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3Engineering Design: Design innovative industry relevant engineering solutions for research-based problems in audio software and/or hardware, music technology and acoustics.
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4Practical Skills: Apply professional skills in engineering, audio analysis, programming, critical listening, acoustic modelling, construction and measurement, to independently solve technically challenging research-based problems.
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5Technical Communication: Communicate, debate, and contextualise information in a succinct, professional and technically accurate manner to key stakeholders which might include event managers, engineers, musicians and members of the public. This will include the ability to interpret and write technical documentation to a professional standard.
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6Management & Personal Development: Proficiently manage themselves, teams and complex projects in preparation for future careers in the field of audio and music technology as an individual practitioner or in industry.
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5.c. Explanation of the choice of Programme Learning Outcomes
Please explain your rationale for choosing these PLOs in a statement that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). Please include brief reference to:
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i) ... in what way will these PLOs result in an ambitious, challenging programme which stretches the students?
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The PLOs for this programme have been developed by the programme team as the best way of capturing the skills and competencies that graduates of the programme will be able to demonstrate. PLO1 indicates that the specialist audio knowledge gained will be actively applied in individual research, working at the cutting edge of music technology research. PLOs 2-4 represent the main skillset that engineers are expected to have - that of analysing complex problems in today's world, designing innovative solutions, and having the practical technical ability to bring novel ideas into being. This programme specifically develops an audio technology skillset that is applicable in the world of audio and music engineering. PLO5 emphasises the importance of an engineer being able to communicate their questions, analysis, findings and solutions to a variety of audiences using a variety of formats and media. PLO6 crystalises the need in the modern world for engineers to be effective team-players, adaptable to working alone or in different sized interdisciplinary teams using a variety of working methods. Together these PLOs bring together up-to-date knowledge, cutting-edge engineering skills, with the abiility to work effectively with others and communicate with the wider world.
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ii) ... in what way will these PLOs produce a programme which is distinctive and advantageous to the student?
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York has been developing Music Technology programmes in this area for many years and staff have a wide range of experience in the core subject knowledge, working on related research projects, and guiding students through the process of learning and gaining practical experience in the subject. The PLOs form a series of learning ladders that ensure that the different strands of learning receive full coverage across the programme. Whilst students need to learn a good deal of subject knowledge and technical information, the job of a university in today's knowledge-rich world, is to provide context, guidance and experience of applying that knowledge in practice. For this programme in Audio and Music Technology, students will gain knowledge, experience and confidence in a combination of areas that are of direct applicability to today's major research and development topics in audio engineering, acoustics, sound processing, virtual and augmented reality, 3D sound, and interactive audio.
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iii) ... how the design of the programme enables students from diverse entry routes to transition successfully into the programme? For example, how does the organisation of the programme ensure solid foundations in disciplinary knowledge and understanding of conventions, language skills, mathematics and statistics skills, writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity
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The programme has been specially designed to attract students from a diverse range of entry routes e.g. those with engineering/science degrees who have a hobby interest in music and audio, as well as those with previous degrees in Music Technology who wish to further their engineering/technical skills. A pre-programme learning pack is provided prior to arrival which allows students to assess their own skills in maths, audio programming and music theory and to fill any gaps in knowledge, or to practice areas with which they are less familiar. During the Autumn Term fundamentals of audio, music technology and signal processing are consolidated. Special intensive zero-to-hero workshops are provided to help students with no knowlege in a key subject area to make rapid progress. These are included in the Audio Signals & Psychoacoustics module - and consist of MATLAB, Studio skills, and PureData. The iOS workshop is included as part of the iOS Programming for Audio module. Each module is designed to introduce key topic material, but also to allow students to apply this in practice in labs, tutorials, and via supported self-study. A supportive collaborative community of learners is established, with students providing support for each other in areas where skills can be shared.
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iv) ... how the programme is designed to enable students to progress successfully - in a limited time frame - through to the end of the award? For example, the development of higher level research skills; enabling students to complete an independent study module; developing competence and confidence in practical skills/ professional skills. See QAA masters characteristics doument http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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Autumn Term modules are designed to allow the students to work together with others from different backgrounds. The zero-to-hero workshops cater for a diverse range of starting points and ensure that fundamentals are covered. Self-paced labs in audio-based programming (in MATLAB, Pure Data, and Swift for iOS devices) allow students to build up their skills at a pace suitable to their background. The Audio Signals & Psychoacoustics module ensures that students understand the science of sound, its transmission, perception, capture, analysis and synthesis. Modules continue in the Spring Term, building upon the foundations covered in the Autumn Term, to allow more complex systems to emerge. More group working is introduced at this stage to allow students from different backgrounds to learn from each other. In the Summer Term the main feature is preparation for individual research projects, and students are supported in the development of their research, writing, literature review, time management and project management skills. The final stage of the process is the development of a research project in topic-based special interest groups, with regular contact from an academic supervisor experienced in this area. Thus the whole one-year process can be seen as a transition from a generalist interested in audio and music technology, to a specialist researcher with a wider range of experience and skills in audio engineering.
The main vehicle for student progress is the design and arrangement of modules which supports the students in a deep understanding of theme-based fundamental knowledge, leading rapidly to more specialist research-based knowledge and application. Supporting this entire process is our MSc Professional Develoment Framework, which is described below in 5.c.vi. Together the PLOs ensure that the industry-expected skillset is covered, and the modules and framework provide the material, time and support to help students develop to their full potential. An e-learning log is provided underpinning the module work, which encourages and fosters self-reflection on progress through a framework of regular updates and anchor points for reflective practice: students are encouraged to take ownership of their own academic and professional development, and the e-learning log provides a vehicle for this with opportunity for quick and effective formative feedback from tutors.
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v) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will develop students’ digital literacy skills and how technology-enhanced learning will be used to support active student learning through peer/tutor interaction, collaboration and formative (self) assessment opportunities (reference could be made to such as blogging, flipped classroooms, response 'clickers' in lectures, simulations, etc).
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The entire programme is imbued with developing digital literacy. A variety of programming languages are taught and applied by students (PLOs 1-4) as a key part of the modules. The field of Audio and Music Technology can only exist with a deep understanding of the design and use of hardware and software systems, and so this is built in deeply to the module and programme structure. PLO1 enhances personal research by developing students' skills to independently find, evaluate and use sources. One module requires students to write a weekly blog on their team-work activity, and later in the year to communicate their research ideas to a wider public audience. Similaly students are required to produce a Linked-In profile, which connects to their own personal web-site/blog and to develop their own personal brand and on-line identity; this enables students to market themselves to potential employers on completing the programme. Students also need to develop their communication skills (PLO5) and the programme and its assignments provide multiple opportunities for this; from keeping reflective e-logbooks, to portraying information to the public by maintaining a project blog, and by giving public presentations. PLO6 is developed not only in the module assignments (managing themselves, teams and complex projects) which use collaborative tools such as Google Apps, but in the final project, and by involvement in the Professional Development Framework (see below in 5.c. vi).
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vi) ... how this programme (as outlined in these PLOs) will support and enhance the students’ employability (for example, opportunities for students to apply their learning in a real world setting)?
The programme's employablity objectives should be informed by the University's Employability Strategy:
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/careers/staff/
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All our MScs programmes incorporate a carefully designed Professional Development Framework (PDF). In consultation with our Departmental Advisory Board, with key contributors from Industry, Research and Academia, this ensures that all students gain awareness of the essential skills that employers need and opportunities to develop their personal and team-based effectiveness. The PDF begins in Induction Week including an introduction to masters-level learning, and student team activities. Throughout the Autumn and Spring Terms students develop their personal effectiveness in a series of workshops (covering such issues as literature, research, referencing, teamwork, leadership, reflective learning, ethics, and business skills). These lead on to Interdisciplinary Masterclasses which cover key research and development cross-curricular topics in emerging technology. In the Summer Term students are prepared for research methodology and digital literacy, and undertake regular developmental training in project management. This all leads to a major project (60 credit units) which is designed to give research and industry-relevant experience to individuals and teams as a major component of each programme.
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viii) ... how learning and teaching on the programme are informed and led by research in the department/ Centre/ University?
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The Audio Lab in the Department of Electronic Engineering has been involved in the pioneering of Music Technology teaching and research in the UK. We set up the first postgraduate programme in the subject and led the development of undergraduate provision across the UK. Our staff are working at the cutting edge of research into acoustics, 3D audio, voice analysis and synthesis, virtual and augmented reality, interactive instrument design and sonification. Modules are informed by this research and development and are kept up to date with the latest research. Students have multiple opportunities to work with and be guided by staff who are actively working in these developing areas.
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5.d. Progression
For masters programmes where students do not incrementally 'progress' on the completion of a discrete Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma, please summarise students’ progressive development towards the achievement of the PLOs, in terms of the characteristics that you expect students to demonstrate at the end of the set of modules or part thereof. This summary may be particularly helpful to students and the programme team where there is a high proportion of option modules and in circumstances where students registered on a higher award will exit early with a lower one.

Note: it is not expected that a position statement is written for each masters PLO, but this can be done if preferred.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Certificate students will be able to:
If the PG Cert is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the diploma/masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Students can receive a postgraduate certificate by achieving a minimum of 60 credits in taught modules. This could occur for instance by failing a pass/fail module, or by not being able to progress onto the ISM for other reasons such as failing the Project Preparation module. Up to this point in the programme all PLOs are covered, but PLO1 will be lacking the literature review contextualisation, and PLO6 will be under-practiced as the major project is not experienced.
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On completion of modules sufficient to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma students will be able to:
If the PG Diploma is an exit award only please provide information about how students will have progressed towards the masters PLOs. Please include detail of the module diet that students will have to have completed to gain this qualification as an exit award.
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Students can receive a diploma by passing everything except the project (due to leaving early or by failing the project). Thus they will have covered the majority of PLOs 1-5. Their completion of PLO6 will be limited compared to a Masters graduate, but it is not entirely missing as they will have still have completed the Project Preparation module and attended support sessions on Project Management.

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6. Reference points and programme regulations
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6.a. Relevant Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statement(s) and other relevant external reference points
Please state relevant reference points consulted (e.g. Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, National Occupational Standards, Subject Benchmark Statements or the requirements of PSRBs): See also Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design:
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https://www.york.ac.uk/media/staffhome/learningandteaching/documents/programmedevelopment/Framework%20for%20Programme%20Design%20-%20PG.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements
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http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843#.VthM1fmLS70
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Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – August 2008 http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Documents/FHEQ08.pdf .
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6.b. University award regulations
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The University’s award and assessment regulations apply to all programmes: any exceptions that relate to this programme are approved by University Teaching Committee and are recorded at the end of this document.
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7. Programme Structure
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7.a. Module Structure and Summative Assessment Map
Please complete the summary table below which shows the module structure and the pattern of summative assessment through the programme.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If the structure of your programme does not fit the usual academic year (for instance students start at the beginning of September or in January) please contact your Academic Quality Team contact in the Academic Support Office for guidance on how to represent the structure in an alternative format.

To clearly present the overall programme structure, include the name and details of each invidual CORE module in the rows below. For OPTION modules, ‘Option module’ or 'Option from list x' should be used in place of specifically including all named options. If the programme requires students to select option modules from specific lists by term of delivery or subject theme these lists should be provided in the next section (7.b).

From the drop-down select 'S' to indicate the start of the module, 'A' to indicate the timing of each distinct summative assessment point (eg. essay submission/ exam), and 'E' to indicate the end of teaching delivery for the module (if the end of the module coincides with the summative assessment select 'EA'). It is not expected that each summative task will be listed where an overall module might be assessed cumulatively (for example weekly problem sheets).

Summative assessment by exams should normally be scheduled in the spring week 1 and summer Common Assessment period (weeks 5-7). Where the summer CAP is used, a single ‘A’ can be used within the shaded cells as it is understood that you will not know in which week of the CAP the examination will take place. (NB: An additional resit assessment week is provided in week 10 of the summer term for postgraduate students. See Guide to Assessment, 5.4.a)
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http://www.york.ac.uk/about/departments/support-and-admin/registry-services/guide/
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Full time structure
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CreditsModuleAutumn TermSpring Term Summer Term Summer Vacation
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CodeTitle12345678910123456789101234567891012345678910111213
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10ELE00083MiOS Programming for Audio.SSEA
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10ELE00126M
Voice: Acoustics and Applications.SEAA
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20ELE00087MAudio Signals and Psychoacoustics.SEAA
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10ELE00073MMusic Perception and Critical Listening.SAEA
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10ELE00120M
Virtual Acoustics and Spatial Audio (taken with Interfacing for Audio and Music).SEAA
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10ELE00116MInterfacing for Audio and Music (taken with Virtual Acoustics and Spatial Audio ).SEA
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20MUS00061MProduction Techniques, Technologies & Aesthetics.SEA
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40ELE00076MProject DevelopmentSAEA
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60ELE00077MResearch ProjectSEA
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10ELE00036HPersonal Professional Practitioner.SAEA
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Full-time Route: Please indicate when the Progression Board and Final Exam board will be held and when any reassessments will be submitted.
NB: You are required to provide at least three weeks notice to students of the need for them to resubmit any required assessments, in accordance with the Guide to Assessment section 4.9
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Progression BoardWeek 2 Summer Vacation
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ReassessmentWeek 7 Summer Vacation
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Exam BoardAutumn Term Week 3
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7.c. Explanation of the programme and assessment design
The statements should be in a form that can be used for students (such as in a student handbook). It should make clear to students why they are doing the key activities of the programme, in terms of reaching the PLOs.
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i) Students’ independent study and formative work Please outline how independent study and student work has been designed to support the progressive achievement of the programme learning outcomes (for example, the use of online resources which incorporate formative feedback; opportunities for further learning from work-based placements).
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All modules incorporate a major component in independent study. Key texts are given to read, as well as information about, for example, the programming language being taught. Students work on a reflective e-logbook which encourages them to monitor their own learning experiences from the outset. Every assignment is designed to be more than just a test, but to provide a challenging experience for personal work, such as designing and implementing a computer app to provide interactive audio on a mobile device as part of the iOS Programming for Audio module. As the programme progresses, increasing amounts of the students' time is spent working on more specialised material, culminating in a major project. Throughout this whole process the Professional Development Framework provides an opportunity to work with all Masters students in the Department to develop key skills and competencies that have been developed with our consultations with industry.
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ii) Contact with staff
Please explain how the programme’s design maximises the value of students’ contact time with staff (which may be face-to-face, virtual, synchronous or asynchronous), including through the use of technology-enhanced learning. For example, giving students resources for their independent study which then enables a class to be more interactive with a greater impact on learning.