Programme Specification
A statement of the knowledge, understanding and skills
that underpin a taught programme of study leading to an
award from
The University of Sheffield
1
Programme Title
Sonic Art
2
Programme Code
MUST16
3
JACS Code
Not applicable
4
Level of Study
Postgraduate
5a
Final Qualification
Master of Arts (MA)
5b
Position in the QAA Framework for
Higher Education Qualifications
Masters (M)
6a
Intermediate Qualification(s)
Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip), Postgraduate Certificate
(PGCert)
6b
Position in the QAA Framework for
Higher Education Qualifications
Masters (M)
7
Teaching Institution (if not Sheffield)
Not applicable
8
Faculty
Arts and Humanities
9
Department
Music
10
Other Department(s) involved in
teaching the programme
None
11
Mode(s) of Attendance
Full time or Part time
12
Duration of the Programme
1 year or 2 years
13
Accrediting Professional or Statutory
Body
Not applicable
14
Date of production/revision
January 2006 / April 2013 / Dec 2015
15. Background to the programme and subject area
The creative use of Music Technology is an area of study that enables students to express themselves with the
latest tools and affords an engagement with current artistic issues. Creative artists are working in more than one
domain (often sound and image). The MA in Sonic Art and Media Production prepares students aiming at
both further academic research and careers in the music technology industry. It builds upon a strong track
record of research at The University of Sheffield of Sound Studios (USSS). The programme is designed to
accommodate students who:

already posses good technical competence but have relatively little traditional musical training.

have completed undergraduate programmes in Music Technology and who wish to move towards a more
research oriented environment.

already possess highly trained creative and/or traditional musical skills, but who struggle with the technical
aspects of contemporary sonic / installation / video art and wish to root their practice-based research upon
firmer technical foundations.
The Department of Music is well placed to provide a programme of this nature. The University of Sheffield
Sound Studios has grown five-fold over the past ten years. The Department of Music, is one of the leading
music departments in the country and specialises in Music Psychology, Music Technology, Ethnomusicology,
Composition and Performance. Graduates have gone on to secure roles in the Music business or found
employment elsewhere, being commended for excellent transferable skills.
The programme builds upon growing electroacoustic music activity both within the department and nationally. It
responds both to a need to further train highly musical students in the operation of software tools and provide an
opportunity for those already possessing a solid music technology background to investigate creative
opportunities.
The programme focuses upon the relationship between technology and creative practice and is taught through a
combination of lectures, seminars and tutorial contact. In response to the demand for research training, the
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programme is designed to allow initial intensive training in the knowledge and methods of the field followed by
opportunities for increasingly independent research.
16. Programme aims
The aims of the programme are consistent with the aims of the Department and the Mission Statement of the
University of Sheffield:

to enable students to develop an understanding of the nature of postgraduate study and the techniques of
postgraduate research in sonic art and media production, with a view to further research at doctoral level,
and future employment;

to broaden students’ knowledge and understanding of current creative practice;

to equip students with a practical understanding of a number of software packages;

to provide students with the instruction and supervision necessary to undertake and successfully complete a
substantial portfolio of original creative media;

to engender in students broader life skills, including: an ability to engage independently in self-directed
study; critical thought and argument exercised through speech and writing in a variety of media; teamwork
and leadership skills; and an ability to understand and respect the views of others.
The Sonic Art and Media Production graduate will have:

the ability to understand and demonstrate the relationships between theory and practice;

versatility in the implementation, interpretation and adaptation of music and emerging technologies;

the ability to use and adapt these as creative and innovative tools in composition and/or performance and
multimedia;

the ability to research, assimilate, organize and interpret ideas through self-motivated independent research,
teamwork skills and communication.
The programme aims to develop to an advanced level the learner’s interest in and knowledge and
understanding of Sonic Art and Media Production, with an emphasis on the following factors:

Intellectual curiosity, inventiveness and potential;

In-depth analysis and research;

High-level technical skills;

Focused creativity, sonic and media awareness and musicality in real and applied contexts;

Quality of writing and presentation.
It will be possible for students to exit the programme with a Certificate and a Diploma with 60 and 120 credits
respectively.
17. Programme learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: By the end of the programme, students will:
K1
Have a broad overview of contemporary practice in the field, both in terms of aesthetic and technical
considerations.
K2
Have knowledge of select key areas of contemporary practice in depth.
K3
Be able to place their own creative practice within a wider context.
K4
Be able to respond critically to discourse in this area of practice.
K5
Possess key critical and analytical tools and terminology.
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Skills and other attributes: By the end of the programme, students will:
S1
Be able to interpret and manipulate technical media towards creative artistic goals.
S2
Be able to identify linked pathways of artistic and technical understanding.
S3
Be able to synthesize, summarise and evaluate information and data from a variety of sources.
S4
Be able to evaluate and reason critically in the pursuit of solutions.
S5
Have designed and implemented independent research projects.
S6
Be able to document coherently through small-scale dissertation.
Professional/practical skills By the end of the programme students will be able to:
P1
Demonstrate personal creativity through employing appropriate technologies to solve specific aesthetic
‘problems’ and work in varied situations and contexts.
P2
Demonstrate an holistic approach to media technology in origination through synthesis, sampling
programming and performance in sound and image.
P3
Apply a combination of practical skills and knowledge in appropriate and imaginative ways.
P4
Make aesthetic judgements about new media production and sonic art, be they compositions,
installations, multi-media or otherwise.
P5
Incorporate this knowledge into current and future practice including PhD research.
Transferable/key skills By the end of the programme students will be able to:
T1
Communicate effectively both orally and in writing to a professional level.
T2
Take responsibility for managing time and prioritising workloads when meeting deadlines.
T3
Use advanced IT skills in a wide variety of contexts.
T4
Produce independent work and show critical self-evaluation.
T5
Where appropriate, take a creative, considered and ethical approach to collaborative practice.
Students who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Certificate will be able to demonstrate
achievement of learning outcomes K1 and K2, S1-5 with limited achievement in S6, P1 – 3 and T2 - 4.
Students who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Diploma will be able to demonstrate achievement
of learning outcomes K1 - 4, S1-6, P1 – 4 and T1 - 4.
18. Teaching, learning and assessment
Development of the learning outcomes is promoted through the following teaching and learning
methods:
1. A series of lectures and seminars runs throughout the 1st and 2nd semesters, providing the primary means
through which students and tutors engages with the subject-specific knowledge base of the discipline (K1K5) Acquisition of K2 is in particular through self-directed study and research, alongside individual tutorials.
2. Laboratory work and demonstrations are used throughout the 1st and 2nd semesters to demonstrate
software. (P1–P5).
3. Individual tutorials are used throughout the programme to respond directly to student-specific interests
and needs. They are the main support for submission of the final portfolio of work. (K1-5, S1-6, P1/P2).
4. Independent study is a crucial element of the programme and encourages the development of all aspects
of knowledge, understanding and skills, but in particular it encourages qualities of originality, independence
and the assimilation of ‘style’.
The promotion of transferable and key skills (T1-T5) is generally incorporated within modules and relates to
relevant assignments as appropriate. All modules require the submission of written work, and feedback on this
work is given to the learner to develop not only their understanding but also their powers of expression. T2 is
learnt rather than taught throughout the year and is backed up by T4 which is delivered through monitoring
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closely the Creative Media Foundation. T5 is nurtured throughout the year as students with a variety of skills
and experiences collaborate on small-scale practical projects.
Opportunities to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes are provided through the following
assessment methods:
The assessment methods test an increasingly wide range of skills as the programme progresses and embody a
move from small scale and highly structured tasks (Digital Studio modules) to larger-scale projects over the
duration of the programme (Creative Media Portfolio).
The assessment methods are as follows:
I
A Portfolio of creative work assesses creative understanding and assimilation of knowledge and techniques
(K2-K5, S1-S2, S5-S6, P1-P5).
5. An assessed essay assesses knowledge of a broad range of current artistic practice, skills of evaluation
and information organisation and writing skills appropriate to a longer essay (K1, S3-S4).
6. Subject specific assignments test creative application and practical familiarity with concept and practice.
(K2, K5, S6)
19. Reference points
The learning outcomes have been developed to reflect the following points of reference:

In line with the University of Sheffield’s mission to maintain the highest standards of excellence in researchled teaching, the MA in Sonic Art and Media Production involves department staff who are all internationally
recognised researchers in the music technology discipline. The MA has also been developed with reference
to the Learning and Teaching Strategy of the University of Sheffield.

The programme is informed by the Masters level qualification descriptors contained in the Framework for
Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (2008).

The QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Music has also been taken into consideration.
20. Programme structure and regulations
The programme can be accessed full-time or part-time.
The whole curriculum is focused on the practice of sonic art and media production (based around acquisition of
skill and implementation of creative ideas using acquired skills). Students undertake modules totalling 180
credits over one year (FT) and two-years (PT). The programme comprises 150 core credits and a further 30
credits drawn from the Department’s research training modules. The Creative Media Foundation encourages the
student to investigate possible areas of research that will make up their final portfolio. Intermediate digital studio
also forms a ‘foundation’ for advanced tuition in the second semester. The third and final period of the
programme provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate their assimilation of learning through
completion of a portfolio of original works (60 credits).
Detailed information about the structure of programmes, regulations concerning assessment and progression
and descriptions of individual modules are published in the University Calendar available on-line at
http://www.shef.ac.uk/govern/calendar/regs.html.
21. Student development over the course of study
The MA in Sonic Art and Media Production is structured to facilitate increasing independence and specialisation
on the part of students. However, both semesters contain a degree of skill acquisition and artistic
implementation reflecting both the sheer size of the subject area and the need to be continually reflecting upon
artistic practice. Each ‘training’ module allows for submitted work throughout the teaching period with formative
feedback being provided at regular intervals.
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22. Criteria for admission to the programme
Entry requires the equivalent of a good honours degree. However, the Department recognises the value of
experience, and may accept applications from people who have been in practice, or who bring other experience
to their studies.
Detailed information regarding admission to the programme is available at http://www.shef.ac.uk/prospective/ or
from the Dept. of Music’s website at www.shef.ac.uk/music
23. Additional information
Further information is available from the departmental web pages: www.shef.ac.uk/music and from the
University of Sheffield Sound Studio web site: www.shef.ac.uk/usss
This specification represents a concise statement about the main features of the programme and should be
considered alongside other sources of information provided by the teaching department(s) and the University. In
addition to programme specific information, further information about studying at The University of Sheffield can
be accessed via our Student Services web site at www.shef.ac.uk/ssid.
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