Lead the next generation of audio engineers
Year of entry: 2021/22
Show year of entry: 2020
H668
Y50
5 years full-time
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Preapre for a career as a leader in engineering future groundbreaking music technology or audio engineering.
With access to the latest computer design labs, multi-speaker surround sound systems, multimedia studios and an anechoic chamber you’ll be able to explore synthesiser technology, MIDI, audio recording, sampling and digital audio signal processing. You’ll not just learn how this technology is applied in making and recording music, but also use your engineering expertise to design and build the next generation of audio technology.
Your year in industry will give you invaluable practical experience, helping you to prepare for your career.
The MEng is a fully accredited engineering course which combines professional electronics with audio and music technology.
Our MEng course will consolidate your knowledge of fundamental principles and introduce you to more advanced concepts. You'll experience a large team software engineering multimedia project, as well as managing a substantial individual project, allowing you to develop the knowledge and skills required to become a leader in the industry. With an increased choice of advanced option modules, you'll have the opportunity to work with our latest innovative technology and engage with world-class researchers from the AudioLab.
This course is identical to our MEng Music Technology Systems with a Year in Industry. You can choose which title you graduate with, based on your own career interests.
This course is fully accredited by the IET and counts towards the training requirements for Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. Our courses have been continually accredited for 25 years.
York was the only place I found offered the perfect mix between an Electronic Engineering course and the specialisation of Music Technology SystemsCrispin, BEng Electronic Engineering with Music Technology Systems
You may be able to change course, add a year in industry or change between MEng and BEng. Just ask us for more details.
We hold a bronze Athena SWAN award for our commitment to gender equality in science.
On the MEng you'll be able to chose from more advanced option modules in your final year, these are geared to meet the rigorous needs of the electronics industry. You'll also complete a large team software engineering project where you’ll work with other students as part of a small ‘company’ to produce a major software application for desktop or Android. You’ll take on a major role in this, use professional software tools and present your work to ‘sell’ your product. Through this project you'll gain essential project management, communication and leadership skills.
You'll study the principles and practicalities of electronic engineering, as well as honing essential skills in mathematics and computer programming. As you progress, you'll cover topics such as acoustics, electronic hardware design, software programming, signal processing and analysis, microprocessor interfacing, engineering construction and design, feedback and computer control. Alongside electronic engineering, you will study specialist music technology modules from your very first week in areas such as audio programming, recording studio techniques and acoustics.
In your final year, you'll choose option modules which will allow you to specialise according to your interests, and you'll work on a much larger and more ambitious final-year individual project. The project will give you invaluable skills for your future career.
There are opportunities for you to spend time abroad during your course:
Year 1 provides you with a grounding in electronic principles, circuits, components, devices and recording studio techniques. There's a strong emphasis on mathematics and computing, including learning the C and Python programming languages. You'll also develop your practical skills, designing and building complete audio products as part of laboratories and group projects.
In addition to the above you will also need to complete our online Academic Integrity module.
This module covers some of the essential skills and knowledge which will help you to study independently and produce work of a high academic standard which is vital for success at York.
This module will:
In Year 2 you'll learn to analyse and design hardware and software systems. You'll study material including acoustics, data structures, algorithms, electromagnetism and Java programming. An advanced construction project gives you the opportunity to apply your skills of design, engineering, problem-solving and project-management.
In Year 3 you'll study a range of advanced core and option modules. You can focus on your interests, or investigate a new aspect of electronic engineering. Throughout the year you'll work on a major individual project, using the knowledge and skills you've developed to research and design a solution to an engineering challenge.
The Software Engineering Project will provide you with a real-life application of your skills, within the context of a small business environment. You'll develop a large piece of software engineering as a group, and will work through design, implementation and testing methods for the project. Each of your team will manage a major role within the company, such as programming, finance, marketing, testing, as well as doing the actual programming.
You'll work creatively and develop collaborative and project management skills, using integrated development environments, cloud-based version control tools and industry-standard cloud-based collaboration tools. You'll also communicate technical concepts and present your work in a live tender presentation to ‘sell’ your work and convince the financial backers, as well as a final presentation.
Recent applications have included:
Many of the projects on offer are closely aligned to our current research, giving you the chance to work alongside world-class academics at the forefront of the field
You'll choose one option module (10 credits each):
In Year 4 you'll work in industry. You can choose to work in the UK or in Europe.
This will develop your professional, time management and interpersonal skills in a structured environment, and gives you a good opportunity to network for your future career. You may find that you want to continue work from your year in industry in your MEng Individual Project.
Your year in industry will be assessed through two short written reports and a viva.
In the Autumn Term of Year 5 you'll choose four options (10 credits each).
Choose at least two from the following:
Choose up to two from the following:
In the Spring and Summer Terms you'll complete your MEng Individual Project worth 80 credits.
You'll work individually on a major project which will develop your capacity to think independently and creatively about a specific area of electronic engineering. You'll develop advanced skills in problem-solving, critical evaluation and writing concise technical reports. You'll also be able to present and defend your work. Projects from previous years have included:
Please note, modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff.
Every course at York has been designed to provide clear and ambitious learning outcomes. These learning outcomes give you an understanding of what you will be able to do at the end of the course. We develop each course by designing modules that grow your abilities towards the learning outcomes and help you to explain what you can offer to employers. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Your year in industry will help you gain confidence and skills, and give you the opportunity to network. It will help you to become an employment-ready, motivated graduate.
Develop essential management, coordination and decision-making skills with a software engineering team project. Your MEng final year project gives you the scope for ambitious research in an area that interests you.
We offer all students free membership of ShockSoc (our student electronics society) and EDIT (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Technology), and we pay for student membership of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) while you are at York.
The fees and funding figures below are for 2021/22 entry. If you take a year abroad or year in industry you'll pay a reduced rate of fees for that year
| UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|
| £9,250 | £22,650 |
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status
For more information about tuition fees, any reduced fees for study abroad and work placement years, scholarships, tuition fee loans, maintenance loans and living costs see undergraduate fees and funding.
There is no compulsory purchase of equipment or books necessary for this course. Lecture notes will be provided by staff, and you will be given a generous printing allowance.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2021/22 throughout the year.
We have a number of departmental scholarships open to all Year 1 students starting in 2021, including “Academic Excellence”, “Widening Participation”, “Engaging in Engineering” and “International Academic Excellence” scholarships.
You'll be automatically considered for a scholarship if York is your firm choice. £500 is paid during Autumn Term and the other £500 is paid at the end of Summer Term, providing you successfully progress to Year 2.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
“Students from all backgrounds achieve consistently outstanding outcomes”
The TEF Panel, Office for Students, June 2018
Our Gold Teaching Excellence Framework award demonstrates our commitment to the delivery of consistently outstanding teaching and learning for our students.
You’ll study and learn with academics who are active researchers, experts in their field and have a passion for their subjects. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace. Find out more about our approach to teaching and learning.
Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19)
We hope to deliver this course as advertised for 2021/22 entry, but it’s unclear when we’ll be able to return to a normal timetable. For an idea of how this course might be affected, see our changes for 2020/21 entry.
Our courses are highly intensive. Your timetabled activities each week will include:
You'll also be expected to spend time studying independently. As you progress through the course you'll take on more independent study, guiding your own learning and developing your project management skills.
An academic member of staff will help guide you through your final-year individual project, ensuring that you are able to combine the knowledge and skills you have learned throughout the course to successfully undertake an engineering project tailored to your interests and career goals.
In your first year, you can expect:
| Lectures | 10 hours per week |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 2 hours per week |
| Practicals | 9-10 hours per week |
| Optional activities | 0-2 hours per week |
These figures are based on an average student in an average week. Your contact hours will vary throughout the year due to your module choices, non-compulsory classes, exam periods and changes to scheduled activities.
Outside your timetabled hours, you'll study independently. This may include preparation for classes, follow-up work, wider reading, practise completion of assessment tasks, or revision.
In the UK, full-time students are expected to spend 1,200 hours a year learning. That's about 40 hours of classes and independent study each week during term time. Everyone learns at a different rate, so the number of hours you spend on independent study will be different to other students on your course.
You can find detailed descriptions of our facilities on our website, including laboratory space, recording studios, clean room and computing classrooms.
You will be based in the Department of Electronic Engineering, on Campus West.
Most of your contact hours will be in the Department of Electronic Engineering, with some additional teaching on Campus West.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Your assignments will be designed not just to test you but for you to creatively apply what you've learned, and to stretch you to supply novel solutions. We use a variety of assessment styles, including exams, coursework and practical engineering tasks. You'll encounter all of them during your course, but the exact balance will depend on the modules you choose:
You'll receive written feedback on work you hand in to help you understand your grade and develop your skills. For your individual project you'll produce a written report, have a viva (a presentation and question/answer session) and also show your project on our demo day, which our external advisory board attend.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exams | 56% | 28% | 17% | 0% | 8% |
| Coursework | 20% | 72% | 75% | 100% | 92% |
| Practical exams | 24% | 0% | 8% | 0% | 0% |
The figures above are based on data from 2016/17.
The course offers a great balance between theoretical and applied engineering that I was able to apply in my year in industry, an opportunity I would encourage you to take.Noor, MEng Electronic Engineering (with a year in industry)
The growth of the electronics industry means demand for new engineers is always high. We have the highest proportion of graduates finding employment within one year of finishing their studies (UK engineering and technology graduates LEO data set, June 2017). Our students enter a wide range of jobs, not just in electronic engineering, but in a variety of related fields such as software programming and hardware development
For those wishing to take different career paths, the transferable skills you'll develop are highly valuable. Mathematics, programming, team working and technical management are sought after in a huge range of sectors, from media to financial services. Recent employers have included Jaguar Land Rover, IBM, Qinetiq, ARM, BBC, BT and Network Rail. Find out more about our graduate destinations and graduate profiles.
| Qualification | Typical offer |
|---|---|
| A levels | AAA including Maths. Your other two subjects can be any. We welcome arts and humanities subjects. |
| BTEC National Extended Diploma | Pass with Distinction in Higher National Certificate or Higher National Diploma in Electronic and Electrical Engineering or a related subject. BTEC National Extended Diploma in Engineering with an overall grade of DDD and A level Maths grade A. All applicants need Distinction in Further Maths for Technicians and Distinction in Electrical/Electronic Principles. We do consider applications from people offering combinations of A levels and BTEC subsidiary diplomas, contact us for more advice. BTEC Extended Diplomas in ICT, Music Technology or Applied Science are not suitable for entry into the first year of our courses. However we do welcome applicants with those qualifications for our courses that include a foundation year, see other qualifications below. Students taking BTEC National Extended Diploma in Engineering but not doing A level Maths will be considered for our degree with Foundation year, but the final decision on which course is most appropriate will be made at interview. |
| Cambridge Pre-U | D3, D3, D3 including Mathematics |
| International Baccalaureate | 36 points overall with grade 6 in Maths at Higher Level. |
| Other qualifications | If your qualifications are not suitable for direct entry to one of our degree courses but you think you have the potential to succeed, see our BEng Music Technology Systems with a Foundation Year. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
For our Music Technology courses, you should be able to demonstrate a motivation towards making or recording music. You can tell us about your musical interests in your UCAS personal statement. If you are based in the UK and are invited to interview, we will discuss your musical interests and motivation as part of the interview process.
Some examples of how you could demonstrate this would be:
Meeting the following additional criteria may qualify you for an alternative offer.
| Criteria | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Widening participation | If you successfully complete one of the following programmes, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to three A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer: Next Step York, Realising Opportunities, YESS. More about widening participation. |
| Contextual offers | If you have experience of local authority care or live in an area with low progression to university, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to two A level grades (or equivalent) below our typical offer. More about contextual offers. |
| EPQ | If you achieve C or higher at EPQ, you may be eligible for an alternative offer up to one A level grade (or equivalent) below our typical offer. |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Qualification | Minimum requirement |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.0, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component |
| PTE Academic | 55, with a minimum of 51 in each component |
| GCSE/IGCSE/O level English Language (as a first or second language) | Grade C |
| C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency | 169, with a minimum of 162 in each component |
| TOEFL | 79 overall, with a minimum of 17 in Listening, 18 in Reading, 20 in Speaking, 17 in Writing |
| Trinity ISE III | Pass in all components |
| Duolingo | 100 overall, with a minimum of 90 in each component |
For more information see our undergraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current IELTS scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
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