Audio

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

If you’re keen to develop software with a particular focus on sound and audio, SAE’s BSc (Hons) Audio Software Engineering is the course for you. This one-of-a-kind degree blends the technical with the creative, as you learn advanced skills in audio DSP, C++ programming and plugin development.

Launching: September 2026

Campuses

Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Leeds

Fees

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

Domestic Fees

London

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

£11,440 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

£9,535 per year

_{The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.}

Glasgow

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

£9,000 per year

_{You may also be eligible for a bursary or discount, please enquire with our friendly Admissions Team.}

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

£7,500 per year

_{You may also be eligible for a bursary or discount, please enquire with our friendly Admissions Team.}

Liverpool

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

£11,440 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

£9,535 per year

_{The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.}

Leeds

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

£11,440 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

£9,535 per year

Scholarship available:

Yes – click here to apply

_{The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.}

Leamington Spa

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

£11,440 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

£9,535 per year

_{The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.}

Enquire now

Not a domestic student?

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

International Fees

London

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £16,500 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £12,500 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £15,750 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £11,250 per year

_{*Student visa required}

_{For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU Students Bursary Policy.}

Glasgow

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £16,500 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £12,500 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £15,750 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £11,250 per year

_{*Student visa required}

_{For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU Students Bursary Policy.}

Liverpool

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £16,500 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £12,500 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £15,750 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £11,250 per year

_{*Student visa required}

_{For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU Students Bursary Policy.}

Leamington Spa

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £16,500 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £12,500 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £15,750 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £11,250 per year

_{*Student visa required}

_{For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU Students Bursary Policy.}

Leeds

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £16,500 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £12,500 per year

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

International students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*: £15,750 per year
EU/EEA/Swiss students*: £11,250 per year

_{*Student visa required}

_{For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU Students Bursary Policy.}

Enquire now

Not a international student?

Duration(s)

2 years full-time (Accelerated)

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

Course Durations

2 years full-time (Accelerated)

3 years full-time

Start Date(s)

September 2026

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

Start Dates

Glasgow

September 2026

Liverpool

September 2026

London

September 2026

Leeds

September 2026

Enquire now

Entry Requirements

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

Domestic Entry Requirements

Domestic students must meet one of the following criteria:

Degree entry

Offers will be made to applicants who are expected to meet, or exceed the entry requirements below, in addition to supplying a personal statement:

72 UCAS points

GCSE level A* - C in English 9 - 4 (or equivalent). For students studying in Scotland this is equivalent to National 5, C grade

Personal statement

Non-standard entry routes

SAE Institute will accept non-standard entry applications, which do not meet the 72 UCAS points or equivalent, and/or maths/English at level 2 or equivalent as required:

Portfolio of related work - This could include recordings, films, sketch books, a blog or any suitable medium that gives you the best opportunity to show us your creative potential.

Successful pass mark achieved via the SAE UK Maths test

Academic Essay

Further Domestic Entry Information

For more information, please look at our Domestic Entry page

Domestic Entry Requirements

Enquire now

Not a domestic student?

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

International Entry Requirements

Non-UK Applicants

English language requirements

Students whose first language is not English will need a qualification that demonstrates competence in English, equivalent to UK GCSE (Level 2) grade 4 (c) or above.

Equivalent qualifications can be accepted, where these qualifications have been verified by ENIC and are adopted widely within the UK Higher Education sector, including:

IELTS (UKVI or Academic) (minimum 5.5 in all components and an overall score of 6.0)

Pearson Test of English (minimum 59 in all subscores)

Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (minimum grade C)

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) (minimum grade B)

Cambridge English: Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (B2 First) – minimum grade C

TOEFL (IBT or IBT Home Edition online) 72 overall with the following component scores: Listening – 17 Writing – 17 Speaking – 20 Reading – 18

LanguageCert ESOL examinations:

International ESOL C1 Expert – pass in all four components
International ESOL SELT B2 (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) – minimum 33 in all components
ESOL Integrated Skills in English II – pass in all components

• IELTS Indicator* (online) – minimum 5.5 in all components and an overall score of 6.0
_{*Accepted on exceptional basis for the applicants whose local test centres are affected by
closures due to Covid-19}

Further International Entry Information

For more information, please look at our International Entry page

International Entry Requirements

Enquire now

Not a international student?

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR AUDIO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEGREE

SAE’s BSc (Hons) Audio Software Engineering sits at the crossroads of sound and code – a space where you can turn creative ideas into a technical reality. If you’re ready to explore programming through an audio lens, this software engineering and audio degree gives you a strong understanding of digital signal processing (DSP) and an excellent foundation in the disciplines of both audio and software development.

The global demand for audio software developers is growing. If you’re a musician who codes, developer who loves sound, or creative looking to drive the entertainment and tech industries forward, SAE will give you the space, knowledge and community to do just that. Mixing theory, industry engagement and self-directed practical projects, you’ll get a thorough overview of your areas of interest across 9 industry-leading modules.

Audio Software Engineering course London

With the perfect blend of programming and audio/music production embedded throughout the curriculum, this unique audio software engineering degree course manages to balance the technical with the creative – something not often achieved in UK audio software engineering degrees which can be too focused on either coding or music. Your learning will be supported by SAE’s expert tutors – renowned professionals with notable experience in audio development, DSP, software engineering and creative technologies.

Whether you’re dreaming of building the next big music app, audio plugin, game, interactive media project or DAW, this course teaches you to use the tools to make it happen, giving you the skills to code the future of sound. Across your time with us, you’ll explore the building blocks of audio software – coding, algorithms, synthesis, DSP and AI – turning ideas into real-world software applications. In the process you’ll become familiar with industry-standard programming languages and platforms such as C++, MATLAB, Max/MSP, Pure Data, JUCE, GitHub, JetBrains CLion and CMake.

As with all SAE degrees, collaboration is at the heart of the course. You’ll team up with musicians, music producers, game developers, filmmakers and animators from other SAE programmes to bring your audio and software into vibrant new creative contexts – building an impressive portfolio in the process.

Female Student coding

Towards the end of your software engineering and audio degree, you’ll complete a Major Project, delving deeply into a topic of your choosing. Upon graduation, you’ll have the skills, knowledge, contacts and confidence to launch your audio software engineering career – hitting the ground running across whichever exciting environment you end up in.

The back of a pair of students working on recording a track.

What you'll learn

At the end of your degree in audio software engineering, you’ll have:

Built a solid technical foundation in software development, with a focus on audio-specific tools and environments.
Explored principles of sound theory, psychoacoustics, synthesis and signal processing.
Developed fluency in key programming languages including C++, MATLAB, Max/MSP and Pure Data.
Collaborated with students from other SAE and ICMP disciplines to get hands on across real-world creative projects.
Learned how to integrate AI and machine learning tools into audio workflows.
Built a compelling, technically robust portfolio of projects that showcase your audio software engineering skills.
Graduated career-ready, with practical and technical experience in the creative industries and a degree from a recognised institute.
Audio software engineering degree courses begin in January and September.

What your course structure will look like

The BSc (Hons) Audio Software Engineering degree is a fast-tracked 2-year accelerated audio software engineering degree programme taught across 6 trimesters. Its structure follows 3 distinct stages – each designed to help you develop specific skills. Splitting it this way means you graduate as a well-rounded creative professional with a thorough understanding of the entire audio and software engineering process.

• Stage 1 (T1 and T2) provides a foundation of core audio and software engineering technical knowledge.
• Stage 2 (T3 and T4) broadens your skills, exploring new audio and programming areas.
• Stage 3 (T5 and T6) is all-encompassing, covering every aspect of audio and software engineering from conception to completion, including self-directed industry and research projects.

graphic explanation of how the SAE courses are delivered

Trimester/Semester 1

At the start of your degree, you’ll learn core technical skills across software engineering and audio production that will set you up for the rest of your course.

During the Principles of Audio module, you’ll be introduced to the concept of sound as a physical phenomenon, as you learn to predict its behaviour in different situations. Using Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) for recording and editing, you’ll also explore the fundamental theories of audio production, as you develop a core understanding of key maths and physics models to support your learning. A highly practical course, you’ll familiarise yourself with the concepts of signal routing and the basic applications of microphones and loudspeakers, including the set-up of sound reinforcement systems.

Topics include:
• Sound theory
• Decibels
• Acoustics and psychoacoustics
• Introduction to Pro Tools
• Sequencing environments
• Equalisation (EQ), effects and dynamic range processors
• Basic audio signal routing and wiring
• Electronics
• Cabling and connections
• Live sound

In this module, you’ll learn the basic foundations of C++ – one of the world’s most popular programming languages and the one used consistently across audio software development. You’ll get active working on real-world projects, taking part in coding challenges with your fellow students and exploring a range of integrated development environments (IDEs). As you deconstruct and reverse engineer audio projects, you’ll develop your computational thinking and supercharge your design skills – ready to get creative in the next stage of your audio software engineering degree course.

Topics include:
• How to set up an IDE
• Variables and data types
• Functions, pointers and classes
• Enumeration, structs and casting
• Console apps

Trimester/Semester 2

As you continue the course, you’ll develop your technical skills by exploring the theory behind the practice, and applying your knowledge across a number of projects to boost your industry portfolio.

In this module, you’ll analyse sounds and soundscapes, deconstructing them piece by piece before remaking them using pure synthesis techniques. You’ll also explore Ableton Live in more detail, getting to grips with this hugely popular DAW. Next you’ll get creative with prototyping – taking part in digital audio projects in areas that interest you, such as the development of virtual instruments or software plugins.

Topics include:
• Graphical programming
• Synthesis and sampling
• Max/MSP
• Pure Data
• Critical listening

Across this module, you’ll have fun coding your own audio effects software plugins in software environments such as JUCE and MATLAB. As you learn the theory behind audio signal processing, you’ll extend this into the practical realm by creating a number of small plugins that will become the foundation of your creative portfolio.

Topics include:
• Developing audio effects
• Creating processing plugins
• JUCE
• MATLAB

Trimester/Semester 3

Across Stage 2, you’ll work in an audio and software engineering creative environment by taking part in real-world interdisciplinary project briefs, while building your teamwork skills. SAE’s practical Creative Studio approach sees you involved in assessment activities that reflect current industry practices.

In this module, you’ll undertake your first collaborative cross-discipline project in the field of audio programming for games. You’ll liaise with SAE and ICMP students from other courses, such as Game Art and Animation, Audio Production, Games Programming and Audio Engineering and Production, to develop a creative project of your choice. Using industry-standard audio software development project management workflows, you’ll focus on game audio implementation across your project, as you delve into an area of key personal interest.

Topics could cover:
• Sound design and editing
• Object-oriented programming
• Foley recording
• Audio tool development
• Immersive audio

Trimester/Semester 4

This trimester, you’ll build your collaborative skills through group work as you get hands on with your fellow students. You’ll discover professional workflows used across the creative industries as you improve your theoretical knowledge and practical abilities, and develop your portfolio.

In Creative Studio 2, you’ll take the collaboration up a notch to develop a creative audio app project of your choosing in a software engineering team environment. You’ll combine advanced audio applications knowledge and skills with business acumen to create an exciting artefact for your portfolio – likely a software plugin or virtual instrument. Exploring entrepreneurial aspects like marketing, financial viability, audience analysis, market segments, profitability and sustainability, you’ll work with students from other SAE/ICMP disciplines to bring your creative proposal to life before completing a business analysis of your idea.

Topics could cover:
• Advanced audio tools and techniques
• Performance analysis
• Version control and collaboration
• Deployment
• Business planning
• Marketing

Trimester/Semester 5

As you move toward the end of your audio software engineering degree, you’ll consolidate your learning to date, choosing specific areas of professional interest to concentrate on. Doing this allows you to gain a much deeper understanding of your chosen fields.

Across this module, you’ll develop a sophisticated self-directed project to a proficient standard in your chosen field of specialism across the audio software engineering spectrum. You’ll concentrate on an area you’re really passionate about – which could be audio networking, embedded technologies or something else entirely – and your project could take the form of a live project brief courtesy of an industry sponsor. In preparation for your final trimester, you’ll also refine your skills, develop connections with industry professionals and create a portfolio that showcases your vast expertise.

Topics could cover:
• Industry-sponsored projects
• Programming environments
• Game audio
• Immersive audio
• Machine learning
• Electroacoustic music

In the Research and Development module, you’ll start to prepare for the Major Project you’ll undertake at the end of your studies. With guidance from our SAE Experts, you’ll craft a project proposal and develop a thesis on your choice of topic. You’ll also gain crucial research and professional skills you can use when pursuing further academic studies or launching a career in the creative industries.

Topics could cover:
• Theoretical analysis
• Research skills
• Thesis writing
• Presentation skills
• Industry engagement

Trimester/Semester 6

In the final module of your degree in audio software engineering, you’ll showcase the academic and practical skills you’ve acquired across your time at SAE via an impressive advanced-level industry project.

During your final stage of SAE study, you’ll complete a Major Project in the field of audio software engineering. This immersive module lets you perfect your audio software engineering skills in your area of choice to create something truly special. The design and scope of this project will have been completed in previous modules earlier on in your studies. Use your Major Project to build an audio plugin, market a music app, make crucial industry connections or all of the above.

University of Hertfordshire

Level 6 This programme is being developed by SAE Institute and will be delivered and assessed by SAE Institute. The programme is currently subject to validation. However, upon completing this process, will be awarded by and quality assured by University of Hertfordshire.

A close-up of a compilation of headphones hanging on a wall.

YOUR DREAM CAREER BEGINS NOW

With our industry connections, specialised teachers and personalised education in world-class facilities, you can unleash your creative future with an Audio Software Engineering degree.

Tools & Software

WHY STUDY AUDIO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AT SAE?

Accelerated learning

Finish your accelerated audio software engineering degree in just 2 years, so you can hit the job market sooner and save on living and course costs.

Our accelerated degrees explained

Future Focused

Explore AI, immersive sound and many other emerging trends to stay ahead of the curve in a fast-moving industry.

Explore more

A close-up of a tutor teaching a class about creative media.

Expert tution

Learn from SAE’s sound engineer, coder and audio specialist tutors for a strong start to your industry career.

Meet your mentors

Creative community

Collaborate as part of our vast network of creative individuals, bringing your ideas to life with musicians, game developers, filmmakers and animators.

START YOUR AUDIO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CAREER TODAY

Apply to study our BSc (Hons) Audio Software Engineering degree now and build the future of sound.

A close-up of a student smiling whilst operating a sound desk in a recording studio.

Career Outcomes

What Jobs will this course lead to?

The BSs (Hons) Audio Software Engineering degree has been developed in collaboration with key players across the creative industries. Jobs you’ll be suited to once you graduate include:

Audio programmer
Audio software developer
Sound app developer
Audio plugin designer
DSP engineer
Game audio developer
AR/VR audio programmer
Machine learning audio engineer
Creative technologist
Audio UX designer
Audio middleware engineer
Generative audio artist

Enquire today!

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Audio

BSC (Hons) Audio Software Engineering

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

Scholarship available:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

TWO-YEAR ACCELERATED DEGREE:

THREE-YEAR DEGREE:

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM YOUR AUDIO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING DEGREE

What you'll learn

What your course structure will look like

YOUR DREAM CAREER BEGINS NOW

Tools & Software

WHY STUDY AUDIO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AT SAE?

Accelerated learning

Future Focused

Expert tution

Creative community

START YOUR AUDIO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CAREER TODAY

Career Outcomes

What Jobs will this course lead to?

Enquire today!

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