Major Overview

Description

Electronic Music and Sound Design is a creative-focused major. Students develop expertise in electronic music composition, sound design and production, programming, and software/hardware instrument design—skills applicable to a range of creative and technical professions. Studio and lab-based units permit students to think creatively, to invent and to innovate, exploring and developing ideas toward the formation of new electronic music and sound art works. The Electronic Music and Sound Design major culminates in a major project of the student's choosing, such as an album of electronic works, a sound installation, a film score, or live performance.

Outcomes

Students are able to:

  1. demonstrate an established compositional technique with respect to rhythm, harmony and form, identify relevant historical and stylistic conventions
  2. articulate broad historical perspectives on the nature and contexts of electronic music and sound art,
  3. critically engage with key works from the early twentieth century to the present day
  4. demonstrate understanding of the physical properties of sound
  5. demonstrate an experimental and creative orientation in the production and presentation of original electronic music and sound artworks
  6. develop specialised sound design techniques applicable in key industries of film/tv, documentary, commercials and video gaming
  7. develop specialised computer programming techniques for the development of custom interactive software and hardware instruments
  8. develop transferable skills in creative and critical thinking, research, project planning and presentation.
Broadening guidelines

All students studying towards a Bachelor's Degree at UWA are required to Broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests. Many of you will be able to undertake more than this minimum amount of broadening study and we encourage you to do so if this suits your aspirations. Over the next few months you will find here some broadening suggestions related to your degree-specific major. While we know that many students value guidance of this sort, these are only suggestions and students should not lose sight of the opportunity to explore that is afforded by your Broadening Choices. Advice can also be sought from your Allocated Student Advising Office.

Incompatibilities

MJD-MUSDM Music

Courses

Music: Electronic Music and Sound Design can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:

Units

Key to availability of units:
S1
Semester 1
S2
Semester 2

Level 1

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (18 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 MUSC1054 Music Theory for Electronic Musicians None
S2 MUSC1055 Electronic Music: Methods and Means None
S2 MUSC1350 Popular Music in Global Perspective
Incompatibility
MUSC3010 Popular Music and Culture

Level 2

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (24 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 MUSC2273 Electronic Music: Generative Processes
Prerequisites
MUSC1055 Electronic Music: Methods and Means
or CITS1001 Software Engineering with Java
or CITX1001 Software Engineering with Java
Incompatibility
MUSC2275 Electronic Music: Interactive Systems
S1 MUSC2274 Electronic Music: Sampling and Synthesis
Prerequisites
MUSC1055 Electronic Music: Methods and Means
or MUSC1442 Contemporary Popular Music Principal Studies 2
S2 MUSC2276 Sound, Image and Space
Prerequisites
MUSC1055 Electronic Music: Methods and Means
S2 MUSC2277 Electronic Music: Interactive Systems
Prerequisites
MUSC2273 Electronic Music: Generative Processes

Level 3

Degree-specific major units

Take all units (18 points):

Availability Unit code Unit name unit requirements
S1 MUSC3571 Sound Art: Advanced Studio
Prerequisites
Any two units selected from: MUSC2273 Electronic Music: Generative Processes.
MUSC2274 Electronic Music: Experimental Investigations.
MUSC2276 Sound, Image and Space.
MUSC2277 Electronic Music: Interactive Systems
S1, S2 MUSC3572 Sound Art: Major Project
Prerequisites
MUSC3571 Sound Art: Advanced Studio