BSc (Hons) Audio Software Engineering
London, United Kingdom
BSc
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 17,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* non-EU/EEA/swiss students 2-year accelarated programme
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.
What you can expect from your 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.
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.
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.
1st Trimester
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.
- Principles of Audio
- C++ Programming
2nd Trimester
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.
- Designing Sound
- Audio Signal Processing
3rd Trimester
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.
- Creative Studio 1
4th Trimester
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.
- Creative Studio 2
5th Trimester
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.
- Advanced Specialised Project
- Research and Development
6th Trimester
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.
- BSc (Hons) Audio Software Engineering Major Project
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 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
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.