Course Summary
Course Category: PLC (Further Education - FET) - Apply directly to College
This one-year course is designed to give students an introduction to the world of sound engineering, the media and the music industry. This course is designed to provide a combination of practical and theoretical tuition in all aspects of digital sound engineering and event production. Students will work in a fully equipped digital studio and be involved in the production of live performance recording.
The overall aim of the course is to educate students for a variety of career opportunities within the audio industry and related areas. It also aims for students to gain a broad appreciation of the technology; every year more hardware and software becomes available to create music and teach students about music. It’s a hands-on, skills-based course which equips students with a fundamental knowledge of the common applications of music technology.
Course Details
This course prepares you for working in the following Career Sectors:
What will you study?
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Sound Engineering and Production
Radio Programming and Production
Music Technology
Work Experience
Word Processing
Music Industry Studies
Music Performance
Ethnomusicology
Teamworking
Modules are subject to change due to availability and demand.
Important
- Colleges may add/remove modules to keep the course updated and to meet demands.
- Almost all PLC courses have a Work Experience module, which requires students to find their own placement in an area directly related to their course.
Progression to CAO Courses
Higher Education Links Scheme (HELS)
This course leads to a QQI Major Award, and provides progression opportunities to a number of Higher Education courses, including those in the CAO.
To view CAO courses to which this award provides a possible progression route, click below:
| QQI Code |
| 5M2149 |
To calculate Points based on your QQI award results, use the PLC Points Calculator.
The Student - Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Realist
Realists are usually interested in 'things' - such as buildings, mechanics, equipment, tools, electronics etc. Their primary focus is dealing with these - as in building, fixing, operating or designing them. Involvement in these areas leads to high manual skills, or a fine aptitude for practical design - as found in the various forms of engineering.
Realists like to find practical solutions to problems using tools, technology and skilled work. Realists usually prefer to be active in their work environment, often do most of their work alone, and enjoy taking decisive action with a minimum amount of discussion and paperwork.
Further Research
National Statistics for this Award (All Ireland)
The following data provides general information about this Award from colleges across Ireland.
Disclaimer: These links are to web sites outside of CareersPortal and we accept no responsibility for the information on them.
Career Progression
Students may seek immediate employment in the music industry. Typical career opportunities are in the areas of sound engineering, music production and recording, live sound production, and audio technology, or in a range of companies and projects that seek graduates with an engineering aptitude. The course will provide you with a qualification that has many applications within the music and audio industries. Students can also progress to Ballyfermot Rock School, First Arts in Maynooth University, where there are over 175 places available.
There are also places in DCU, TU Dublin, Tallaght IT, Dun Laoghaire IADT, UCC, Cork IT, Shannon College and other colleges. This industry and employers now seek qualified and competent personnel. Graduates may also pursue courses in colleges and ITs around the country or in the UK.