Bachelor of Music (Creative Technology)

The Bachelor of Music (Creative Technology) at The Australian Institute of Music is a three-year degree for musicians who want to make sound with computers as fluently as they do with an instrument. You study music itself, theory, aural skills, history, performance, alongside the technology side: recording, production, sound design, electronic composition and the software and hardware that make all of it happen. It suits someone who writes songs in a bedroom studio, scores to picture, builds beats, or wants to work in game audio, and wants a proper music education behind it rather than just a folder of plugins.

How the degree is structured

Australian bachelor degrees are normally three years of full-time study, and this one follows that shape. You enrol in units of study each semester or trimester, and each unit carries credit points. You accumulate credit points across the degree and need a set total to graduate. Expect a mix of core units everyone takes, music theory, ear training, music history, studio practice, and electives or specialisations that let you push toward production, electronic performance, composition for media, or sound for games. Assessment is usually a blend of finished creative work, studio and performance tasks, written assignments and exams. The exact unit list, credit point values and semester or trimester pattern change from time to time, so confirm the current structure on the official page.

Skills you build

You learn to record and mix to a professional standard, to program and arrange in a DAW, to design sound for film, TV and games, and to compose with synthesis and sampling. You also learn to talk about music, to analyse it, write about it, and defend your creative decisions. Performance doesn't disappear; many students keep playing and collaborating with other musicians throughout. By the end you should be able to take a project from a rough idea to a finished, release-ready piece of work, and to work with others in a studio or production team without needing to be told what a compressor does.

Who it suits

This is for school leavers with a serious music habit and for people who have been making music on their own and want formal training. You'll usually need to audition or submit a portfolio, so check what AIM asks for. International applicants need to meet the English requirement, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the institute's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. While studying on a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight, and after graduating you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 111579M, check there and on the official page for current fees, intake dates and entry requirements.

• Music producer or beatmaker working with artists, labels or independently
• Studio engineer or assistant engineer in recording studios
• Sound designer for film, television, advertising and online content
• Game audio designer or implementer for game studios
• Electronic music artist or live performer
• Composer for screen, media and installations
• Podcast and audio post-production editor
• Live sound engineer or touring production technician
• Music software or hardware support, sales and training
• Content creator producing music and audio for online platforms

Australian employers in these areas include recording studios, post-production houses, game developers, advertising and media agencies, arts organisations, music retailers and distributors, and the live events and festival sector. Some graduates go on to further study or teaching.