Organized by the Dept. of Information and Communication Technologies of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and linked to its Music Technology Group.

Introduction

Sound and Music Computing (SMC) is an interdisciplinary field that takes in the whole sound communication chain, from the creation and generation of sounds to their transmission and their perception. By combining scientific, technological and artistic methodologies and computational approaches, this academic area deals with the understanding, modelling and generation of sound and music. The basic academic disciplines are related to music (composition, performance, musicology), physics (acoustics), engineering (signal processing, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, electronics) and psychology (psychoacoustics, experimental psychology, neurosciences). Current areas of application include musical instruments, music production, music information retrieval, digital music libraries, interactive multimedia systems and auditory interfaces. The UPF Master's Degree in Sound and Music Computing focuses on the more technical aspects of this field. 

Objectives

This master's program aims to train the professionals who will shape sound and music computing in the new information society. By bringing together practice and theory in a wide variety of subjects, the program offers the necessary scientific and technological background to embark on a professional career. More specifically, this program provides its students with a grounding in the most advanced technologies for the analysis, synthesis, transformation, and production of sound and music, and also in the technologies and processes that support sound and musical creation.

Apart from the specific competences acquired, there are a number of transversal ones that are also developed in this master:

• Capacities of planning and execution of research/development plans.
• Acquisition, management, and transmission of methodological, technical and aesthetic knowledge.
• Capacities to carry out teamwork in academic and industrial contexts.
• Development of a critical view for taking technical, methodological, economic, aesthetic and deontological professional decisions.
• Communicative and creative abilities.

Academic structure

Students are required to take 40 credits in compulsory and optional subjects, and to complete a master's thesis, which is worth 20 credits. Through the thesis project, students are introduced to the field of research, and the thesis must make an original contribution to this field. Depending on the previous education and specific interests, the student might be required to take extra credits and extend the duration of the Master to two years, taking up to 50 of complementary credits from advanced undergraduate courses. The specific courses to take are decided between the tutor and the student in accordance with the student background and specialization desired.

Language

English.

Program Coordinator

 Xavier Serra (MTG-UPF)

General Information

For additional information about the Master consult this page.

Location

Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Department of Information and Communication Technologies
Tànger building (Poblenou Campus)
Tànger 122-140
08018 Barcelona
Spain