Matt Muirhead
Chair of STEM Committee, Institute of Acoustics
Matt has more than 20 years’ experience in acoustics research and consultancy, specialising in environmental and transportation noise. His role sees him developing standards, advising government and managing a team of acousticians. He is a keen STEM Ambassador and chair of the STEM committee at the Institute of Acoustics. He is always on the lookout for new ways in which to promote the range of exciting and diverse opportunities in the acoustics industry to the next generation.
How to have a career in acoustics – and why it matters
Acoustics is all around you. You’ll find it in the voices of your friends and in the music you hear. It’s in the bus you take to school and in the shake, rattle and roll of your favourite fairground ride.
What do acousticians do?
Acoustics is the generation, manipulation, control, transmission and detection of sound and vibration. Acoustics encompasses diverse and far-ranging applications, such as suppressing unwanted noise and vibration in the built environment and on transport. It includes reproducing music and positive soundscapes, using audible soundwaves and ultrasonics in non-destructive testing and imaging in fluids, gases and elastic solids, medical ultrasonics. And emerging applications such as speech and voice recognition and ultrahaptics technology.
Professional acousticians use their expertise to work in a huge variety of fields. From the design of a recording studio or smart phone audio apps to environmental and workplace noise measurement and control. And from assessing wind farm noise, to car and jet engine design, to name just a few.
Environmental noise is a major health issue, and acousticians can predict these impacts before they happen so that steps can be taken to minimise people’s exposure.
Acoustics has many cross-discipline uses. For example, acoustic monitoring has recently seen a surge in popularity as a scalable alternative to surveying animals in the wild. Audio is analysed with machine learning algorithms to identify species from their vocalisations and other acoustic cues.
The full breadth of acoustics is summarised in Lindsay’s wheel of acoustics.
The acoustics industry, which underpins a vast range of everyday applications, has grown by 13% over the last 6 years. We’re always on the lookout for the next generation of talent.
What are the routes into acoustics?
The specialist field of acoustics mixes people, science and engineering, and impacts everyone’s lives, health and wellbeing. It makes a difference to society and how we live, so offers a fascinating career in which you can exploit your maths and science skills.
To work as a recording engineer, higher education qualifications are increasingly expected. With A levels or an equivalent qualification, such as a BTEC Level 3 National in a relevant subject, you can apply for a degree course.
Some courses may require certain A level subjects such as maths, science or music. For the Tonmeister sandwich degree in music and sound recording at the University of Surrey, normally you need high A level grades in maths, music and physics. And a grade 7 standard in musical performance is desirable.
There are relevant HNC/D and foundation degree courses. These are work-related programmes that normally take 2 years full time, or longer on a part-time basis.
Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES) accredits relevant courses at around 25 universities and colleges on behalf of organisations such as:
- Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS)
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Music Producers Guild (MPG)
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UK Screen Association
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Music Managers’ Forum (MMF)
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PLASA (a membership body for suppliers of technologies and services to the industry)
For a place on the Southampton acoustical engineering courses (and the acoustics with music degree course also available at Southampton) you’ll need A grades in maths and physics at A level. Whilst there is a lesser entry requirement at Salford (grade C in A level maths), the mathematical content of their course is equally demanding.
While graduates from these courses often have successful careers in acoustics-related consultancy, it's possible to be an acoustics consultant without the level of maths required on these courses.
Someone with a degree in engineering or science can do a postgraduate degree programme in acoustics or study for the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control. This requires completion of 4 modules (general principles of acoustics, laboratory and 3 specialisms chosen from building acoustics, environmental noise, regulation and assessment of noise and noise and vibration control engineering) and a project. This is the internationally leading specialist qualification for the professional practitioner in acoustics.
In the UK, successful completion of Diploma modules is recognised by the Universities of Derby, Leeds Beckett, London South Bank and Solent for admission to their acoustics-related MSc courses with exemption from the first year.
Diploma candidates can study the Diploma programme through part-time study (typically through day-release) at an IOA-accredited higher education institution (HEI). Or they can study via tutored distance learning. It depends on individual circumstances. The pattern of study over the year is similar to that of the day-release programme used by many accredited centres. However, distance learning candidates are required to attend 4 days of laboratory schools.
Although the normal entry requirement to the IOA Diploma is a relevant degree, the IOA aims for the Diploma to be as accessible as possible. It accepts entrants with little more than GCSE-equivalent mathematics and physics, supported by relevant professional experience. In this regard, its entrance requirements are more flexible than those for the courses at Salford and Southampton.
A Moodle-based online classroom on the IOA website gives distance learners access to the resources that normally would be available only to Centre-based candidates through their HEI library. And enables them to join the tutorials online.
Being an acoustician also gives you plenty of ways to get involved in encouraging more young people into the industry. This can result in acousticians being involved in a wide variety of activities from mentoring and tutoring through to careers and science fairs and school talks and workshops.
Go to the Institute of AcousticsThe acoustics industry, which underpins a vast range of everyday applications, has grown by 13% over the last 6 years. We’re always on the lookout for the next generation of talent.
