Programme Description

In recognition of a shared interest in Information Technology and a growing awareness of its relevance for music, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and Music initiated Postgraduate Diploma and Masters programmes in Music and Media Technologies in Trinity in 1996.

A particular feature of these programmes is a balanced approach to musical and technological topics. Musically, a strong emphasis is placed on the development of adaptable compositional skills, while technological topics are addressed from both a hands-on workstation/studio exposure and a fundamental mathematical and scientific basis, which focuses on musically relevant issues.

The first year is a self-contained Postgraduate Diploma course which provides the necessary musical and technological skills to allow creative individuals to engage in computer-assisted composition and production, apply software tools for the music and New Media industries and/or enter the arena of `music-on-screen´ production for New Media products.

Continuing to a second year of study toward a M.Phil. degree is an option, which is open to those achieving a sufficient standard in their Postgraduate Diploma exams. The second year combines first semester taught courses with project work in the second semester, and generally has a greater research orientation. The second semester project can be of a musical or technological nature.

Both programmes cover a wide range of subjects within the general field of music technology, and provide students with a fully professional qualification. The work is intensive and these programmes cannot be undertaken part-time.

Upon graduation, MMT students have found employment in a wide range of domains. This is entirely understandable given the scope of the programme and the diversity of the students backgrounds. The diagram below attempts to give some appreciation of the various activities where graduates have found themselves.

The Internet based industries have been a significant market sector for graduates, though this has slowed in the more recent past. However, it is expected that there will be a more realistic growth of these same industries in forthcoming years and that employment opportunities in this sector will again start to increase.

Teaching and lecturing have been growth employment areas for MMT graduates over the last number of years given that there has been a significant emphasis placed on the establishment of music technology and New Media related courses at second and third levels.

Software development and IT have also provided opportunities for graduates, with audio engineering and Radio/TV production also being relevant employment sectors. As the diagram shows, quite a number of graduates are registered as Professional Musicians/Composers. In many cases these individuals are working independently and are now contributing to more technologically-based productions on a project basis. Thus, many of these are actively, professionally engaged in what has been referred to as New Media sectors.

Significantly, an analysis of graduates´ employment shows that many who have entered the MMT programme from non-technical (e.g. Arts) backgrounds have now found employment in technology related.