MSc ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL ACOUSTICS

Careers

Employability Service

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

This course can be used as a conversion course for maths, physics, architecture, engineering or audio technology graduates. It's also suitable for professionals from fields such as music production and technology, engineering, environmental health, and many others.

Over the past decade a very high proportion our students have found employment in an acoustics related industry, and one or two outstanding students per year go on to undertake research on our sponsored PhD programme.

The supply of new acoustics graduates from UK universities has rarely met the number of job opportunities available in acoustics consultancy. This is particularly true at the moment, when the industry is struggling to recruit sufficient numbers of graduates within a growing sector.

Russell Richardson, Director, RBA Acoustics

Completion of the MSc satisfies the academic requirement for corporate membership of the Institute of Acoustics. The process of attaining Chartered Engineer status is offered through the Institute of Acoustics or the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

Our past graduates include award winners and successful figures within the industry:

• John Hinton, past president, IOA
• Simon Kahn, Technical Director, Mott MacDonald
• Dani Fiumcelli, Acoustics Technical Director, Temple Group Ltd.
• Russell Richardson, Director, RBA Acoustics
• Peter Mapp, Principal, Peter Mapp Associates

Acousticians work in a great variety of industries and environments and this profession is in high demand, especially in London, thanks to the wide range and speed of new infrastructure development.

Architectural acoustics

Many new buildings need careful acoustic design to make them sound good, protect them from nearby noise sources, and to make them commercially successful. This is especially true for places like concert halls, but equally applicable to universities, residential buildings, leisure centres and many others.

Day-to-day tasks could include: design meetings with architects and other engineers, noise surveys of existing and new sites, design using computer and physical models, communication of the design to the client and design team, project management, site supervision and commissioning of the finished projects. This offers a balance between creative, scientific and practical skills and is a career that will always present new experiences and challenges.

Environmental noise

Noise is a major issue for society: 80 million EU citizens live in unacceptably noisy areas. Environmental health officers consider noise in planning new developments, such as housing affected by noise, or new noisy activities, and enforcement of existing noise concerns including the sources of complaints  from the public.

Consultants in environmental noise work in small specialists firms or large multinational consultancies, including engineering firms. Junior staff measure noise and use computer models to predict noise levels from new developments such as roads, railways and industrial plants. Consultancy can be a demanding job, but one which offers great variety and career progression. (www.ioa.org.uk)

Other areas you could work in include audio engineering, noise control and product sound, musical acoustics, speech and hearing, ultrasound, and underwater acoustics.

If there is a clear link between the number of job ads and growing economic prosperity, then it would appear that the acoustics sector is enjoying something of a boom.

Institute of Acoustics, March 2015

The department has extensive links with industry. This means students have the opportunity to go on site visits, receive guest lectures, take part in research initiatives, go to networking events and collaborate on projects with professionals working in the field. Teaching makes extensive use of industry case studies to demonstrate theory and research techniques. Some of our links include:

• Sharpsredmore Partnership
• Anne Kyyro Quinn Design
• Peter Mapp Associates
• Vanguardia Consultants
• RBA Acoustics
• London Philharmonic Orchestra
• Royal Academy of Music
• Sound Research Labs
• Telent Technical Services

Recent guest lecturers include:

• Peter Mapp, Peter Mapp Associates (PA System Design)
• Bob Peters, AAD Consultants
• Professor Mike Barron, Partner, Fleming and Barron Acoustics Consultants
• Simon Kahn, Technical Director, Mott McDonald Acoustics
• Andrew Parkin, Acoustics Partner, Cundall Acoustics

Accreditation

This course meets the educational requirements for membership of the Institute of Acoustics (IOA). Membership can provide you with contacts and networking opportunities, so it's a good platform on which to build your career. It is also accredited by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).