In your first year, you’ll explore the core principles of sound design, composition, post-production and arrangement, gaining a strong foundation in creative sound for visual media. You’ll work on diverse projects ranging from film and TV scoring to sound walks, gaming libraries and immersive installations. The focus is on developing your artistic identity while understanding industry standards and workflows.

This year also offers the option to complete your studies with a HE Certificate, equivalent to the first year of the BA.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of Year 1, you will be able to:

• Understand key audiovisual industries and how to navigate them as a creative professional.
• Apply appropriate software, hardware and workflow tools to meet creative briefs.
• Develop a critical understanding of sound and music within cultural, social and political contexts.
• Learn how technology shapes composition, production and engineering processes.
• Balance personal creative goals with external client and collaborator needs.

In your second year, you’ll deepen the knowledge gained in Year 1 and refine your creative voice across advanced sound and music practices. You’ll experiment with game audio, studio production, linear and non-linear composition, and spatial sound, while tackling complex, interdisciplinary briefs. This year pushes you to take creative risks, strengthen your professional profile, and situate your work within broader artistic and industry contexts.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of Year 2, you will be able to:

• Understand and apply advanced techniques for film, game, spatial and interactive audio production.
• Manage your creative and professional profile across artistic and commercial settings.
• Plan, develop and problem-solve across increasingly complex and collaborative projects.
• Take calculated creative risks and refine your individual artistic approach.
• Relate your personal practice to wider social, cultural and industry contexts.

In your final year, you’ll consolidate your skills and artistic voice by designing and executing your own creative project from concept to public release. You’ll define your production vision, explore professional opportunities, and prepare to launch your career. Through mentorship and collaboration, you’ll set your own brief, refine your workflow, and shape your creative practice into a clear, purposeful direction.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of Year 3, you will be able to:

• Transform your accumulated learning into a focused and distinctive artistic direction.
• Manage and deliver full-scale creative projects from concept to public presentation.
• Develop strategies for professional visibility, networking, and client collaboration.
• Push creative and technical boundaries beyond industry expectations.
• Establish a sustainable professional framework aligned with your future path.

All applicants will be asked to provide: personal and educational information, documentation of their education experience, a portfolio, and a personal introduction (which can be submitted as a written statement of motivation or a video/audio clip). Visit our How To Apply page for more detail.

Minimum entry requirements

- Standard entry: graduation from high school at a level which would normally permit entry to university in the country where it was gained. This would be A-Levels in the UK and the Abitur in Germany, for example.

- Non-standard entry: We recognise that not all education happens in the classroom and it may be possible to admit you through a non-standard access route. If you do not possess the required formal qualification, but have acquired relevant professional or life experience, please contact our Admissions team.

- Language: The language of instruction in all our courses is English and applicants must demonstrate a level equal to IELTS 6 (equivalent to B2 in Germany and other EU countries). You can either submit a language certificate or can take our free 90 min online test.

For more information, please contact our Admissions team and we’d be happy to discuss your opportunities to come study with us.

Course start: Mid-September 2026
Applications open: Mid-October 2025

Application deadlines

Visa-required applicants

Applicants from countries requiring a visa before entering Germany:

• Priority deadline: 28 February 2026 (includes early enrolment bonus and visa support)
• General deadline: 30 April 2026 (subject to visa processing time)

EU/visa-exempt or post-arrival applicants:

Applicants from EU/EEA, Switzerland, or countries allowing visa-free entry (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea):

• Priority deadline: 31 March 2026 (includes early enrolment bonus & guaranteed spot)
• General deadline: 5 June 2026
• Late applications: Until 28 August 2026 (subject to availability)

Priority deadlines & early enrolment bonus

Apply by the priority deadline to secure your place and receive a €3,000 discount on your total tuition.
Early enrolment gives you early access to our visa support service and allows us to plan group sizes and resources in advance.

What does “visa” or “visa-exempt” mean?

• Visa-required: If you require a visa before entering Germany (e.g. citizens of India, Brazil, Mexico, China, Turkey), you must apply at a German embassy before arrival. Our Visa Support Service (included in the enrolment fee) supports you with paperwork, appointments and timelines. Visa processing can take 3–6 months, so early application is essential.
• Post-arrival visa: If you're from a country that allows visa-free entry (e.g. USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea), you can enter Germany without a visa and apply for your student residence permit after arrival.
• Visa-exempt (EU/EEA/Switzerland): If you're a citizen of the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you don't need a visa or residence permit to study in Germany.

You can check your visa requirements here.

Payment options*

• Per semester: €5,528
• Annual payment: €10,723 per year (3% discount)
• Flexible plans: Monthly and extended payment options available
• Upfront discount: Save 8% on total tuition when paying in full
• For detailed payment plans please download the Course Guide

*Enrolment fee: €895 per study year (non-refundable, due before each academic year begins). Visa support is included as part of the enrolment fee.

Scholarships & financial support

• Eligible for BAföG and other national funding schemes you can check here.
• €6,000 scholarships available – applied across all three years (€2,000/year)
• With scholarships and extended payment plans, tuition can be reduced to as low as €670/month, spread across four years (including one year post-graduation)

Early enrolment bonus - apply early to save €3,000 off your total tuition

Early enrolment secures your place, helps us plan group sizes and facilities, and gives you more time to prepare for your move to Berlin. You’ll benefit from a €1,000 tuition reduction each year.

• Visa-required students: Apply by 28 February 2026
• EU & visa-exempt students: Apply by 31 March 2026

Note: early enrolment bonuses cannot be combined with scholarships.

Multiple-course bonus:

If you decide to enrol in both a 4-week Summer Short Course and a degree course with us in within two years, you will receive a discount of 500€ on the total tuition.

Funding opportunities

As an officially accredited higher education institute based in Berlin, Catalyst offers access to a range of national funding opportunities for eligible students, such as BAföG.
Visit our funding guide to explore the most common options available to our students, both in Germany and across Europe.

Get a feel for Catalyst and our courses at a range of both online and in-person events. Join us at a Virtual Open Day or an Open Day at our campus in Berlin, chat to our programme leads at Meet The Tutor, or try a taster workshop. 

As an officially accredited higher education institute based in Berlin, Catalyst offers access to a range of national funding opportunities for eligible students, including BAföG and other public financial aid schemes available across Germany and the EU.

In addition to public funding, Catalyst offers a variety of scholarships designed to support diversity, equity, and access in the creative arts. These include:

• General and school-specific scholarships across all Bachelor's and Master's programmes
• Up to €6,000 in tuition support for Bachelor’s students (spread over three years)
• Relocation support scholarships for international students moving to Berlin

To learn more about these opportunities and how to apply, visit our full guide to Funding Your Studies.

1. Cultural sound & heritage scholarship

For composers and sound designers using music or sound to explore, reinterpret or preserve cultural traditions, community histories or personal heritage in screen contexts.

Who it’s for

Students drawing from non-Western, diasporic or regional sonic traditions to create new work, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds in music education and production.

Eligibility criteria

• Engagement with sound practices rooted in specific cultural or community traditions
• Interest in blending traditional forms with contemporary production
• A background or identity underrepresented in the music industry or education systems

2. Equity in audio & music technology scholarship

For underrepresented and structurally excluded students aiming to enter music for screen, sound design or audio tech.

Who it’s for

FLINTA*, BIPOC and late-entry creatives building a professional pathway in composition for visual media, sound design or audio engineering.

Eligibility criteria

• Self-identification with one or more underrepresented communities in music or audio
• Demonstrated interest in music technology, production or sound design
• Evidence of personal initiative or self-directed learning in the field

3. Experimental & interdisciplinary sound practice scholarship

For students pushing the boundaries of screen sound through innovative tools, cross-disciplinary approaches or unconventional techniques.

Who it’s for

Artists working across audiovisual storytelling, field recording, interactive media, installation or other nontraditional formats.

Eligibility criteria

• Active exploration of sound through experimental or hybrid methods
• Background in another creative discipline or a nontraditional pathway into music
• Interest in developing a personal or interdisciplinary sonic practice

4. Creative pathways career switchers scholarship

For students moving from another field into music and sound for visual media.

Who it’s for

Applicants with a degree in any field or professional experience outside the creative industries who are now pivoting into composition, sound design or audio post.

Eligibility criteria

• Prior higher education or professional experience in a non-music field
• Clear motivation to shift into music, sound or audio arts professionally
• Demonstrated initiative such as self-taught skills, side projects or collaborations
• Desire to apply transferable skills or life experience to creative practice