Certificate in Sound

All three schools within FCAT – Communication, Contemporary Arts, and Interactive Arts and Technology – have several courses in sound, taught from their unique perspectives. This certificate aims to encourage students who are interested in sound to take courses offered by the other schools within the faculty and receive a more interdisciplinary grounding in the study. Students from outside the faculty are also welcome to take courses within our schools and add this certificate to their degree, providing they meet prerequisite requirements.

The School of Communication houses SFU’s Sonic Research Studio which contains a wealth of archival materials in soundscape studies and acoustic ecology, along with cutting-edge research in soundscape composition, sonification for social change, documentary sound production, and cultural studies of sound and music.

The School for the Contemporary Arts offers a Music and Sound Major, focusing on the exploration of sound as a creative artist. The program offers a unique, interdisciplinary experience and the opportunity to collaborate on film, dance, theatre, and visual art projects.

In the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, students learn about sound design and audio engineering as it relates to film and multimedia projects, user experience design, and video games.

Read our news story about the Certificate in Sound.

Program Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 18 units, including core and elective courses in sound at SFU. Units applied to one certificate may be applied also to major or minor programs of a bachelor’s degree under the normal regulations governing those programs but may not be applied to another Simon Fraser University certificate or diploma.

Students who wish to complete upper division courses must make sure they have the prerequisites and should be aware that some courses may have limited enrollments.