What is it about?
Note: Registration for the admissions process is open year-round.
The following deadlines apply for the 27/28 winter semester:
The assignment prompts will be published starting March 1.
The submission deadline is May 31, 2027.
Registration for the process (Winter Semester 27/28) is open until April 30; registering by this date will shorten the processing time accordingly.
If you register after April 30, you will be included in the following year’s process.
Sound and image are omnipresent. As an audio-visual art form, we encounter them in films and other moving images, for example, whose message is enhanced, expanded or counterpointed by sound. The Bachelor's study program Film & Sound is dedicated to these two creative levels of filmmaking, as a comprehensive understanding of image and sound is important in order to be able to work professionally in this field.
Profile of the study program
Film & Sound deals with questions such as
- What is film? What does cinematic storytelling mean? What audio-visual means are needed to take the audience on an emotional journey?
- How can the cinematic space be expanded through the interplay of sound, image, editing and staging?
Audiovisual storytelling
The course is unique because students from both the film and sound design specializations work together on several film projects for a wide variety of platforms. This teaches them what is important in audio-visual storytelling. They work in a team, plan and realize film projects that can be fictional, documentary or experimental.
With projects from the idea to realization
The seven-semester project course is practice- and career-oriented and offers specializations in the areas of film and sound design.
The film specialization teaches the creative and technical basics for film production and post-production. You will realize several projects from the fields of documentary film, short film and experimental film. The main subject module Film Exercises is supplemented by further modules such as Dramaturgy and Acting, Scientific Principles and Key Skills.
The sound design focus is particularly concerned with understanding the entire workflow and learning to create, conceive and reflect on film sound designs. The spectrum ranges from sound design for short and feature-length films, filming and radio plays to music informatics and media science seminars.
There are also freely selectable seminars from the fields of graphic design, object and spatial design, photography or filmmaking.
You will also learn the key skills you need to work independently in a creative profession.
Bachelor of Arts for all areas of film and sound production
After successfully completing the course, you will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.).
This will qualify you to work creatively and professionally in all areas of film and sound production. This includes audiovisual projects, film projects and moving image productions in various formats and contexts.
Specializations in the study program
Film and Sound offers specializations in the areas of:
- Film: direction, camera, editing, production, screenplay, dramaturgy, acting, film studies
- Sound design: design, technology, audio-visual science, music
Work by students
The study program thrives on hands-on experience, and students design many projects throughout their studies. You can view some of the students' work on the following Instagram channels.
Course of studies - focus on film
This is a thematic overview of the course content. Detailed information on the exact names of the courses, information on ECTS or semester hours per week can be found in the examination regulations and in the module handbook.
| 1st semester | Film basics | Camera and lighting / film production | Digital Postproduction | Editing theory | |
| 2nd semester | Cinematic Miniatures |
Camera and light / Video technology theory |
Acting | Science | Key competence: Presentation, rhetoric, study status talks |
| 3rd semester | Film | Dramaturgy | Additional competence | Science | Key competence: Scientific writing Writing |
| 4th semester | Film | Dramaturgy | Interdisciplinary project |
Key competence: Economics, law |
|
| 5th semester | Film | Expanded Media | Interdisciplinary project |
Science | |
| 6th semester | Film | Expanded Media | Additional competence | Science | |
| 7th semester | Bachelor's degree Project supervision |
Thesis & colloquium | Key competence: Business start-up |
Course of studies - focus on sound
This is a thematic overview of the course content. Detailed information on the exact names of the courses, information on ECTS or semester hours per week can be found in the examination regulations and in the module handbook.
| 1st semester | School of Listening / Radio play |
Film Sound Basics | Digital Postproduction |
Editing theory | |
| 2nd semester | Cinematic miniatures | Acoustic Art / Aural Analysis |
Recording Direction / Voice Direction |
Science | Key competence: Presentation, rhetoric, study status talks |
| 3rd semester | Film | Sound editing / FX / Documentary O - Sound |
Additional competence | Science | Key competence: Scientific writing Writing |
| 4th semester | Film | Sound synthesis / live electronics | Interdisciplinary project |
Key competence: Economics, law |
|
| 5th semester | Film | Immersive audiovisual project | Interdisciplinary project |
Science | |
| 6th semester | Film | Music History / Media Theory | Additional competence | Science | |
| 7th semester | Bachelor's degree Project supervision |
Thesis & colloquium | Key competence: Business start-up |
Film and audio examples from the study program
Why study at Fachhochschule Dortmund?
Who is it for?
Desirable subject-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge
The Bachelor's degree program in Film & Sound may suit you if you enjoy telling stories with image and sound and enjoy working in creative teams. Are you ready to tackle the complex challenges of the entire production of film and sound? Then you've come to the right place. If you are also a team player, communicative and able to take criticism and are enthusiastic about films, you have the best prerequisites for a successful course of study.
Prospects after graduation
Career prospects
Graduates of this study program often work as creative, professional employees in all areas of film and sound production for audio-visual projects, film projects and moving image productions in various formats and contexts.
Master programs
With the two consecutive Master's degree programs in Film and Creative Audio Director, the Film & Sound study program enjoys the status of a film university education in the international association CILECT.
Information and counseling on the transition from university to work
Stay abroad possible during your studies
What do I need?
1. qualification / certificates and degrees
The qualification for studying at universities of applied sciences is proven by the certificate of the university of applied sciences entrance qualification or a previous education recognized as equivalent.
Here you will find a detailed description of the various recognized qualifications.
2. aptitude test
Admission to the assessment procedure for the course-related artistic and design aptitude requires registration. This application must be made online on the website of the Faculty of Design. The corresponding dates and deadlines are communicated on the faculty's homepage.
Applicants will be invited to the assessment procedure in writing after the registration deadline and the topics of the two homework assignments will be announced.
The Faculty of Design will inform applicants in writing of the committee's decision on the results of the procedure. The results are communicated as pass or fail. They must be accompanied by information on legal remedies.
With the result "passed", applicants are awarded the course-related artistic and creative aptitude. If the artistic and creative aptitude for the study program has been finally determined, the aptitude is generally valid for the three enrollment dates following the determination.
Applicants whose artistic-creative aptitude has not been determined can participate in the assessment procedure again at the earliest on the following year's date.
3. relevant practical activity / pre-study internship
1. for applicants with the following qualifications
- A university entrance qualification or a university of applied sciences entrance qualification and additionally completed relevant vocational training;
- Applicants with a relevant degree in the applied field of film or sound do not need to complete the internship.
2. applicants who have obtained the qualification for the degree program through the certificate
- a university of applied sciences entrance qualification from a higher secondary school for design with a practical component in audiovisual media;
- the university of applied sciences entrance qualification from a vocational college with relevant vocational training (e.g. media designer for image and sound) must provide evidence of 210 hours of relevant practical work in a film or video company or a television station for the film specialization, or in a recording studio/original sound team or a radio or television station for the sound specialization.
3. applicants who have acquired the qualification for the degree program in another way must provide evidence of 420 hours of relevant practical work in a film or video company or a television station for the film specialization, or in a recording studio/original sound team or a radio or television station for the sound specialization.
4. 210 hours of the internship must be completed before the start of the degree program and must be proven at the time of enrollment. If you fall under the 420-hour rule, you should make up the missing time from the internship at the earliest possible date; the corresponding proof must be provided by the time you register for the final project at the latest.
The following list indicates the areas in which you can complete the relevant practical activity for the Film & Sound study program:
Focus on Film
(in the following areas of production and post-production):
- Radio and television stations
- Film studios
- News agencies
- AV productions
- TV productions
- multimedia productions
or
Focus on sound
(in the following areas of sound engineering/sound design):
- Theater/musicals
- Sound studios/synchronization studios
- Original sound teams
- Radio and television stations
- AV productions
- TV productions
- Multimedia productions with sound recording activities
Who can help me?
We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the study program and Fachhochschule Dortmund.
Central Student Advisory Services (ZSB)
Student advisory service
Contact with students
Admissions Office for Student Affairs
Registration office team
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