Colleges That Offer Music Production Degrees
The music industry is one of the most competitive fields, and becoming a professional producer is no easy task. Even those who have already made it in the industry often find themselves looking for another opportunity to grow their sound and skills. For aspiring producers with experience in college or high school music programs but want more formal training, these schools offer some of the best audio engineering degree programs out there:
Colleges That Offer Music Production Degrees
Berklee College of Music
- Berklee College of Music is the world’s premier institution for contemporary music education. The college offers programs in performance, composition and production, education, music technology/audio engineering, film scoring and game audio, management and industry relations.
- Berklee College of Music is located in Boston, MA.
- It’s a private coeducational college that consists of 6 colleges: the Department of Performance; the Department of Music Production & Engineering; the Department of Professional Studies; the Department of Liberal Arts & Sciences; the Department of Creative Entrepreneurship; and an additional department called Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (BCEL).
New York University
- New York University Steinhardt
- NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Steinhardt’s Institute for Music and the Performing Arts is an interdisciplinary center that supports research, education and performance in music. The school offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in music therapy, as well as a certificate program in professional studies in arts administration. The Music Technology program has three tracks: audio engineering technology; composition, production and songwriting; or sound design for film. Students can also choose to combine their major with another field of study at NYU Steinhardt’s School of Culture, Education and Human Development (SCED) such as anthropology or psychology.
Students interested in pursuing careers related to music business should consider applying to NYU Steinhardt’s Music Business program which was ranked #2 on Forbes magazine’s 2018 list of America’s best colleges for business majors specifically because it provides students with hands-on experience working with some of the most successful acts from all genres including Lady Gaga, Beyonce Knowles Carter & Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), Justin Timberlake & Jessica Biel (JT), Aretha Franklin & Glynn Turman
Full Sail University
Full Sail University is a for-profit college in Winter Park, Florida. It’s a member of the Laureate International Universities network and has been accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 2006. Full Sail offers two degrees related to music production:
- Bachelor of Science in Recording Arts
- Master of Science in Recording Arts
California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts is a private university in Valencia, California. It offers degrees in the fine and performing arts. The college has music major with concentrations in composition, performance, and production. It also has a film and video major with concentrations in directing and producing. The theatre department offers three majors: acting (a bachelor’s degree), directing (a master’s degree) and playwriting/screenwriting (a master’s degree).
The dance program includes degrees ranging from bachelor’s to doctorate level certification across multiple disciplines such as modern dance/ballet; jazz/African American; hip hop; tap; creative movement; yoga & pilates…
The Los Angeles Recording School
The Los Angeles Recording School offers a full-time program for people who want to work in the music industry. Courses include:
- Music Production
- Audio Engineering
The school also offers part-time programs, including one that allows students to focus on audio mixing and mastering.
Miami Arts and Music Academy
The Miami Arts and Music Academy offers two programs: a bachelor’s degree in music production and a master’s degree in music production and engineering. Both are available online. The college is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Miami Arts & Music Academy is a for-profit institution. It has an associate’s school located on its main campus where students can earn their general education credits, as well as access to all resources at the college. The university also has locations in several other states across the country, including Alabama, California, New York and Texas (Houston).
Penn Foster College
Penn Foster College offers an Associate of Science in Audio Engineering. The program is designed to prepare students for careers as audio engineers, whether they’re working in a studio or on stage. Penn Foster’s program is available online or in-person, and it can be completed in 12 months. Students who complete the coursework will leave with a solid foundation in music technology and audio production techniques.
If you want to pursue a career as an audio engineer, Penn Foster College can help you get started on your path!
IPRC College Audio Engineering Program
The IPRC College Audio Engineering Program is a four-year, full-time course of study that trains students to become professional audio engineers. The curriculum covers fundamental skills and techniques such as recording, mixing, mastering and editing music. Students also learn about hardware and software used in the production process.
IPRC College Audio Engineering Program graduates can find jobs at recording studios or radio stations or work for music production companies. They may even go on to pursue careers as sound designers for films or television shows.
These colleges offer an array of programs to help you become a music producer.
A music producer is a person who creates and develops the musical mix for a song. Their job is to oversee sound recording, mixing and mastering (the final process of turning a recording into a CD or digital file) for an artist or band. They usually work with engineers to achieve their vision for the song.
If you wish to become a music producer, you have many options from which to choose at colleges across the United States. There are several types of programs available:
- Bachelor’s degree — This program will teach you everything about how to produce music, including how to use different studio equipment such as synthesizers and drum machines; working with multiple vocal tracks; understanding copyright laws; creating beats; recording audio tracks; sequencing software programming; using digital audio workstations (DAWs); mastering recordings using software tools like Pro Tools and Nuendo. These programs also offer electives in areas such as marketing/advertising campaigns, project management skillsets that can be applied outside of just producing music – all very helpful when running your own studio someday!
- Master’s degree — These courses typically focus on honing skills specific within each sub-genre within hip-hop culture such as rap production techniques or electronic dance music production techniques like house or techno genres which require specialized knowledge because there are so many variables involved when making these types of genres compared with say mainstream pop artists who usually rely heavily on sampling existing songs rather than having any real input into producing their own material.”
Closing
Music production is a rewarding career that can be pursued at the college level. You may be surprised by the abundance of programs available, including some that aren’t offered at traditional universities. If you have an interest in music production and want to pursue it as a career, consider checking out one of these schools today!