Associate’s vs. Bachelor’s Degree in Recording Engineering
Posted on May 12th, 2015 by Devan JohnsonFor students hoping to pursue recording engineering careers, an undergraduate degree in Recording Engineering is the best place to begin. Recording engineering programs help to prepare students for employment with recording studios, broadcasting networks and cable, television and film production companies. After earning a degree in Recording Engineering, graduates may go on to become studio engineers, recording engineers, mixing engineers, or mastering engineers. They may can choose to go into the gaming industry and become game audio designer engineers, or they may choose a career in the film and television industry. They can become live sound engineers, monitor engineers, or systems engineers and work with live performances. First, however, they must choose the degree program that is best for them. The first step in this process is to choose between an associate’s and a bachelor’s degree in Recording Engineering.
An associate’s degree is best for students looking for entry-level positions as audio technicians, engineers or media collection specialists. Common recording engineering careers following this type of degree include foley artist, broadcast technician, audio and video equipment technician, audio-visual or multimedia collection specialist, and sound engineering technician. An associate’s degree in Recording Engineering takes two years to complete, and the prerequisite for these programs is a high school diploma or its equivalent. Common graduation requirements for these programs are roughly 60 credits and an internship.
A bachelor’s degree in Recording Engineering is best for students interested in careers in multimedia design or audio production. Common recording engineering careers following this kind of degree include film and video editor ($60,000-$75,000 average annual salary) and music director or composer ($40,000-$50,000). A bachelor’s degree in Recording Engineering takes two years to complete with a transferable associate’s degree, or four years on its own. The prerequisite for these programs is a high school diploma or its equivalent, and common graduation requirements generally include about 120 credits in general education, core and advanced topics courses, a portfolio, an internship, and a capstone project.
