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Audio technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an audio technician. Audio technicians usually study music, communication, or photography. 53% of audio technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,512 real audio technician resumes to see exactly what audio technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for audio technicians are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.

There are also many online audio technician courses to help get the education required to be an audio technician.

There are certain audio technician certifications that you should consider. These audio technician certifications include Certified Audio Engineer (CEA) and Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma).

What education do you need to become an audio technician?

What degree do you need to be an audio technician?

The most common degree for audio technicians is bachelor's degree, with 53% of audio technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 26% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 53%
  • Associate, 26%
  • High School Diploma, 10%
  • Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become an audio technician?

You should major in music to become an audio technician. 16% of audio technicians major in music. Other common majors for an audio technician include communication and photography.

Most common colleges for audio technicians

Audio technicians often get their degrees at Full Sail University, Middle Tennessee State University, and Ohio University. Here are the most common colleges for audio technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Audio technician common collegePercentages
Full Sail University33.82%
Middle Tennessee State University5.80%
Ohio University4.83%
DeVry University4.83%
Berklee College of Music4.83%

Best majors for audio technicians

Best colleges for audio technicians

The best colleges for audio technicians are Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An audio technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for audio technicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become audio technicians.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

4. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

7. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison, WI • Private

In-state tuition

$10,555

Enrollment

30,360

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

10. New Mexico State University

Las Cruces, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$6,686

Enrollment

11,139

20 best online courses for audio technicians

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8. The Sound Kitchen - Great sound made easy

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Sound Engineering course for musicians, volunteers, professionals. For both beginners and people with some knowledge...

9. Music Production in Ableton Live 9 - The Complete Course!

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19. Ultimate Ableton Live 10, COMPLETE: Parts 4, 5, and 6

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20. Ultimate Sound Design: Mastering Sound Design

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Top 10 most affordable universities for audio technicians

The most affordable schools for audio technicians are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brigham young university, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for audio technicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for audio technicians.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

6. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

7. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

8. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for audio technicians

The hardest universities for audio technicians to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for audio technicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for audio technicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

Admissions rate

30%

SAT average

1,339

7. Hamilton College

Clinton, NY • Private

Admissions rate

21%

SAT average

1,446

8. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

9. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

10. Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

47%

SAT average

1,321

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for audio technicians

The easiest schools for audio technicians to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an audio technician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for audio technicians.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

5. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

Average audio technician salary by education level

Audio technicians with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $56,122 annually. With a Associate degree, audio technicians earn a median annual income of $52,623 compared to $47,231 for audio technicians with an High School Diploma degree.
Audio technician education levelAudio technician salary
High School Diploma or Less$47,231
Bachelor's Degree$56,122
Some College/ Associate Degree$52,623

Audio technician education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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