How To Become A Broadcast Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a broadcast engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Whether you're rushing home in time for that episode of ‘'The Big Bang Theory'' or you're watching a marathon of ‘'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', you have broadcast engineers to thank for this. As a broadcast engineer, you may work in either the television and radio industry and oversee that the right programs are broadcast at the right time with the highest quality.

In the studio, you will work with transmitter and receiver equipment and be involved in wired and wireless engineering practices that allow for high-quality broadcasts. Outside the studio, you may be called to assess defective wires, satellites, cables, and transmitters and ensure that these issues are taken care of. Given the spectrum of tasks that you have to carry out as a broadcast engineer, you can expect to work unpredictable and irregular hours, which will vary every week.

If a position as a broadcast engineer intrigues you, you will need a vast comprehension of modern technology, have knowledge of the application of radio waves, and know how to use broadcasting equipment. A degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or broadcast and communications technology will lead to you completing an internship and ultimately becoming a broadcast engineer.

ScoreBroadcast EngineerUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,490

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.39%

Asian 5.19%

Black or African American 9.54%

Hispanic or Latino 14.78%

Unknown 7.08%

White 63.01%

Gender

female 9.37%

male 90.63%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

4.1

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a broadcast engineer

Explore broadcast engineer education requirements

Most common broadcast engineer degrees

Bachelor's

54.3 %

Associate

31.1 %

Master's

4.2 %

Start to develop specific broadcast engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Transmitters	7.13%
Troubleshoot	6.21%
Technical Support	5.97%
RF	5.93%
IP	4.99%

Complete relevant broadcast engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New broadcast engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a broadcast engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real broadcast engineer resumes.

Gain additional broadcast engineer certifications

Broadcast engineer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific broadcast engineer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for broadcast engineers include Certified Audio Engineer (CEA) and Master Certified Electronics Technician (CETma).

More About Certifications

Research broadcast engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage on-air logs, automation playlists and server-base computer systems.
Design networking for IP base broadcast systems for radio and television engineer systems.
Direct studio and professional ISDN vocal sessions.
Install, and maintain multiple FM broadcast radio remote systems.

Prepare your broadcast engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your broadcast engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a broadcast engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable broadcast engineer resume templates

Build a professional broadcast engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your broadcast engineer resume.