Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Film sound engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a film sound engineer. Film sound engineers usually study physics, chemical engineering, or photography. 64% of film sound engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 58 real film sound engineer resumes to see exactly what film sound engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for film sound engineers are the University of California - Davis and the University of California - Davis.
There are also many online film sound engineer courses to help get the education required to be a film sound engineer.
What education do you need to become a film sound engineer?
What degree do you need to be a film sound engineer?
- Bachelor's, 64%
- Associate, 13%
- Doctorate, 11%
- Master's, 7%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a film sound engineer?
- Physics, 17%
- Chemical Engineering, 13%
- Photography, 9%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for film sound engineers
| Film sound engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of California - Davis | 13.04% |
| Colorado State University | 8.70% |
| Boston College | 4.35% |
| San Diego Mesa College | 4.35% |
| Loyola University Chicago | 4.35% |
Best majors for film sound engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physics | 17.0% |
| 2 | Chemical Engineering | 12.8% |
| 3 | Photography | 8.5% |
| 4 | Materials Science And Engineering | 8.5% |
| 5 | Mechanical Engineering | 6.4% |
Best colleges for film sound engineers
The best colleges for film sound engineers are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A film sound engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for film sound engineers. 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 film sound engineers.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
9. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for film sound engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Fundamentals of Audio and Music Engineering: Part 1 Musical Sound & Electronics
In this course students learn the basic concepts of acoustics and electronics and how they can applied to understand musical sound and make music with electronic instruments. Topics include: sound waves, musical sound, basic electronics, and applications of these basic principles in amplifiers and speaker design...
2. The Sound Kitchen - Great sound made easy
Sound Engineering course for musicians, volunteers, professionals. For both beginners and people with some knowledge...
3. Ultimate Sound Design: Mastering Sound Design
Master sound design for music production, game audio development, film scoring, composition, and more!...
4. Operating the Audio Mixer, A Beginning Sound Engineer Course
Learn to Mix Live Sound...
5. SOUND for Film and Television
A 2-1/2-hour, entertaining, funny, and immersive romp into what you need to know to start getting great sound...
6. Sound Therapy & Sound Healing Accredited Practitioner Course
Learn How Sound can Balance & Heal, How to Run Your Own Sound Healing Sessions & Play 10 instruments. Accredited Course...
7. Game Audio 101: How to Create Sounds for Games
Learn game audio, sound design, and sfx creation along with artistic and technical audio skills for beginners...
8. Control Systems: From Mathematical Modelling to PID Control
Learn the mathematics that will allow you to model and control any engineering system. Make machines do what you want!...
9. Certification in Sound Therapy & Sound Healing - Accredited
Become professional therapist / healer Fully Accredited Professional Sound Healing / Sound Therapy Certificate...
10. Tibetan Singing Bowls Sound Therapy & Sound Healing Training
Learn How To Become A Sound Healing Therapist Using Tibetan Bowls. Learn How To Work One-On-One With Clients...
11. Crystal Singing Bowls Sound Therapy & Sound Healing Training
Learn To Play The Frosted Quartz Crystal Singing Bowls And Start Leading Your Own Group Sound Baths...
12. Audio Engineering Fundamentals
Understand how sound systems work, their connections and components...
13. Sound Therapy Full Certification Course
Become a holistic professional who knows both Western and Eastern approaches to Sound Therapy!...
14. Applied Control Systems 3: UAV drone (3D Dynamics & control)
Modeling + state space systems + Model Predictive Control + feedback control + Python simulation: UAV quadcopter drone...
15. Sound Design 102: Using Synthesis for Music Production
Using Ableton Live and Reason, we will learn how to craft sounds using any synthesizer to make our tracks amazing...
16. Xfer Serum Synthesizer - Sound Design + Music Production
Learn about Creating your own Sounds, Sound Design, Synthesis + Music Production in Serum Synthesizer by Xfer...
17. Singing Bowls for Sound Healing Layouts
Level 4: BLISSbowls™ Sound Healing Methods for Dynamic Multiple Bowl Sessions...
18. Sound Design 101: Using Sampling for Music Production
Using Ableton Live and Reason, we will learn how to craft sounds using any synthesizer to make amazing beats and tracks...
19. Ultimate Live Sound School (1st Edition)
Top of the line training for the Live Sound from a veteran who has worked with Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston...
20. PID Controllers - Intro to Control Design
Learn to write your own control software while learning fundamental control theory...
Top 10 most affordable universities for film sound engineers
The most affordable schools for film sound engineers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and florida state university.
If the best universities for film sound engineers 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 film sound engineers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
8. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,368
Cost of attendance
21,034
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for film sound engineers
The hardest universities for film sound engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for film sound engineers 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 film sound engineers 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,545
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for film sound engineers
The easiest schools for film sound engineers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and san francisco state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a film sound engineer 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 film sound engineers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,062
9. Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, MN • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
1,086
10. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
Average film sound engineer salary by education level
| Film sound engineer education level | Film sound engineer salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $64,088 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $71,112 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $68,441 |
Film sound engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for film sound engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025