Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Music engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a music engineer. Music engineers usually study music, business, or photography. 41% of music engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an high school diploma. We analyzed 210 real music engineer resumes to see exactly what music engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for music engineers are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.
There are also many online music engineer courses to help get the education required to be a music engineer.
What education do you need to become a music engineer?
What degree do you need to be a music engineer?
- Bachelor's, 41%
- High School Diploma, 25%
- Associate, 24%
- Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a music engineer?
- Music, 27%
- Business, 9%
- Photography, 9%
- Engineering, 6%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for music engineers
| Music engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Full Sail University | 19.23% |
| Coastal Carolina University | 7.69% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | 7.69% |
| University of Dayton | 3.85% |
| La Sierra University | 3.85% |
Best majors for music engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 26.9% |
| 2 | Business | 9.0% |
| 3 | Photography | 9.0% |
| 4 | Engineering | 6.4% |
| 5 | Audiovisual Communications Technologies | 5.1% |
Best colleges for music engineers
The best colleges for music engineers are Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and Northeastern University.
A music 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 music 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 music engineers.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
3. Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$8,184
Enrollment
11,675
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
5. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Enrollment
4,169
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Suffolk University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$38,566
Enrollment
5,012
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
10. Inter American University of Puerto Rico San German
San German, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Enrollment
3,747
20 best online courses for music engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Music Production in Logic Pro X: Vocal Mixing Essentials
Learn the essentials of mixing in Logic Pro X using only stock plugins and effects in our Music Production Course...
2. Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X - The Complete Guide
Become a master at using Logic Pro X Understand music production Learn to record, edit & mix audio to a pro standard...
3. Music Production in Logic Pro X: Digital Audio Mastering
Learn how to confidently master tracks in Logic Pro X The Complete Audio Mastering in Music Production Course...
4. Music Production in Logic Pro X - The Complete Course!
Join Successful Music Production + Logic Pro X students in Creating, Recording, Mixing Music + Mastering in Logic Pro X...
5. Music Production I - Learn to be a Music Producer!
Learn how to become a recording/music production engineer with little to no knowledge! Record music like a pro!...
6. Songwriting in Logic Pro X for Electronic Music Production
Join Successful students in Songwriting, Composing, Arranging + Music Production for Electronic Producers in Logic Pro X...
7. Mixing and Mastering in Logic Pro X - Music Production Guide
Learn Mixing and Mastering in Logic Pro X with our follow-along music production guide for mixing and mastering music...
8. Ableton Live 11 Masterclass: Complete Music Production Guide
Complete Guide To: Music Production, Music Mixing, Electronic Music, Sound Design, Audio Engineering / Production...
9. Logic Pro X 101 Masterclass - Logic Pro Music Production
Learn How To Create 10 Full Tracks With Logic Pro X From Scratch in This Logic Pro X Masterclass, Project Files Included...
10. Xfer Serum Synthesizer - Sound Design + Music Production
Learn about Creating your own Sounds, Sound Design, Synthesis + Music Production in Serum Synthesizer by Xfer...
11. Ableton Live 11 - Music Production in Ableton Live
Learn Music Production, Recording, Editing, Music Mixing, Songwriting + Music Theory in this Ableton Live 11 Course...
12. Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, & 3
Electronic music theory, digital music theory, and dance music theory. Learn music theory with ableton live and more!...
13. Orchestral Music Composition & Music Theory for Video Games
Learn orchestral video game music composition & game composer music theory secrets to compose music for any video game!...
14. Music Production + Mixing Music in Presonus Studio One
Learn Presonus Studio One + Music Production in this Complete Course for Creating, Recording, Mixing Music + Mastering...
15. Learn Music Production Essentials
Learn how to Record, Edit, Mix and Master your Tracks into a Professional Music Production...
16. Logic Pro X Training for Music Producers
ALL you need to know: My one of a kind Ultra Fast Workflow to make music TODAY!...
17. Music Producer Masterclass: Make Electronic Music
Compose Music At A Professional level. Learn FL studio From Beginner To Expert Level. Become A Music Producer...
18. Garageband for Songwriting and Music Production
Become a master at using Garage Band. Learn how to Compose, Edit, Mix and Master your music with real life examples...
19. Music Production in Ableton Live 9 - The Complete Course!
Join Successful students in this Music Production course for Creating, Recording + Performing Music with Ableton Live 9...
20. Music Production II - Music Production Workflow - COMPLETE!!
Learn to create a Music Production Workflow, and produce professional quality music within any Music Production DAW!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for music engineers
The most affordable schools for music engineers are California State University - Long Beach, baruch college of the city university of new york, and suny farmingdale.
If the best universities for music 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 music engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
7. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
8. York College of the City University of New York
Jamaica, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,158
Cost of attendance
14,204
9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for music engineers
The hardest universities for music engineers to get into are Johns Hopkins University, New York University, and Northeastern University.
Some great schools for music 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 music 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. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
2. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
3. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
4. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
51%
SAT average
1,395
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Amherst College
Amherst, MA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,449
9. Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,321
10. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,465
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for music engineers
The easiest schools for music engineers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, kean university, and nyack college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a music 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 music engineers.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
4. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
5. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
Average music engineer salary by education level
| Music engineer education level | Music engineer salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $75,330 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,834 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $81,807 |
Music engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.
Search for music engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025