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Recording engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a recording engineer. Recording engineers usually study music, audiovisual communications technologies, or engineering. 60% of recording engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,271 real recording engineer resumes to see exactly what recording engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for recording engineers are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.
There are also many online recording engineer courses to help get the education required to be a recording engineer.
There are certain recording engineer certifications that you should consider. These recording engineer certifications include Certified Audio Engineer (CEA) and Certified Records Manager (CRM).
What education do you need to become a recording engineer?
What degree do you need to be a recording engineer?
- Bachelor's, 60%
- Associate, 21%
- High School Diploma, 7%
- Master's, 5%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a recording engineer?
- Music, 32%
- Engineering, 8%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 41%
Most common colleges for recording engineers
| Recording engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Full Sail University | 32.53% |
| Berklee College of Music | 14.04% |
| Middle Tennessee State University | 6.85% |
| Columbia College Chicago | 3.77% |
| University of Miami | 3.42% |
Best majors for recording engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 32.3% |
| 2 | Audiovisual Communications Technologies | 12.0% |
| 3 | Engineering | 7.5% |
| 4 | Business | 6.7% |
| 5 | Communication | 5.8% |
Best colleges for recording engineers
The best colleges for recording engineers are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A recording 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 recording 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 recording engineers.
1. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
2. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
3. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
In-state tuition
$55,453
Enrollment
4,312
4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$53,391
Enrollment
8,568
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA • Private
In-state tuition
$17,653
Enrollment
16,405
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
20 best online courses for recording engineers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for recording engineers
The most affordable schools for recording engineers are California State University - Long Beach, university of south florida, and city college of new york of the city university of new york, the.
If the best universities for recording 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 recording engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
3. 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
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
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. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for recording engineers
The hardest universities for recording engineers to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for recording 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 recording 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,488
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
8. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for recording engineers
The easiest schools for recording engineers to get into are Pennsylvania State University - DuBois, university of the incarnate word, and texas a&m; university - kingsville.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a recording 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 recording engineers.
1. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois
DuBois, PA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,079
2. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
3. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
4. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,033
8. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
9. Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,019
10. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
Average recording engineer salary by education level
| Recording engineer education level | Recording engineer salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $71,609 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $85,143 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $79,887 |
Recording engineer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025