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Sound designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a sound designer. Sound designers usually study music, photography, or audiovisual communications technologies. 69% of sound designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 2,074 real sound designer resumes to see exactly what sound designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for sound designers are the Full Sail University and the Full Sail University.
There are also many online sound designer courses to help get the education required to be a sound designer.
What education do you need to become a sound designer?
What degree do you need to be a sound designer?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Associate, 14%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a sound designer?
- Music, 26%
- Photography, 15%
- Theatre, 7%
- Other Majors, 43%
Most common colleges for sound designers
| Sound designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Full Sail University | 21.28% |
| Berklee College of Music | 19.15% |
| New York University | 8.87% |
| Savannah College of Art and Design | 8.16% |
| Columbia College Chicago | 6.03% |
Best majors for sound designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 26.3% |
| 2 | Photography | 14.5% |
| 3 | Audiovisual Communications Technologies | 8.7% |
| 4 | Theatre | 7.2% |
| 5 | Communication | 6.2% |
Best colleges for sound designers
The best colleges for sound designers are Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A sound designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for sound designers. 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 sound designers.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. Minnesota State University - Mankato
Mankato, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$8,184
Enrollment
11,675
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Enrollment
4,169
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,522
Enrollment
13,760
9. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
10. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
20 best online courses for sound designers
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3. Ultimate Sound Design: Mastering Sound Design
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6. Sound Design 102: Using Synthesis for Music Production
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8. Game Audio 101: How to Create Sounds for Games
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9. Sound Therapy Full Certification Course
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16. Operating the Audio Mixer, A Beginning Sound Engineer Course
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20. Music Production in Logic Pro X: Vocal Mixing Essentials
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Top 10 most affordable universities for sound designers
The most affordable schools for sound designers are California State University - Long Beach, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for sound designers 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 sound designers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for sound designers
The hardest universities for sound designers to get into are Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for sound designers 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 sound designers 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. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Amherst College
Amherst, MA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,449
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for sound designers
The easiest schools for sound designers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a sound designer 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 sound designers.
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. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
6. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
7. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
8. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average sound designer salary by education level
| Sound designer education level | Sound designer salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $66,314 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $78,035 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $73,497 |
Sound designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025