Several Bachelor of Science degrees, including a B.S. in Music Production and a B.S. in Recording Arts, provide students with the training necessary to enter into the recording engineer industry. These degree programs include courses that range from music theory and music history to more hands-on courses like session recording and audio postproduction. A B.S. in a subject related to recording engineering will be more professionally focused than its B.F.A. counterpart, and will take four years to complete.
A Bachelor of Fine Arts in Audio Production or Recording Engineering is less professionally focused than a B.S. in a similar field, but still gives students the tools needed to enter into the recording industry. B.F.A. courses in a recording engineering related major still include professional-based courses in audio production and mixing and mastering, but also require students to take more theoretically based courses like communications laws and ethics and music concepts, as well as general education-based electives. A B.F.A. in Recording Engineering can be completed in four years.
An Associate of Science degree in Recording Engineering is similar to the Bachelor of Science degree in its professional focus, but differs from the B.S. in its program length. An A.S. degree can be completed in just two years and provides students with courses that range from music theory and computer science to digital audio and show production. Students can focus their degree even further by concentrating on specific recording engineering areas, such as music production, postproduction or recording and mixing.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers provides certifications for those who wish to enter into the recording engineer field but do not opt to obtain a degree. Becoming certified allows recording engineers to show that they possess the knowledge, skills and professionalism required to work in the recording industry. Certifications are offered at the engineering level to those that pass the exam administered by SBE, and tests dates are offered several times throughout the year.