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audio engineering technology

Types of Degrees audio engineering technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing audio engineering technology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	7
Associate’s Degree	35
Bachelor’s Degree	6
Master’s Degree	28

What audio engineering technology Majors Need to Know

Coursework for audio engineering technology build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that audio engineering technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in audio engineering technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Production and Processing — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a audio engineering technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Quality Control Analysis — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Operations Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to audio engineering technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, audio engineering technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.8 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by audio engineering technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Avid Technology Pro Tools	Music or sound editing software	—
Adobe Audition	Music or sound editing software	—
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for audio engineering technology graduates include:

• Test Technician (Test Tech)
• Laser Specialist
• Announcer
• Entertainer
• Mobile Disc Jockey (Mobile DJ)
• Event Master of Ceremonies (Event MC)
• DJ (Disk Jockey)
• Event Entertainer
• Public Address Announcer
• Karaoke Host
• Event Host
• Emcee
• Disc Jockey (DJ)
• Wedding Disc Jockey (Wedding DJ)
• Host DJ (Host Disc Jockey)

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to audio engineering technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	42.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	20.9%
Bachelor’s degree	12.8%
Postsecondary certificate	11.3%
Some college courses	7.2%
Master’s degree	1.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%
First professional degree	1.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in audio engineering technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 77.6% of audio engineering technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	17	22.4%
Men	59	77.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of audio engineering technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	42	55.3%
Asian	2	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	15	19.7%
Black or African American	9	11.8%
Two or More Races	5	6.6%
Race Unknown	2	2.6%
International Students	1	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do audio engineering technology Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of audio engineering technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$62,062
4 years	$60,768
5 years	$67,536

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $67,536 — roughly 9% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in audio engineering technology Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, audio engineering technology graduates earn a median of $60,768 four years after completion — roughly 60% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	9,196
Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician	6,829
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other	1,750
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians	1,557
Biomedical Technology/Technician	1,460
Computer Engineering Technology/Technician	1,215
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other	492
Telecommunications Technology/Technician	282
Laser and Optical Technology/Technician	249
Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians	113
Composite Materials Technology/Technician	108
Chemical Engineering Technology/Technician	63

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.