Visual and Performing Arts

Sound Design Bachelor of Arts Degree

The wind howls. Tree branches creak. The life of the forest breathes into you. You're immersed in an epic soundscape. The environment feels so real you could touch it, even though you know it’s an illusion. 

Sound creates an experience. Sound designers make it happen. Sound is critical to the success of storytelling in films, TV, theatre, video games, and theme parks. It makes or breaks recorded music. Sound is the first sense we develop in the womb and remains one of our most primal and powerful means of communication.

With a Bachelor of Arts in Sound Design from Michigan Tech, you'll be prepared to enter the world of sound as a content creator in any context. Many of our students walk right into high-level jobs after graduation. Sound design alumnus Steve Green works with Double Fine Productions on games like Psychonauts 2, and was lead sound designer on What Remains of Edith Finch, 2018 BAFTA Game of the Year winner.

Our Program Breaks the Mold

There are many benefits to studying sound design at Michigan Tech. Our one-of-a-kind program is comprehensive, featuring tools, techniques, theory, and training in music and composition; the full spectrum of audio production, from recording to mixing and mastering; narrative analysis and story structure; and the technical arts that form the backbone of the field. We give you one-on-one contact with faculty who work professionally all over the world. Plus, our production facilities include surround-sound mixing rooms for cinema, theater, and gaming. Our facilities are available to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can spend as much time as you want to hone your craft.

You’ll also be able to:

  • Get hands-on from day one. Record original content. Compose original music. Work in theater. Mix concerts. Create a film score with a live orchestra. Join our many projects on our culturally vibrant, career-focused campus.
  • Record, create, and design original sound effects for theater, film, and other projects.
  • Make original music studio recordings as an engineer and producer.
  • Compose and conduct. Work with professional musicians. Score your own music with a live orchestra for film, television, and theatre.
  • 5:1
    student-to-faculty ratio
  • 9
    minors to help you customize your degree
  • 5
    sound labs to perfect your craft
  • 24/7
    access to studios and equipment

Sound Connections for Sound Design

  • Sound program grads from Michigan Tech work throughout the industry, just like the faculty who help prepare you for your career. Our faculty's network connects you with real-world professionals, starting your very first semester. 
  • We're not located in a big city, but we keep you connected to the industry. Students attend major professional events several times a year—from the Audio Engineering Society national conference to the United States Institute of Technical Theatre convention. Make professional contacts. Present your work to industry leaders. Be ready to navigate the entertainment industry the moment you graduate.

Tomorrow Needs Listeners

As the need for high-quality audio in film, video games, virtual reality, augmented reality, podcasts, and entertainment venues expands, so does the need for talented sound designers to enhance these experiences. Sound design in advertising and marketing creates memorable campaigns. A degree in sound design opens doors.

Be Career Ready

Career Advising

One-on-one advising keeps you moving forward. You'll consider summer internships, jobs, resume and portfolio preparation—everything you need to line up the kind of work you want and build the career you desire.

Career Opportunities for Sound Design Majors

Your future career options are unlimited with a degree in sound design. They include:

  • Foley Artist
  • Live Sound Engineer
  • Producer
  • Recording Engineer
  • Sound Designer
  • Sound Editor
  • Sound Effects Recorder
  • Sound Mixer
  • Tour Manager

Michigan Tech Sound Design Majors Get Hired by Outstanding Companies

Almost any company creating film, video games, virtual reality, augmented reality, podcasts, and advertising and marketing campaigns requires someone with an understanding of sound design. The growing list of companies that have hired Michigan Tech sound design graduates includes:

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying sound design at Michigan's flagship technological university.

"The sound design degree path allows me to explore audio and music to a depth I’ve never gone before and discover what exactly makes me passionate and drives me to continue a career in this field."Colton DeVree '25, sound design

Full STEAM Ahead

Combine your love of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM) into a career that requires creative, artistic, and technical skills. In the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, we emphasize creativity, self-motivation, and concrete goals—attributes that, combined with academic performance, add up to success. Develop critical skills to continue as a lifelong learner who adapts to ever-evolving entertainment industry technology. Our programs and faculty engage students and enrich campus by involving scholars from diverse fields in ambitious and meaningful projects, exhibitions, and performances.

  • Access state-of-the-art facilities: Michigan Tech's Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts—the region's premier performing arts center—and the Walker Arts and Humanities Center are home to a traditional performance hall, flexible black box space, costume and scene shops, and a packed schedule of multimedia events. Work side-by-side with faculty on Michigan Tech productions and complete high-tech training in all aspects of the profession in well-equipped shops, labs, and performance venues—many with 24/7 access.
  • Get personalized attention: With a student-faculty ratio of 8:1, you can build valuable relationships with world-class professors. Our students can access personal quality educational time with faculty and staff, and more exploratory time in the studio (with industry-specific equipment and tools).
  • Build a career: Work one-on-one with your advisor to develop your career path—from student internships to post-graduation employment in the industry. Build your professional network and strengthen your presentation and interview skills at industry conferences and events. Build your portfolio as you prepare for a thrilling career in the arts and entertainment industry.
  • Get involved: Join the 250 member strong Huskies Pep Band or one of 12 other ensembles. Be part of any of our 30+ music performances, 6+ art exhibitions or events, and 5 theatre shows. Or join any number of professional organizations on campus—WMTU; Audio Engineering Society; Mu Beta Psi (national music fraternity, non-music majors welcome); Sound Girls; Above The Bridge Records ; Sound and Lighting Service; and more.

Tomorrow Needs You

Supercharge your analytical skills to meet the demands of a technology-driven society at a flagship public research university powered by science, technology, engineering, and math. Graduate with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience needed to solve real-world problems and succeed in academia, research, and tomorrow's high-tech business landscape.

College of Sciences and Arts

The College of Sciences and Arts is a community of faculty, staff, and students committed to excellence and driven by our passion for education, outreach, research, and creativity across the social and natural sciences, humanities, and the arts. Uniquely situated in the heart of Michigan's R1 flagship technological university, we specialize in human-centered potential and discovery-based learning designed to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Knowing that every student at Michigan Tech will pass through our doors, our college strives to be at the forefront of interdisciplinary collaborations that lead to breakthrough solutions.

Our students gain a profound understanding of social and cultural contexts through experiential learning and innovative research. We welcome you to be part of our caring, expansive college community, with 32 undergraduate and 24 graduate degrees to choose from.

The opportunities in Michigan Tech's College of Sciences and Arts are limitless. Transform into a civic leader ready to contribute to a sustainable future. Lead and participate in action-based experiences that are critical to the start of a fulfilling career. Job-shadow at a local hospital or veterinary clinic while preparing for a career in health. Design sound and lighting for a regional production. Conduct community forums on the implications of artificial intelligence. Work to purify vaccines. Study the impact of social media on society. Research the mysteries of space and galaxies beyond our universe. Explore transforming abandoned iron and copper mines into giant batteries. Understand freshwater ecosystem health. Document the nature of changes in cognitive function and motor behavior in aging and dementia.

At Michigan Tech, your academic growth is supported by a variety of learning centers, along with our Humanities Digital Media Zone and Writing Center. Model climate in the only cloud chamber of its kind. Take part in interdisciplinary health research in our state-of-the-art H-STEM Complex. Create amazing sights and sounds in our visual art, sound, and theatre performance spaces. 

Undergraduate Majors in Arts and Technology

Not sure which major is the right fit? No problem. Browse the entire list of College of Sciences and Arts majors. Or, give yourself time and declare the General Sciences and Arts major, which lets you decide when you arrive on campus. To learn more, speak to an academic advisor.

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Study Sound Design at Michigan Tech

"There's a lot of different applications for this degree... It's setting you up with the tools to know how to be in this career and any path that you decide to choose."Kennedy Bosarge
"We have historically had very good success finding smart, talented people coming out of the hybrid programs at MTU, combining engineering with theatre or audio studies. Of all of our recruiting over the years, MTU has provided the most successful results."Jason Pontius, Director of Operations, Smart Monkeys