<p>I’m thinking of maybe earning an audio engineering/music production degree, in addition to my degree in journalism. However, as a non-math whiz, I need to know: How much math do I need to know for this?</p>
<p>It will vary by program, but there is some math involved, as it is an engineering, technical pursuit and you need to know the theory before putting something into practice. Those with the background or experience can tell you exactly “how much”, but there is a wide disparity in the programs offering this concentration and the focus.</p>
<p>There are BS acoustic/science based offerings and audition based BM offerings, and a wide mix of schools and options. Looking at the degree outlines for any specific program will give you the scope of the coursework involved.</p>
<p>A great post on this topic is here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/787110-music-industry-program-major-minor-help.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/787110-music-industry-program-major-minor-help.html</a></p>
<p>It depends on what you are calling audio engineering. If you are talking about designing electronic equipment, or anything having to do with acoustics, you will be averaging about three courses per semester for several years that are very math-intensive. We’re talking multivariate calculus, differential equations both ordinary and partial, Fourier and Laplace transforms, complex variables, probability and statistics, vector calculus and on and on.</p>
<p>If you mean working in a studio to record, edit and master audio or at a radio station riding the controls, you are probably not going to need much math on the job. So long as you have no problems working with and around compters, you should be OK. It will help to be facile with basic arithmetic, and to know some high-school level algebra and trigonometry. Logarithms are important to understand, because several basic audio quantities are expressed in decibels of various sorts (dBspl and dBrnc to name two common ones) and the decibel is a logarithmic unit.</p>
<p>The amount of math you will have to take in school is highly variable. Curricula vary a lot by school, so it will be important to dig deep into school websites and see precisely what is required at each one you are considering. Some like to give you a lot of theory, including math, that you probably will not use after graduating. Some are more focused on giving you the practical information and the practice using the equipment that you need to get out there and get into a studio job in the shortest time. </p>
<p>If you go the studio/radio station route and get a narrowly focused degree to get there, make sure that this is what you really want to do. This is a career that initially seems great to a lot of people who then burn out within a few years due to the long hours, odd shift times and relatively low pay for entry-level positions. That is even more painful if you hold a degree or certificate that is not very useful for much else.</p>