Sound Design & Media Technology - BFA
Study Sound Design & Media Technology at the University of Montana
Dive into the stimulating world of the sonic arts with an undergraduate degree in Sound Design & Media Technology at the University of Montana. This BFA will broadly teach you about sound design, production and technology – preparing you to be a sound expert technically and artistically.
This unique degree leverages the strengths of courses and faculty in the College of Arts and Media and equips you to adapt to the diverse and evolving world of art and media. The degree is designed to allow you to begin studying sound design immediately upon entering the university or to transfer in from other majors or departments.
The Sound Design and Media Technology bachelor’s degree will challenge you to consider art that exists solely in this medium and how sound arts, design and technology support other art-making activities in film, theater, music, dance, gaming, design, podcasting, news and interactive art. Upon graduating, you will thoroughly understand the basics of signal theory, how sound works, acoustics, recording, mixing, coding, creation and story.
Missoula is 4th in the nation for arts activity among mid-sized cities
of UM's School of Visual and Media Arts alums report their education was essential in their current job
of first-time, first-year students receive financial aid
Other Degree Options within the School of Visual & Media Arts (SVMA)
The School of Visual & Media Arts is one of the most popular schools on campus. It has many degree programs catering to various artistic and creative careers.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design and Interactive Media
Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts
Master of Fine Arts in Media Arts
Sound Production Fundamentals Certificate
What You Can Do with a Sound Design Degree
The BFA in Sound Design & Media Technology prepares students to be part of the expanding Immersive Experience Design economy, valued at $8 trillion by 2030 (Citigroup). Students leaving the BFA are ready to work with sound and immersive technologies to design experiences for individuals and communities that will change how we think about what it means to be entertained, learn, share, and communicate.
Jobs with a Sound Design & Media Technology Degree
Students graduating with a BFA in Sound Design & Media Technology from the University of Montana will find a wide-open and welcoming industry. Alongside the listed job titles below, it’s a versatile degree that touches upon all aspects of media and content creation.
Jobs you can get with a sound design degree from the University of Montana:
- Sound Artist
- Musician / Composer
- Interactive, Installation, New Media Artist
- Sound Designer / Developer (for video games, film, TV, radio, podcasts, theater, etc.)
- Audio Supervisor
- Audio Engineer (including music studio, radio, film, TV, live sound, theater, video games)
- Programmer
- Audio/Sound Researcher
Salaries in Sound Design and Media Technology
The range of salaries after graduating with a degree in sound design and media technology differs as much as the range of jobs available. According to Zip Recruiter, Audio Supervisors make an average salary of $70,000, while a Sound Designer's salary averages around $80,000. Salary growth is expected as the immersive experience design economy grows.
In contrast to other degrees in sonic arts or sound arts, the BFA at the University of Montana requires you to acquire complex creative coding skills, translating to better collaboration with technical teams. These skills also translate to better problem-solving and logical flow and a higher likelihood that you will become a leader in the professional fields you choose to pursue.
Career Development in Sound Design & Media Technology
The Sound Design & Media Technology major makes you a viable job candidate immediately after graduation. The curriculum includes hands-on experience with sound design technology and equipment, housed in a collaborative environment and supported by one-on-one faculty guidance. Add in the Montana soundscapes you get to explore, and you’ll graduate with hard and soft skills that translate to loaded resumes and job offers.
Learn on State-of-the-Art Equipment
As a Sound Design & Media Technology BFA student, you will learn to use cutting-edge equipment and audio spaces for creating, composing, recording, mixing, mastering, and experimenting with sound and audio. Equipment you will encounter includes a custom sound studio with high-end monitoring options, multi-channel immersive audio spaces, professional-grade microphones and recording devices, large-scale projections, immersive VR headsets, state-of-the-art fabrication studios, and large production studios. Hands-on experience and faculty guidance allow you to graduate with a profound grasp of the equipment and the ability to master evolving technologies.
Grow Your Sound Design Skills in a Supportive Environment
Your education will take place in a highly supportive and experiential environment. Creative and accomplished faculty will be your mentors as you design, create and implement dynamic projects centering around the sonic arts. On-campus events, private and nonprofit partnerships, and professional conferences will connect you with peers and professional contacts.
The broader School of Visual & Media Arts puts on hundreds of student-run performances and events that offer immediate application of the skills learned through the BFA in Sound Design & Media Technology. The school also hosts several professional networking events, like the bi-annual Media Arts Expo, in spring and winter.
Learn from Experienced Faculty in Sound Design & Media Technology
The faculty delivering this degree is exceptional. Credentials include curated international artworks and shows of sound art and computer music. The faculty has also developed custom interactive experiences with Montana corporate partners and maintained long-term relationships with important cultural events such as Burning Man.
Other faculty experience includes sustained careers as pop musicians and working in the burgeoning Montana film industry. Faculty in Sound Design degree bring diverse skills and experiences to share with their students, much like the students that comprise their cohort.
Explore the Montana Soundscape
The sounds of a location, whether unique or familiar, can be thought of as location “soundscapes.” Western Montana has many locations and wilderness areas whose soundscapes are relatively unaltered through human interference. Studying sound in Western Montana is a unique opportunity to connect with the beauty of natural soundscapes, to help document these soundscapes, and to share the importance of protecting natural soundscapes.
Experiential Learning for the Sound Design & Media Technology B.F.A.
Tangible, creative projects comprise much of the curriculum throughout the BFA in Sound Design & Media Technology, and students are encouraged to work directly with faculty. The program also recently launched a game development studio for collaboration with students earning their Game Design & Interactive Media BA. Faculty also creates opportunities to work with private and corporate partners on developing bespoke interactive works.
Explore Classes in Sound Design and Media Technology
The curriculum for a degree in sound design at the University of Montana includes diverse classes touching all aspects of the sonic arts, culminating in 68 credit hours (on top of general education credits). Audio Core comprises the majority of credit hours (19) with classes like Intro to Radio/Audio Storytelling and Sound for Film. Other requisites pull from Creative Coding, Interactive Arts, and Music Foundations.
View all classes for a BFA in Sound Design & Media Technology