Studying Sound/Sound Design in the U.S.

Question

I'm currently looking for four-year schools at which I can study sound design in the U.S. Probably ought to provide a bit of background - I am a musician (keyboard/synth) and do pit work for musicals, but am also heavily into doing foley recording/FX design for indie films, games, etc. I'm interested in being able to fill quite a few different roles, including foley recordist, composer, audio engineer (studio or live sound), and perhaps even the role of sound designer itself. I have 9 years of music composition and theory experience, which helps a bit of the composing side of things.

Two schools in particular I looked at were Emerson College in Massachusetts, which offers a BA/BFA in sound design and audio post, and Fredonia in NY, which has a B.S. in Sound Recording Technology. The latter is heavily oriented toward music, and the former caters more to film. Any suggestions, or recommendations based on the schools listed? Thanks

Answer 1

Columbia College Chicago

Answer 2

You can check out Full Sial University in Orlando Fl. They have a beautiful Recording Arts BS program that cover both music and film. Good luck in your endeavours my friend.

Answer 3

I earned my MA at Emerson, and it wasn't a bad program. To be honest though, I would advise you against either Fredonia or Emerson (or any other school in Boston for that matter). You would be far better served by looking into schools in locations where there is a thriving commercial film environment, such as New York or LA (schools like NYU Tisch or USC respectively); Chicago definitely has a busy industry as well, and I've heard good things about Columbia College as well (mentioned by MSquared). People may argue with me about finding the same level/quality of courses in other areas, but it's better to be where the work is. It will give you a chance to start making connections before you've graduated, giving you a better shot of finding a foot in the door when you're ready for that step.

Answer 4

Savannah College of Art and Design is another to consider - they have a solid 4 year, accredited BFA program for Sound Design (but likely like any other well rounded sound design degree, it's still just an 'introduction' to prepare you for beginning in the industry). A great eclectic mix of professors, some even still work on shows on the side or even work out here in LA during summer. There's a music track and a film/post sound track to the program to some degree, but the program is definitely more film/post sound oriented. All ProTools environment, mix suites, Foley stage/pits, a MIDI/sound design suite (I believe, at least when I was there a long time ago), scoring stage/recording studio with an Icon setup, and a variety of production sound and studio recording mics and gear, and an extensive Sound Ideas/Hollywood Edge library with a Soundminer back end. So if anything there's a lot of presently-used-in-the-industy tools at your fingertips, and the instruction compliments it well in my opinion. As odd as it may seem of it's location, it's a well rounded and solid program and I know quite a few in post sound who have found success out here in LA after graduating.