If you’re looking for an audio engineering program in California consider yourself pretty lucky. California has a TON of schools available for those looking into audio production as a career.
What’s even better is that is doesn’t matter whether you live down south or up north (San Francisco) there are still plenty of schools to choose from.
In Southern California (Los Angeles & San Diego) you will find the center of the music universe. (As far as commercial companies go) Most of the biggest “labels” in the country reside there and this means music studios are abundant.
Additionally, Southern California is home to many live performance venues, meaning more audio jobs. Lastly, the average salary for California audio engineers is pretty high. Only a few other states (ie. New York, Massachusetts) average higher paydays.
However, all these positives come with a few negatives. The cost of living in California is very high and competition can be tough for beginners. So get a good education, and be ready to work. Below are some great schools available in California.
If you have questions about any of the schools, hit the “request info” button and they’ll help you out.
Featured Audio Schools in California
Academy of Art University, founded in 1929 by artists for artists, is the nation's largest accredited, private art and design university with over 18,000 students. Having state-of-the-art campuses online and in San Francisco, the Academy guides students to creative professional futures.
Programs:
- Coursework-Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media
- Bachelor-Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media
- Associate-Music Production & Sound Design for Visual Media
- And more...
Your creativity is a big part of who you are and where you're going. To take it, and your future, as far as you want, you need an education that's focused on developing your talents and putting you on the path toward the creative career that stirs your imagination.
Programs:
- Audio Production (AS)
- Audio Production (BS)
Programs:
- Audio Production
We educate future professionals through an intensive, accelerated, and hands-on program that emulates the working environments of these growing industries known for innovation and creativity. Students can complete their Bachelor's Degrees in less than three years and begin their careers in a wide range of media, technology, entertainment, and design fields.
With two locations in Northern California, our Emeryville campus is located just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco, neighboring Berkeley and Oakland, while our San Jose campus is located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Our academic programs are intense, emulating the real working environments of the industries we serve. Class sizes are limited and taught by a pool of talented faculty and industry professionals, and our equipment and facilities are professional-grade.
Programs:
- Interactive Audio
Pyramind
880 Folsom
San Francisco, CA 94107
United States
Tel: 415-896-9800
Fax: 415-541-9310
SAE Institute of Technology - Los Angeles
6565 Sunset Blvd. Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90028
United States
Tel: 323-466-6323
Fax: 323-466-6321
Hollywood Recording Workshop
24863 Del Prado
Dana Point, CA 92629
United States
Tel: 949-280-6748
Recording Connection
8306 Wilshire Bld.
Beverly Hills, CA 90046
United States
Tel: 800- 295- 4433
Fax: 310- 826- 8064
SAE Institute of Technology - San Francisco
450 Bryant Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
United States
Tel: 415-344-0886
Fax: 415-344-0237
Musicians Institute
6752 Hollywood Boulevard,
Hollywood, CA 90028
United States
Tel: 800-255-7529
Fax: (323) 462-1575
Online Schools
This list was made up of the best “on-campus” audio production schools in California. If you decide for any reason that you would prefer to learn from home, check out this list of online programs.
Summary
California offers beautiful weather, beautiful beaches, snow covered mountains during the winter, and the largest entertainment industry in the world all located in one place. There is plenty to love.
But if you decide to enroll in school in CA, be ready to work. There are a lot of people who want to produce music for a living, so you need to stay focused. Get yourself educated, and find a way to stand out.
If you have any questions for any of these schools, just hit the “request info” button and fill out your info. They can help you out.
Good luck and stay hungry!
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