Acoustics

Types of Degrees Acoustics Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many acoustics graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	85
Doctor’s Degree	9
Graduate Certificate	6

What Acoustics Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to acoustics were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Acoustics Majors

Acoustics majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Acoustics Majors

A major in acoustics prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Science - Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Acoustics Majors

As a acoustics major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Acoustics Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with acoustics:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Physicists	14.5%	$120,950
Physics Postsecondary Professors	10.2%	$90,800

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Acoustics?

This major attracts more men than women. About 68% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of acoustics majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	5
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	5
White	35
International Students	37
Other Races/Ethnicities	0

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Acoustics, too. About 43.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Acoustics

Some degrees associated with acoustics may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for acoustics careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.4%
Some College Courses	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	16.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.5%
Master’s Degree	22.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.2%
Doctoral Degree	39.2%
Post-Doctoral Training	18.4%

Online Acoustics Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	3	0
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Acoustics

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to acoustics.

Major	Number of Grads
General Physics	12,337
Other Physics	489
Optics/Optical Sciences	275
Theoretical & Mathematical Physics	16
Condensed Matter & Materials Physics	10
Atomic/Molecular Physics	8
Elementary Particle Physics	3
Nuclear Physics	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By A. T. Service under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.