# Acoustical Engineering



## MNicolai (Sep 10, 2008)

At my high school we have a program setup called Project Lead The Way. It provides lots of technical education through courses which provide students college credit. One of the assessments is to research an engineering career, which includes interviewing an engineer. Do we happen to have any audio, sound, or acoustical engineers floating around here on CB that wouldn't mind taking an interview at some point in the next couple weeks?


----------



## Footer (Sep 10, 2008)

An audio engineer is not an engineer, at least not the kind you are looking for. Acoustics is going to be a tough one to follow, most of those guys call themselves acousticians, at least the ones I have met. They are usually a bit more architect then engineer. 

I would say, go find yourself an Electrical Engineer and interview them. Engineer is a blanket term, when people say it they are usually talking about a cival, EE, Mechanical, chemical, or a plethora of other types of engineers.


----------



## museav (Sep 10, 2008)

Footer4321 said:


> An audio engineer is not an engineer, at least not the kind you are looking for. Acoustics is going to be a tough one to follow, most of those guys call themselves acousticians, at least the ones I have met. They are usually a bit more architect then engineer.


There are a few, I have a BSE in Acoustical Engineering from Purdue and am also a licensed PE (Professional Engineer) in Acoustical Engineering. Along with Acoustical Engineering, Purdue's Interdisciplinary Engineering program also includes an undergraduate option in Theater Engineering Studies.


----------



## MNicolai (Sep 10, 2008)

First of all, many thanks to museav for helping me out on this.

My teacher is actually very interested in Acoustical Engineering, especially because he sees _tons_ of papers written on Electrical, Civil, Architectural, Chemical, and Mechanical engineers. That said, even if I was only able to find someone with an impressive background and maybe lacking a concentrated degree, he would still really like to find out more about the profession. Luckily, that is a moot point because we have a CB member who has a formalized engineering education.


----------



## jkowtko (Sep 11, 2008)

Brad, that's interesting there are actually Acousting Engineering programs out there. I would have thought this more along the lines of a Physics major ... is Acoustics part of the Physics Dept at Purdue?


----------



## museav (Sep 11, 2008)

Purdue has a rather unique program called Interdisciplinary Engineering (IDE) that has been around for probably close to 30 years and that is specifically for areas of study that fall between or cross the traditional divisions of Engineering. Recently that changed a bit to where the IDE is now a BS degree program for those who want some engineering education but do not plan to practice engineering while there is a new Multidisciplinary Engineering (MDE) BSE degree program for those who do want to be Engineers. I believe that Acoustical Engineering is now part of the MDE program while Theater Engineering Studies is currently an IDE program. Both MDE and IDE are part of the School of Engineering Education which is in turn part of the College of Engineering. More info can be found at https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/Academics/Undergrad.

My studies included Physics (I was actually a Physics major for my first two years) but also a heavy dose of Mechanical Engineering (our acoustics lab was part of the School of Mechanical Engineering), music, some Electrical Engineering, technical writing and, of course, theatre tech (thanks Rick!). Because I knew I wanted to get into the facility design and construction aspects, I also took a number of Civil and Construction Engineering courses.

For the more Liberal Arts minded, Purdue also has a BA program in Theatre Design and Technology and MFA programs in Theatre Engineering, Sound Design, Lighting Design, Scenic Design, Costume Design and Technical Direction. While I'm probably a little biased, I don't know of many institutions that offer such a broad scope of theatre and sound related degree options.


----------



## photoatdv (Sep 11, 2008)

I was actually planning on asking if anyone knew of a program like that. Good timing guys. Does anyone know of other universities (in the US) that offer an Engineering degree in a tech theatre related field?


----------



## Chris15 (Sep 11, 2008)

Brad, a question form down here where things are different... What's a BSE?

We go really boring and so I'm studying for a BE, Bachelor of Engineering...


----------



## DaveySimps (Sep 11, 2008)

I believe he is referring to a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.

~Dave


----------



## museav (Sep 12, 2008)

DaveySimps said:


> I believe he is referring to a Bachelor of Science in Engineering.


Exactly!


----------



## FMEng (Sep 14, 2008)

I would be willing to participate. I have worked as a broadcast engineer for about 20 years. I'm the chief engineer of a large public radio station. My degree is BS in Electronics Engineering Technology from Oregon Institute of Technology. 

When I got out of school, I was looking for a job which included a wide variety of activities, applied my engineering skills, and involved my interest in audio production. Unlike most of my class mates, I'm not stuck behind a desk very much. No two days are the same in broadcast engineering.


----------



## museav (Sep 14, 2008)

FMEng said:


> I would be willing to participate. I have worked as a broadcast engineer for about 20 years. I'm the chief engineer of a large public radio station. My degree is BS in Electronics Engineering Technology from Oregon Institute of Technology.


Sort of ironic, Oregon is the only state to offer a Professional Engineering registration in Acoustical Engineering.


----------



## church (Sep 14, 2008)

If you still need someone I am an electronic engineer who has spent over twenty five years in the space industryin the design and manufacture of satellite payloads. I am a Professional Engineer holding three licences to practice oneOntario, one in the U.K. and one in Europe.


----------

