Music Technology, Minor
Music Technology Minor
Better recordings, production, and acoustics through technology
Develop skills applying technology to music production and performance. Become an acoustic consultant, audio/sound engineer, recording engineer, mixer, music editor, or sound designer. The Music Technology minor is the place to start.
Engineer your future with a Music Tech minor!
Administered by faculty from the College of Arts and Architecture’s School of Music, School of Theatre, and Department of Integrative Arts, the minor in Music Technology is appropriate for undergraduate students seeking to apply domains of knowledge from their majors or general education programs to the fields of audio production and digital technology in music.
The program, which is part of the Music Technology–ROARS Studio, consists of prescribed foundation courses in musical acoustics, digital audio, sound design, and audio recording. Supporting course work will enable you to focus in advanced topics such as music software programming, multi-media, or entertainment systems.
Does this sound like you?
- You are interested in recording, sound production, and acoustics and have a background in music and computer software.
- You’re majoring in music, theatre sound design, integrative arts, film production, information science and technology, or computer science (although the Music Tech minor is open to all majors).
If so, Music Technology sounds perfect for you.
Application Details
Application to the Music Technology Minor
Students wishing to complete the Music Technology minor should complete the following process:
- After a student begins attending classes at Penn State, email scr5385@psu.edu (Dr. Rice) with your name, 9-digit PSU ID, & projected graduation year.
- Complete MUSIC 8, INART 50Z (fall only at UP), and INART 258A with a grade of C or higher (MUSIC 8 can be waived for students that demonstrate experience with the contents of this course).
- The next course, THEA 285, is only offered in the spring semester and Music Tech minor students must request to be added by emailing Margaret Higgins at mah68@psu.edu.
- Once these four courses are completed or scheduled, students may formally apply to the minor by submitting a portfolio to Dr. Rice and Curtis Craig (details in Portfolio section).
Portfolio Requirements
The portfolio should consist of the following:
- Student’s 9-digit PSU ID.
- A list of courses taken that apply to the minor and grades earned in them.
- Two proposed supporting courses to complete the minor (one needs to be at the 400-level).
- A collection of the student’s best work, in whatever form is most appropriate (papers, recordings, web pages, etc.). If other materials are also submitted as physical media, be sure to label all materials and put them together in an envelope to ensure that nothing gets lost. If they are uploaded to an online repository, such as OneDrive or Google Drive, put everything into a single folder and zip it up so that we may download everything with one click.
In order for Dr. Rice and Professor Curtis Craig to access and review your portfolio, please send the link or files to both of them. Their emails are: scr5385@psu.edu (Dr. Rice) and cjc18@psu.edu (Prof. Craig).
Questions about course enrollment may be sent to A&A Advisor Margaret Higgins at mah68@psu.edu.
Supporting Courses
Below is a list of required and pre-approved supporting courses but any course in the university that meets the spirit of this requirement in the judgment of the Committee may be used to satisfy this requirement. Some courses have pre-requisites; students should consult the instructors to ensure that they meet eligibility requirements before enrolling for courses.
Have Specific Questions?
