<p>My son is interested in Acoustical Engineering but there are few schools that offer it as a BS...usually it's a MS or PhD level degree. </p>
<p>Just noticed that Acoustical Engineering is offered through the Multidisciplinary Engineering program at Purdue. Wondering of anyone has been part of this program. If so, was it a good program? Any idea what the job prospects have been for graduates of this program?</p>
<p>(Alternatively, son will consider something like a BS in EE or ECE and then an MS in Acoustics. Is it better to get the general EE degree in terms of job opportunity...and then later specialize in the area of acoustics?)</p>
<p>Yes! I will be a senior in Purdue’s Acoustical program this fall. PM me if you’d like and I’ll respond within the next few days when I have enough time to put together a solid response. Does he know what type of job he’d like to have after graduation? That would be useful information for me to be able to best help you since acoustics is quite a broad field.</p>
<p>Admission into this program isn’t different than any other engineering major because students are admitted into the first-year engineering program and then declare their major at the end of their freshman year. You really don’t get too-heavy into acoustical classes until some time in junior year, due to core classes and requirements.</p>
<p>I’m majoring in Acoustical and have minors in Mech. Eng. and Theatre Design & Production. Due to the nature of the interdisciplinary classes, it’s relatively easy to pick up a minor or two. Right now, I’m planning to go to grad school to study architectural acoustics and/or noise control and then will probably try to get a job with a consulting firm in a relatively large city somewhere in the US. I will admit it’s more difficult to get a job in acoustics than other engineering majors at Purdue, such as ME or EE. This is mainly due to the fact that ME and EE are heavily recruited on campus and acoustics isn’t really recruited at all. Like any field, networking and self-motivation are keys to getting jobs in my opinion. A lot of acoustics related companies are small, so you just have to keep an eye out for openings. However, I’ve been told there will always be jobs somewhere for bright, Purdue-trained engineers. Check out ASA and AES (Acoustical Society of America and Audio Engineering Society, they have membership fees though for some content) websites for more information about current research and job opportunities.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to the current plan of study.</p>
<p>Basically, there are two options right now, vibrational (more mechanical vibrational/what I’m doing) and sound system engineering (heavy on the EE side of things). I chose the vibrational option because I enjoy the ME classes a lot more than EE classes and also enjoy more macroscopic concepts. Plus, I thought the EE classes were difficult, but I think that just depends on your personal learning style.</p>
<p>Acoustics is a very broad field, which means you could major in almost anything and still have the option to study the discipline in grad school (I’ve heard of EE, ME, physics, math, speech/communication, and theatre majors all studying an acoustic discipline in grad school).</p>
<p>Let me know if you have any other questions. Sorry for the fragmented response.</p>
<p>Something else I would like to add is that the students in Acoustical (and the entire School of Interdisciplinary Engineering really) are some of the most interesting and engaging students I’ve met at Purdue. There aren’t many students in my major (~15ish per year maybe?), so we all know each other, support each other with coursework, and get along well in general. It’s fun/cool to be classmates with talented musicians and composers in addition to their abilities in engineering. The interdisciplinary engineering program is home to many outside the box thinkers that want more than what the traditional engineering majors have to offer.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the information here and in your private message. This sounds very interesting and I hope my son and I will be able to come for a visit in the fall. Good luck to you next year!</p>
<p>Thanks. Hope you’re able to make in the fall. I’d recommend trying to come on a weekend with a home football game. The football games will really help you see the campus come to life (and you’d have the chance to watch a Big Ten caliber football game)</p>
Hello people…I am currently in my final year of EIE engineering.I want to pursue my career in acoustics and noise control.Does Purdue University have a graduate program in acoustics?