Program Overview

Music Production & Sound Design Associate Degree (Online)

Program Overview

The Associate of Science in Music Production and Sound Design is created and taught by industry experts who have collaborated with artists like Pharrell, Lily Allen, and The Killers. This program covers all the essential skills you need to thrive in the industry. Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Key Info

• Duration: 2 Years
• Start Dates: October 2026, October 2027
• Timetable: 4 classes per week
• Catalog: Download catalog

Fees

• Application Fee: $100
• Tuition Fee: $12,320 per year (with a $2,720 saving over termly installments) or $4,560 per term

Entrance Requirements

• Submit a Degree Program Application and non-refundable $100 Application Fee.
• Submit Government-Issued Photo ID and Proof of Graduation from High School, an accepted equivalent, or a passing score on an accepted Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) Test. If high school instruction was provided in a language other than English, submit an accepted Proof of English Proficiency.
• Submit two pieces of music by providing URLs for two downloadable files (hosted on a cloud server such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer) of original musical tracks you have created as the sole music producer. Each track must be at least 2 minutes in length and in a standard audio format of WAV, AIF, or MP3.
• Receive a Degree Acceptance Letter, the pointblank Music School Catalog, and sign a School Performance Fact Sheet and an Enrollment Agreement.
• Submit a refundable $400 Tuition Deposit at least 4 weeks prior to the program start date, and make the initial tuition payment before classes begin.

Courses

Year 1

• Music Production: Ableton Live or Music Production: Logic Pro
• Music Composition
• Musicianship for Producers - Level 1
• Piano Keyboard Skills - Level 1
• Study Skills
• Creative Audio: Ableton Live or Creative Audio: Logic Pro
• Musicianship for Producers - Level 2
• Piano Keyboard Skills - Level 2
• Rhythm
• Health & Wellness for Musicians
• Production Styles
• Beatmaking
• Music History & Culture
• Music Theory & Composition - Level 1
• Listening Skills - Level 1

Year 2

• Creative Writing
• Sound Design
• Songwriting
• Studio Vocal Production
• Radio Presenting & Podcasting
• Art of Mixing
• Music Industry
• Music Theory & Composition - Level 2
• Listening Skills - Level 2
• Music Publishing & Copyright
• Creative Audio - Level 2
• Audio Mastering

Expert Instructors

• Kyle Marshall: Music Production
• David Aguila: Audio Mastering
• Natalie Jacobs: Music Business

Career Opportunities

• Music Producer
• TV/Film Composer
• Recording Engineer
• Sound Designer
• Music Arranger
• Mix Engineer
• Studio Manager
• Remixer
• Video Game Composer
• Artist/Performer
• A&R Label Manager

Grading & Assessment

• Formative Exercises: Projects given to you throughout the term designed to provide feedback on your work and help you quickly improve your skills.
• Summative Assignments: Graded final assignments designed to assess the new skills you've developed in each course, deepen your learning, and provide a final course grade of A, B, C, D, or F.

Included with Program

• Software included with tuition (Ableton Live Suite or Apple Logic Pro X)
• Exclusive discounts on music production software and equipment
• Hundreds of hours of high-quality videos
• A two-hour Live Group Class Session each week in each course
• 2 DVRs (Direct Video Responses) per course
• 2 years of access after completion of the degree program
• Comprehensive course notes
• 24/7 access to our Forum
• Exclusive audio resources: downloadable projects, channel strips, racks, bespoke plug-ins, samples, acapellas, and more
• The opportunity to submit your tracks to our record label, pointblank Recordings, distributed by Beatport, iTunes, Juno Download, and Amazon

FAQ

• What are the entrance requirements for degrees?
  • Submit a Degree Program Application and non-refundable $100 Application Fee.
  • Submit Government-Issued Photo ID and Proof of Graduation from High School, an accepted equivalent, or a passing score on an accepted Ability-to-Benefit (ATB) Test. If high school instruction was provided in a language other than English, submit an accepted Proof of English Proficiency.
  • Submit two pieces of music by providing URLs for two downloadable files (hosted on a cloud server such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer) of original musical tracks you have created as the sole music producer. Each track must be at least 2 minutes in length and in a standard audio format of WAV, AIF, or MP3.
  • Receive a Degree Acceptance Letter, the pointblank Music School Catalog, and sign a School Performance Fact Sheet and an Enrollment Agreement.
  • Submit a refundable $400 Tuition Deposit at least 4 weeks prior to the program start date, and make the initial tuition payment before classes begin.
• How do the online courses work?
  • Weekly Class Sessions: Live two-hour group sessions once a week for 10 weeks in each course, where the whole class is online with the instructor, recorded for you to watch back. Delivered from the US from 5:30pm-7:30pm PT on a weeknight.
  • Direct Video Response (DVR): Personalized video feedback on your coursework submissions, giving you clear, focused guidance without needing to adjust your schedule.
  • Virtual Learning Environment: All live interaction is recordable for you to revisit at your leisure along, with hours of pre-recorded videos and a wealth of written content and downloadable resources provided in our proprietary Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
• Can I sample a course for free before enrolling?
  • Yes! If you would like to get a closer look what it's like to study online at pointblank, please try out a free sample course here.
• What materials do I get with this program?
  • Hundreds of hours of high-quality videos
  • A two-hour Live Group Class Session each week in each course
  • 2 DVRs (Direct Video Responses) per course
  • 2 years of access after completion of the degree program
  • Comprehensive course notes
  • 24/7 access to our Forum
  • Exclusive audio resources: downloadable projects, channel strips, racks, bespoke plug-ins, samples, acapellas, and more
  • The opportunity to submit your tracks to our record label, pointblank Recordings, distributed by Beatport, iTunes, Juno Download, and Amazon
• What equipment do I need to take this course?
  • Either Ableton Live Suite or Logic Pro (please contact us for more details)
  • Computer which meets the minimum requirements for your chosen DAW
  • MIDI keyboard (recommended for most short courses; required for Diploma students)
  • Native Instruments Reaktor + Blocks (required only for the Advanced Sound Design course)
  • Native Instruments Komplete (recommended)
• What support do I get during this program?
  • Throughout your program, you will be taught and supported by our expert team of professional music instructors. You will be able to contact them via the student forum, raise any issues you may encounter in your courses, and receive a timely response. All of our instructors are highly experienced in making music, have in-depth knowledge of the music business, and will be able to offer valuable advice and guidance. In each course, you will also participate in a live two-hour online Group Class Session each week for 10 weeks, where you can raise your specific questions and have them answered by an expert.