Program Overview

Music Production & Sound Design Bachelor's Degree (Online)

Program Overview

If you're looking to build your music career, pointblank's new online bachelor's degree is the perfect choice. The Bachelor of Music 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.

This bachelor's degree is a one-stop shop for anyone looking to become a music producer, sound designer, film/TV composer, sound editor, music arranger, recording artist, studio manager, A&R/label manager, and many more exciting vocations. pointblank classes are small enough to ensure you receive ample individual time with your instructors.

Courses

• Year 1
  • Music Production: Ableton Live
  • Music Production: Logic Pro
  • Music Composition
  • Musicianship for Producers - Level 1
  • Piano Keyboard Skills - Level 1
  • Study Skills
  • Creative Audio: Ableton Live
  • 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
• Year 3
  • Composing for Film & TV
  • Evolution of Music Technology
  • Live Music & Events
  • Studio Design
  • Electronic Music Performance
  • Piano Keyboard Performance - Level 1
  • Melody Writing - Level 1
  • Psychology of Artists
  • Creative Production & Remix
  • Piano Keyboard Performance - Level 2
  • Melody Writing - Level 2
  • Advanced Sound Design
  • Coding for Music
  • Creative Content for Socials
• Year 4
  • Branding & Promotion
  • Spanish Language & Lyrics
  • Audio for Games
  • Advanced Mixing
  • Career Development & Employability
  • Advanced Composition
  • Professional Portfolio Research
  • Improvisation & Experimentation
  • Co-writing & Collaboration
  • Professional Portfolio Project

Expert Instructors

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

Grading & Assessment

pointblank's grading and assessment methods help you get valuable feedback from industry expert instructors in order to gauge your progress, support your learning, and confirm your new skills. You will participate in the following types of exercises and assessment during this course:

1. Formative Exercises - These are projects given to you throughout the term designed to provide feedback on your work and help you quickly improve your skills.
2. Summative Assignments - These graded final assignments are 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. They often simulate real industry scenarios, providing valuable experience through briefs and instructions similar to those you'll receive in professional situations.

Career Opportunities

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

Frequently Asked Questions

• What are the entrance requirements for degrees?
  • Students seeking to enter a Bachelor’s Degree or Associate Degree program at pointblank must meet the following 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.
• How do the online courses work?
  • Studying online with pointblank is a completely unique experience unlike any other online program. You will be personally guided by expert industry professional instructors in each course and provided with regular opportunities to discuss and submit your work to get valuable feedback and analysis on your music:
    • 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).