As an Audio Engineering major, students will work directly with a diverse community of talented students, the faculty of Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music and professional Memphis artists and musicians. Within this NASM-accredited program, students gain real-world experience while studying one-on-one with faculty with professional backgrounds in music production/engineering, live sound, tour management, and entertainment law. The Audio Engineering program trains students to succeed in the music industry utilizing the school's cutting-edge recording studios and professionally designed performance spaces. Through the hands-on curriculum and project-based learning, students develop practical skills while acquiring the critical theoretical knowledge needed to adapt to future technologies.

Objectives of the degree include: (A) An advanced understanding of music technology as an integrated field. This includes, but is not limited to, informational knowledge about the scope of music technology; the multiple components, concepts, and applications of music technology; and the conceptualization, development, production, and distribution processes associated with one or more specific music technology areas or applications. (B) The ability to hear, identify, and work conceptually with the elements of music such as rhythm, melody, harmony, structure, timbre, texture. (C) An understanding of fundamental science, engineering, and math content underlying acoustics and electronic technologies employed in music technology. (D) Ability to integrate and synthesize basic musical and technological knowledge and skills in the conceptualization of music technology projects. (E) Musical and technological capabilities to produce undergraduate-level work in at least one area of integrative music technology, or to produce undergraduate-level research or scholarly work in integrative music technology. (F) An understanding of and the ability to read and realize musical notation. An understanding of compositional processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces. (G) An acquaintance with a wide selection of musical literature, the principal eras, genres, and cultural sources, for example, classical, jazz, popular, and world music forms. (H) The ability to develop and defend musical and sonic judgments. Understanding of the overall function and structure of the music industry and its associated technologies. (I) Functional knowledge of copyright law, publishing, contracts, and licensing. (J) Understanding of administrative structures and practices associated with music organizations. An advanced knowledge of computer and technological applications in the music industry. (K) Understanding of entrepreneurship and history of the music industry.