by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 7 U.S. colleges awarded 189 degrees and certificates in Acoustics. Bachelor’s degrees are the most popular award, at 54% of graduates. College Factual ranks 4 schools in its 2027 Best Acoustics Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $50,584 one year after completing, rising to $85,749 after four years.
Studying Acoustics covers Acoustics. A Program That Focuses On The Scientific Study Of Sound, And The Properties And Behavior Of Acoustic Wave Phenomena Under Different Conditions. Includes Instruction In Wave Theory, The Acoustic Wave Equation, Energy Transformation, Vibration Phenomena, Sound Reflection And Transmission, Scattering And Surface Wave Phenomena, Singularity Expansion Theory, Ducting, And Applications To Specific Research Problems Such As Underwater Acoustics, Crystallography, And Health Diagnostics.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Nationwide, acoustics is a widely-pursued major, with 189 degrees awarded annually. 7 colleges award acoustics degrees, an average of 27 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 99.
By level, the 189 awards include 102 bachelor’s degrees, 83 master’s degrees and 4 doctorates.
Women earned 33% of acoustics degrees and certificates in the latest year (63 of 189). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (82) and Hispanic or Latino (27), and international students earned 43.
College Factual ranks 4 schools in its 2027 Best Acoustics Schools ranking, including 3 for bachelor’s degrees and 2 for master’s degrees. It also ranks acoustics schools within 1 state. In all, 7 colleges offer acoustics programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Acoustics Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common acoustics credential is the bachelor’s degree: 102 of the 189 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to acoustics call most for Reading Comprehension, Active Listening and Writing, and for knowledge of English Language, Mathematics and Computers and Electronics, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Oral Expression, Written Comprehension and Oral Comprehension.
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How long an acoustics degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 102 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 83 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 4 |
Bachelor’s degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to acoustics, at 32.9%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 32.9% |
| Doctoral degree | 23.0% |
| Master’s degree | 14.8% |
| Post-doctoral training | 13.4% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 4.7% |
| Some college courses | 3.8% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 3.4% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 2.9% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.9% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 0.3% |
Source: O*NET Online.
5 occupations are related to Acoustics, with an average median salary of $123,067; the strongest outlook belongs to Physics Teachers, Postsecondary, at 14.3% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Clinical Project Manager, Clinical Trials Manager, Research Coordinator and Clinical Research Nurse Coordinator.
The occupation related to acoustics with the most projected jobs is Clinical Research Coordinators, at 542,888.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Research Coordinators | 542,888 | 10.4% |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | 415,392 | 14.3% |
| Natural Sciences Managers | 179,495 | 8.7% |
| Physicists | 118,738 | 8.5% |
| Water Resource Specialists | 78,994 | -0.4% |
Acoustics graduates earn a median $50,584 one year after completing their program, $85,749 after four years and $87,663 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $50,584 |
| 4 years | $85,749 |
| 5 years | $87,663 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to acoustics is Water Resource Specialists, with a median salary of $179,716.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Water Resource Specialists | $179,716 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $132,227 |
| Physicists | $111,776 |
| Clinical Research Coordinators | $110,931 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | $80,685 |
Acoustics has 8 similar majors in the Physical Sciences field, which together award 13,740 degrees a year; the largest are Physics, General (12,923), Physics, Other (480) and Optics/Optical Sciences (267). Browse all Physical Sciences majors or the full list of college majors.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Physics, General | 12,923 |
| Physics, Other | 480 |
| Optics/Optical Sciences | 267 |
| Theoretical and Mathematical Physics | 37 |
| Atomic/Molecular Physics | 12 |
| Elementary Particle Physics | 12 |
| Condensed Matter and Materials Physics | 5 |
| Nuclear Physics | 4 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
