MFA Sound Design

The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in sound design at Boston University College of Fine Arts encourages graduate-level students to conceive creative ideas and solutions for theatrical sound in musical and unconventional ways, while focusing on leadership skills and advanced conceptual and technical skills.

Degree Type

Graduate

Formats

In-Person

Availability

Full-Time

Location

On-Campus

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The MFA sound design program at BU guides each student in the development, implementation, and execution of their designs. Storytelling through sound and examining both creative and technical choices in classwork and productions encourages each student to discover their voice as sound designers and collaborative theatre artists.

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At BU, sound design graduate students focus on leadership skills and advanced conceptual and technical skills, and are encouraged to provide leadership for undergraduate students in the program.

As an MFA Sound Design Student, you’ll…

Enhance your artistic expression and communication skills through hands-on, MENTORED DESIGN EXPERIENCE within a wide range of production opportunities and classroom instruction
WORK COLLABORATIVELY with directors, performers, other designers, managers, administrators, and technical crews
Analyze and examine creative and technical choices to DISCOVER YOUR VOICE AS A SOUND DESIGNER
Become an EXPERT IN STORYTELLING through sound
MENTOR undergraduate level students in sound design, gaining sought-after LEADERSHIP skills
PLAN AND EXECUTE system designs, leading crews and participating in every work call

Program of Study

Training includes a rigorous curriculum, design opportunities on a varied range of projects, encouragement in creating collaborative partnerships with peers within the graduate directing and design programs, and the discovery and formulation of their own working process. The average class size consists of two students.

Sound design students collaborate with theatre professionals from leading regional theatres, opening the door to opportunities to work on productions with external theatre companies.

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Students are regularly mentored by the sound design faculty at BU, comprised of professional designers who work regularly in all facets of theatre, in the classroom, weekly colloquium, hands-on production advising, and end-of-semester conferences.

Students take courses in sound design, production audio, systems design, and a music elective. During their final year, students complete a thesis project, that explores specific and complex ideas of sound design, theatre, and artistic expression.

Composing theatrical soundscapes

Boston Globe feature

MFA sound design alum Mackenzie Adamick (CFA’24) is making a mark on the Boston theater scene. She created a moody and evocative soundscape for “Let the Right One In,” a vampire tale co-produced by Actors’ Shakespeare Project and Boston University; created a stir earlier this year with her lullabies-meet-spooky magic for the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s Stage II production of “A Midsummer Night’s” Dream” earlier this year; created music that helped ASP’s “As You Like It” really flow; and shared an Elliot Norton Award for her work with David Remedios on the sound design for Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s “Macbeth,” which included snippets of melodies and atmospheric sounds.

James McCartney

Lecturer, Sound Design

Opportunities

Sound design students work in venues of varying scales and resources, working with both analog and digital audio technologies. Within this small design program (BU accepts one to two sound design grad students per year), each student has the opportunity to contact their faculty mentor on a regular basis. All School of Theatre faculty members are working theatre artists who maintain active professional careers.

All sound design students work alongside each other extensively, as designers, assistants, and system and production audio engineers. Production calendars transpire on a quarterly basis, with ample opportunities for both conceptual design and system implementation.

Classes meet primarily in the Sound/Light Lab, the Sound Studio, and the Sound Production Shop, providing opportunities for project development and experimentation in studio and lab environments before implementation in theatre spaces.

Next Steps for Applicants

The best way to determine if BU is right for you is to explore our admission requirements, financial tools, and resources.

Fill out our request for info about BU theatre programs form to receive additional information about your program of interest and to send us any questions you may have.

REQUEST INFO ABOUT THE MFA SOUND DESIGN PROGRAM

We are happy to discuss your educational interests and career goals.

Admissions REQUIREMENTS