Recording Industry

John Merchant, Chair

Akins, Baird, Blackmon, Brown, Caress, Collier, Conceison, Crabtree, Dahan, deClercq, Dellinger, Donham, Fleming, Foglia, Green, Hanson, Keel, Macy, Ouellette, Paulson, Pfeifer, Piekarski, Rogers, Rowland, Shackelford, Simpson, Wagnon, Wald

The Department of Recording Industry is internationally recognized for its innovative programs of study designed to prepare students for positions in virtually any phase of the audio production and music industries, to be entrepreneurs, or for postgraduate study. The department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Recording Industry with concentrations in Music Business and Commercial Songwriting and a Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Production.

Internships with a variety of companies and organizations in the industry are available for select students. Opportunities to meet industry professionals, network, and develop contacts are provided throughout each semester. The department offers study abroad programs in several countries. Audio engineering and production courses are taught in multiple studios and labs, all located on campus. Live sound/sound reinforcement courses are taught in various on-campus locations including the Chris Young Cafe. Music Business students have access to modern marketing software and the most current industry data. Students in Commercial Songwriting work with professional songwriters in the recently opened Songwriting Center.

The program is designed utilizing best practices and advice from The Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammys), Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA), The Music Business Association, the Society of Professional Audio Recording Services, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC), and numerous industry professionals and executives.

The department offers a minor in Recording Industry for non-Recording Industry majors, a minor in Audio Production for non-Audio Production majors, an interdisciplinary minor in Entertainment Technology in cooperation with the Engineering Technology, Media Arts, and Theatre and Dance departments.

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer credit into the Recording Industry and Audio Production majors may be accepted for the following core courses, lower-division courses, and non-RIM courses only: RIM 1020, RIM 1230, RIM 3000, RIM 3010, RIM 3600, RIM 3700, RIM 4700, PHYS 1600, MUHL 3670, PS 3530, ENGL 3810, and JOUR 2710. Only 3 hours of transfer credit may be counted toward the major from among PHYS 1600, MUHL 3670, PS 3530, ENGL 3810, and JOUR 2710. For those students transferring from an institution that has no articulation agreement with MTSU, a course content evaluation and transfer validation test may be required before acceptance of the transfer of any RIM courses.

NOTE 1: Students who take and pass MUTH 1110 - Theory and Aural Skills I at MTSU with a C- or better and who are minoring in any Music minor are exempt from RIM 1230 - Musicianship for Engineers but must take an additional 3 hours from the prescribed list of major electives.
NOTE 2: Students who take and pass MUTH 1110 - Theory and Aural Skills I at MTSU with a C- or better and who are not minoring in any Music minor can have MUTH 1110 substituted for RIM 1230 - Musicianship for Engineers and receive 4 hours credit toward the RI major.
NOTE 3: Students who take and pass a college-level Music Theory I course at another institution and who are minoring in any Music minor must take and pass the Music Theory and Aural Skills Diagnostic Exam offered by the School of Music. Those who pass will have the requirement for RIM 1230 - Musicianship for Engineers waived but must take an additional 3 hours from the prescribed list of major electives. Students who do not pass the Music Theory and Aural Skills Diagnostic Exam must take MUTH 1000 - Elements of Music or RIM 1230 - Musicianship for Engineers before taking MUTH 1110.
NOTE 4: Students who take and pass a college-level music theory course at another institution with a C- or better and who are not minoring in any Music minor can have that course substituted for RIM 1230 - Musicianship for Engineers and receive 3 or 4 hours credit toward the Recording Industry major.

Grading Policy

Students majoring in Recording Industry or Audio Production must receive grades of C (2.00) or better in all Recording Industry courses in order for them to count toward the major. A minimum grade of C (2.00) is required in all classes that are prerequisite to Recording Industry classes. (A grade of C- is not considered C or better.) Recording Industry and Audio Production majors may be required to take an exit examination in order to graduate.

NOTE: Students who fail to attend the first class meeting of any RIM course without prior arrangement with the instructor may lose their places in class and those spaces will be made available to other students which includes studio and lab access hours.

Graduate Study

The department offers the Master of Fine Arts degree in Recording Arts and Technology. Requirements for this degree and a list of the courses offered for graduate credit are published in the Graduate Catalog. High achieving undergraduate students majoring in Audio Production may be able to participate in the Accelerated Bachelors to Masters (ABM) pathway, providing an opportunity for select requirements to count toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Also offered is a concentration in Music Business through the Jones College of Business as included in the M.B.A. offering. Requirements for this degree and a list of the courses offered for graduate credit are published on the Jones College Business Administration with Music Business concentration website.