Recording Industry

Loren Mulraine, Chair

Akins, Alleyne, Barnet, Collier, Crabtree, Dahan, Dougan, Fischer, Fleming, Foglia, Hill, Hutchison, Keel, Macy, McKinnie, Merchant, Newman, O’Brien, Pfeifer, Piekarski, Taylor, Wald, B. Wood, M. Wood

The Department of Recording Industry is internationally known for its innovative programs of study. The purpose of these programs is 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, Audio Production, and Commercial Songwriting. For those in the Music Business concentration, the department offers the “fast track” B.S./M.B.A. program in cooperation with the Jennings A. Jones College of Business.

Internships with a variety of companies and organizations in the industry are available for selected students. Opportunities to meet industry professionals, network, and develop contacts are provided throughout each semester. The department offers study abroad programs in Russia in connection with State University of Management in Moscow and in Great Britain. Audio engineering and production courses are taught in five departmental studios, a cinema remix room, a MIDI lab, a digital audio lab, a mastering lab, and a postproduction lab, all located on campus. Music Business students have access to modern marketing software and the most current industry data. Students in Commercial Songwriting work with professional songwriters.

The program is designed with advice from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, the Society of Professional Audio Recording Services, and numerous industry professionals and executives.

The department offers a minor in Recording Industry for Music majors in the Music Industry concentration and other interested students. The department also offers a minor in Entertainment Technology in cooperation with the Speech and Theatre Department.

Curricular listings include General Education  requirements in Communication, History, Humanities and/or Fine Arts, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social/Behavioral Sciences categories.

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer credit into the Recording Industry major and minor will 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 students transferring from an institution that does not have an articulation agreement with MTSU, a course content evaluation and transfer validation test may be required before acceptance of the transfer of any RIM courses. Contact the department office for details.

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 must receive grades of C or better in all Recording Industry courses in order for them to count toward the major. A minimum grade of C is required in all classes that are prerequisite to Recording Industry classes. (A grade of C- is not considered C or better.) Recording Industry 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 will lose their places in class and those spaces will be made available to other students. This includes labs.

Dual Concentration

For a dual concentration, students must complete the required core and both required sub-cores plus enough electives to reach 48 hours in the major. Students must achieve candidacy in both concentrations. The minor choice must be approved by the chair.

Minors for Recording Industry Majors

All Recording Industry majors are required to complete one minor.

Audio Production concentration students may pick any minor available at MTSU. Recommended minors are Computer Science, Electronics, Electro-Acoustics, Entrepreneurship, Entertainment Technology, Film Studies, Mass Communication, Music Industry, and Entertainment Arts Design.

Music Business concentration students must pick one minor from four offered in the Jennings A. Jones College of Business or one (with three specialty areas) offered in the College of Mass Communication. From the Jennings A. Jones College of Business are the following: Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, Management, and Marketing. From the College of Mass Communication, students may select Mass Communication with specialty areas in journalism, public relations, or media management. ACTG 2110  or ACTG 3000  must be taken by all Music Business concentration students.

Commercial Songwriting concentration students must pick one minor from among Entrepreneurship, Creative Writing, or Music.

Students should consult minor requirements below.

Minor Information

For information on the Business Administration, Entrepreneurship, and Film Studies minors, see the Interdisciplinary minors  section.

For information on the Management and Marketing minors, see the Department of Management and Marketing .

For information on the Creative Writing minor, see Interdisciplinary minors .

For information on the Electro-Acoustics minor, see the Department of Physics and Astronomy .

For information on the Electronics minor, see the Department of Engineering Technology .

For information on the Computer Science minor, see the Department of Computer Science .

For information on the Music and Music Industry minors, see the School of Music .

For information on the Entertainment Arts Design minor, see the Department of Speech and Theatre .

For information on the Mass Communication Minor for Recording Industry Majors  and Entertainment Technology Minor (Recording Industry Majors)  see programs.

Courses may not be used to satisfy requirements for more than one minor or for a minor and the major.

All minors require a minimum 2.00 GPA in the minor coursework to graduate.

Graduate Study

The department offers the Master of 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.