FAQ

Our degrees are designed to begin in the Fall quarter each year. A number of course requirements follow a course sequence of Fall, Winter, Spring, where progression in the program is dependent on successful completion of the previous quarter’s courses. If you are unable to start in the Fall, please read "WHAT IF I CAN'T START IN FALL?" below.

We do offer a cohort start during the Winter Quarter. For this program, a student will complete courses during Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters during the first year so they are ready to join students in Fall for the second year.

The total amount you will pay each quarter is the sum of tuition, program & class fees, and additional college fees.

Tuition	Full-time Music Tech students take 14–17 credits per quarter. View the tuition grid by residency.
Program & Class Fee	Please refer to the class schedule for each course you are considering to view the specific program and course fees.
Additional College Fees	In addition to the tuition and program/course fees listed above, all students are required to pay supplemental fees, as enacted by student government (see this link)

As of September 2025. Please see the latest information here.

We recommend you view the Financial Aid page on the Shoreline website.

Shoreline College Music Technology offers three (3) degrees in Music Technology. Our degrees are two-year, Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences (AAAS) degrees. These degrees comprise approximately 90 credits in Music Technology and General Education courses.

 Our AAAS degrees are:

• Audio Engineering Production, AAAS
• Electronic Music Production, AAAS
• Music Business, AAAS

Audio Engineering Production: The easiest way to describe this degree is, "You learn how to record music or voice talent in a traditional recording studio." Over your two years of study you will learn how to use ProTools (the industry standard ... you'll receive a Certificate in ProTools Proficiency), learn how to record and mix audio using a large format recording console, learn how to mic up instruments, musicians, and talent, learn how to do audio post-production, audio and dialogue replacement for film, narrative audio, live sound and more. Your second year will focus on group recording projects in our recording studios at Shoreline College and creating a portfolio of work that you will showcase at the Studio Portfolio Showcase.

Electronic Music Production: The easiest way to describe this degree is, "You will learn how to produce music on your own computer in your DAW." Over your two years of study, you will learn MIDI, sampling, music production, working with synthesizers, adding music and sound to video games, and creating music in the DAW for different media, including short-film scoring. During your second year, you will create music based on a variety of project briefs and collaborations across campus, all while building portfolio pieces that you will showcase at the Student Portfolio Showcase.

Music Business: In this degree, you will learn the core concepts of business and entrepreneurship with a focus on music-related business. You will learn fundamentals of business (accounting, tax liabilities, communication) as well as music-related specificity (music publishing, music law, etc). You will create business plans for a music-related business as well as marketing materials, which you will showcase at the Student Portfolio Showcase.

For more information on our degrees, please click here.

While a majority of our students are pursuing a degree, we have a handful of students taking courses for specific skill development and industry improvement. Shoreline offers Certificates that have a narrow focus of study specific to Music Technology. 

Note: If you complete a Certificate and decide you want to enter a degree program, all MUSTC classes will count towards your new degree program.

 We offer Certificates in:

• Foundations of Digital Audio - Pro Tools Certificate
• Foundations of Electronic Music Certificate
• Foundations of Multi-Track Recording Certificate
• Foundations of Music Business Certificate

For more information, click here.

There are several opportunities for our students to enter the marketplace after their time at Shoreline College.

 If a student is looking for full-time employment, live sound engineers are currently in high demand. Several of our graduates have gone on to work at regional sound companies that provide sound and audio-visual (AV) support at music festivals, hotels, convention centers, etc.

There are opportunities for audio engineers to work as freelance engineers in various music studios. Post-production audio work in media, podcasts, and audio production is in demand as well.

Throughout a student’s two years at Shoreline College, faculty stress the importance of building a network of music and audio professional contacts. The music business involves projects with budgets from modest to large, and everyone contributes to the success of the project or event. Your reputation is your most valuable asset. Building a network while at Shoreline increases your opportunity for employment post-Shoreline.

There is no specific type of computer required for our program. It is recommended that a student have a computer to run ProTools (for Audio Engineering students) or a DAW of your choice (for Electronic Music Production). The majority of professional studios worldwide still use Mac systems, especially those running Pro Tools. For music producers and those working in home or production studios, it is split between Mac and PC.

For software, all students in Audio Engineering are strongly encouraged to purchase a license for ProTools Studio. As a full-time student at Shoreline College, you can get an educational discount for ProTools for $99/year. Electronic Music Production students need to have a DAW capable of working with audio/video. This includes Logic Pro (Mac only), ProTools (Mac/PC), and Cubase (Mac/PC). Several students use Ableton, Reaper, and FL Studio. These will work for most coursework, except when we work on music-to-picture projects.

Please note, Shoreline College Music Department has two (2) computer labs which are outfitted with Mac computers containing ProTools, Logic Pro, and Ableton, as well as audio interfaces and MIDI keyboards. With access to the Shoreline College MIDI labs, a student is not required to own their own computer.

Yes, you can! A number of our Music Technology students participate in Jazz Ensemble, Rock Ensemble, Chamber Chorale, and Concert Band ... there are a lot of options! If you want to take private lessons on your instrument, you can do that too.

Note: There are restrictions based on what type of financial aid you are receiving. Talk to a Program Advisor for more information.

The Shoreline College Music Technology program was one of the first programs in the Pacific Northwest to teach the audio arts. Our program has always included on-campus recording studios. With a new facility under construction, we are excited to be expanding our cutting-edge recording studios.

Recording studios

• Studio A
• Studio B

Currently, Studio A houses an Audient Heritage 8024 32-input inline recording console. Studio B operates primarily as a mixing room featuring an SSL Sigma as well as a collection of premium outboard analog gear.

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In January 2026, we will be moving into a new building that has expanded our recording facilities.

Studio A will feature an SSL Origin 32 analog console connected to our large performance classroom, which serves as its live tracking room. Also located within Studio A are two isolation booths.

Studio B will feature an SSL Origin 16 analog console connected to our small performance classroom, which serves as its live tracking room.

Studio A and B will feature an identical workflow, which will allow students to seamlessly work in either studio. Additionally, the addition of a live tracking room to Studio B will triple the amount of recording time slots available to our students.

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Shoreline College has two computer labs featuring Mac computers equipped with music production software, audio interfaces, and MIDI keyboards.

For performance spaces, the Music Building at Shoreline College contains a large performance room (for Concert Band, Chamber Chorale, and Jazz Ensemble) as well as a smaller performance room (Jazz Choir, Rock Ensemble, Jazz Combo). Additionally, the building contains a number of practice rooms and music production suites.

Our piano classes are housed in our Piano Lab, which features 16 piano stations.

As of January 2026, the Music Department will have its own performance hall located within the Music Building.

No problem! We recommend taking a class to see if Shoreline College Music Tech is the right program for you. We recommend taking MUSTC 151 - Intro to Music Technology as a primer.

 

Music Technology is a "professional technical" program that opens several financial aid programs for students.

We recommend contacting the Workforce office for specifics about the Music Technology program in addition to the financial aid Website.