The MA Audio Sciences: Acoustics program at the Peabody Conservatory is a two-year graduate program, resulting in a Master of Arts degree, which prepares students to work in the specialized and growing fields of architectural acoustic design and consulting, acoustical product design, and audio systems design and integration. The program provides a thorough grounding in acoustics fundamentals, design practices, and advanced analysis applications, to enable graduates to pursue careers in these specialized fields.

The program considers all aspects of the behavior of sound in space and its impact on the human condition, from the classroom, to the concert hall, to the workplace, to the city. As the only graduate  program in acoustics situated within a music conservatory in North America, the program has a specific (but not exclusive) focus on music, and on the design and analysis of spaces for performance, including concert and recital halls, spoken-word theaters, studios for recording and production, and critical listening spaces.

The Acoustics program is dedicated to applied learning and investigation, with outcomes that not only contribute to the broader body of acoustics understanding, but also that serve the city and community, by addressing actual acoustics challenges and conditions. Students will utilize and learn from the various performance, assembly, and studio spaces within the Peabody Institute and Johns Hopkins University, and will also spend significant time off site, within the region and beyond, to listen, learn, analyze, and apply their developing expertise within a broader context.

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Program Distinctives & Highlights

  • Situated within a premiere conservatory of music and dance, offering countless listening, recording, and analysis opportunities.
  • Small student cohorts and small classes, from academic and professional faculty with varied perspectives on acoustics, offering direct faculty-student engagement and mentorship.
  • Visiting lectures from industry leaders in acoustics, audio systems design, recording, and new media.
  • Visit, study, analyze performance spaces and acoustics resources in the Baltimore-Washington region.
  • Opportunities to travel with faculty and student peers, to critically listen, assess, and benchmark performance spaces, both domestically and abroad.
  • Engage in current and emerging techniques in acoustic measurement, modeling, and simulation.
  • Experiential learning through applied research investigations, visiting critiques from industry leaders, and assisting faculty on real projects.
  • Access to elective courses within the Peabody Conservatory and the broader Johns Hopkins University community (with qualification and specific interest).
  • Assistantship opportunities available in the second year of study.

Faculty

Ian Bryan Hoffman
Program Coordinator

Architectural Acoustics, Acoustic & Audio Measurements, Psychoacoustics, Acoustical Modeling, Acoustics Design Practicum
Ian Bryan Hoffman is an architect, acoustic designer, and educator. He has spent his career committed to examining and understanding the curious interactions of sound and space, specifically as they affect the human experience.

Jameson Dickman

Musical Acoustics, Noise Control, Acoustical Modeling
Jameson Dickman is an acoustics consultant at WSP USA, specializing in building acoustics, and an adjunct faculty member at the Peabody Institute. He specializes in room acoustics, sound isolation, and noise control designs for commercial, healthcare, residential, educational, civic, industrial and government clients.

Bruno Cardenas

Architectural Acoustics, Graduate Acoustics Seminar
Bruno Cardenas is an Associate Director in Acoustics at Charcoalblue’s New York studio and an adjunct faculty member at the Peabody Institute. He specializes in the acoustic design of spaces for performance and assembly, including drama theatres, music performance halls, event spaces, outdoor spaces, and found spaces.

Elizabeth Burnham

Audiovisual Systems Design
Elizabeth Burnham is a multifaceted educator and musician who brings a wealth of experience and passion to her teaching roles.

Scott Orth

Electroacoustics

John Horne

Audio Science and Technology, Consumer Audio Systems