Acoustic Engineer Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an acoustic engineer. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an acoustic engineer.
Who is an Acoustic Engineer?
An Acoustic Engineer’s job is to comprehend the science of sound, which is a branch of science that deals with vibration and sound. Acoustic engineers are hired by architecture and engineering firms to assist in the design of buildings and facilities that either reduce or enhance the sound, depending on the construction. In other words, most people question themselves, “What does it look like?” when it comes to architectural design. Acoustic engineers, on the other hand, wonder aloud, “What does it sound like?” As an Acoustic Engineer, your duty is to regulate noise in situations like an office building near an airport or highway or noise from highways and airports themselves, which might annoy nearby residential neighbourhoods. An acoustic engineer is part of a design team that comprises architects, engineers, and urban planners on occasion. As an acoustic engineer in this team, you deal with sound wave phenomena like absorption, reverberation, diffraction, and refraction. And that means you’ve always had your ear to the ground – sometimes literally.
When it comes to noise management, you look over architectural plans and blueprints and employ ultrasound and sonar technology to find sources of unwanted noise. Then you devise a strategy for dealing with them, including the construction of noise-canceling walls, sound barriers, sound absorbers, silencers, and buffer zones. More so, when it comes to sound amplification as an acoustic engineer you may pick from a variety of room shapes and materials, as well as materials such as glass, fabrics, and polyurethane foam, all of which are meant to boost acoustics in areas where people are listening to performances or presentations.
Acoustic Engineer Job Description
Below are the acoustic engineer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
As an acoustic engineer you are likely to perform these roles:
- Oversee the creation of electro-mechanical print circuit boards for the defence and aerospace industries, from prototype to mass production.
- Create transducers and migrates an APL-based laboratory testing system to Lab VIEW.
- Tune a variety of vehicles for OEMs currently in production.
- Comply with customer specifications as well as ISO and ASTM standards when conducting tests.
- Create bespoke DSP audio tools for speech signals using MATLAB and C/C++.
- Compare model data to test data to conduct FEA studies and establish better modeling processes.
- Analyze, manufacture, test, and integrate a Tonpilz-type piezoelectric transducer-based hull-mounted sonar array.
- Employ COMSOL Multiphysics, design using equivalent circuit mathematical modeling and finite element modeling.
- Simplify and expedite the solar water heating system quote process by precisely depicting solar water heating system performance using MATLAB models with FPGA for digital interface and valve driving, which require human configuration to achieve maximum performance.
- Verify and apply FPGA selections to electronic design and production needs.
- Understand the fundamentals of acoustics and vibration, engineering acoustics, noise control, digital signal processing, electroacoustics, and human responses to acoustics and vibration
- Strategize to find the most elegant and cost-effective solution for a given location or project
- Participate in data collection, modeling, and post-processing
- Write technical reports outlining the process, findings, and recommendations.
- Create and submit case studies, whitepapers, and research for peer review in order to advance in the field
- Manage many projects and clients during the workday
- Understand the noise and sound-mitigation regulatory codes and standards that apply to various businesses.
- Attend meetings with clients and design teams to examine engineering and architectural drawings
- Interpret and explain design challenges by studying and providing visual demonstrations to clients
Qualifications
There are only a few acoustical engineering degrees available. Your best bet is to pursue an engineering undergraduate degree and then specialize later. Students must have a strong understanding of key sciences, particularly mathematics and physics. If you want to continue your education after your undergraduate degree, electrical engineering will be required.
Engineering is a highly sought-after qualification (one of the STEM courses), therefore you won’t have trouble finding work with a BS/BA. However, if you want to boost your employability and marketability, you should pursue a postgraduate qualification. A master’s degree will be required for the majority of good entry-level positions. A Doctorate is required if you want to work in the academic field of engineerings, such as teaching or research.
Essential Skills
The U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) instructed that acoustic engineers should have the following skills in other to thrive in the profession, they include the following:
- Technical and mechanical understanding in the subject, particularly as it relates to electrical engineering, physics, music, audiology, and architecture
- Teamwork skills
- Excellent written and spoken communication abilities
- Manual dexterity
- Problem-solving skills.
Steps to Becoming an Acoustic Engineer
To become an acoustic engineer you are required to have completed the following steps and they include all of the following:
1. Complete a bachelor’s degree
A bachelor’s degree from an institution approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology is required for most acoustic engineering positions (ABET). Some universities offer bachelor’s degrees in acoustic engineering. A more general degree in a relevant field of studies, such as engineering, mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, or music, can be used to pursue an acoustic engineering profession. Also included is that you must complete coursework that demonstrates that you have a solid grasp of mathematics and physics.
2. Take the Engineering Fundamentals test
In some states, the Fundamentals of Engineering test is referred to as the Engineering in Training exam (the EIT). Anyone with a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a similar discipline, or who is in their last year of earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field, is eligible to take this exam. This is the first of two exams you must pass before you can become a fully licensed professional engineer.
3. Acquire useful experience
Work placements or summer internships are common ways for people to obtain experience while still pursuing their bachelor’s degrees. That experience may make you a more appealing job applicant. You can find entry-level work as an assistant if you don’t have any prior experience. During this time, you may work with more senior or experienced engineers who will teach you about firm policies and procedures, as well as more advanced acoustic engineering techniques and updated technology.
Job experience is frequently the most effective approach to learning the fundamentals of a field. This expertise will help you succeed and advance in your acoustic engineering profession. As you develop expertise and knowledge in your area, you may be given more responsibility and chances.
4. Earn a master’s degree
A master’s degree is required by many employers, especially if you want to work in specialized industries or have additional responsibility and pay. During your Master’s program, you can choose any of these areas to specialize in, and they include the following:
- Underwater acoustics
- Vibration and structural acoustics
- Architectural acoustics
- Physical acoustics
- Environmental acoustics
So if you want to earn an academic career in acoustic engineering like becoming a professor or conducting academic research, consider getting a doctorate specialization listed above.
5. Take the Engineering Principles and Practices test
The second exam you must pass to become a fully licensed professional engineer is the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam, or PE. You can take this exam as soon as you receive your FE certification. Your professional experience and master’s degree studies, on the other hand, may prove useful but you have to wait till you’ve finished your courses and gotten some experience before taking the test.
6. Obtain your license
If you want to work on public-sector projects like highways or government buildings, you’ll require the following licenses:
- A bachelor’s degree in engineering from a recognized program
- An FE credential
- Relevant work experience
- A PE certification is required.
Some states, however, may have extra licensing requirements. As a result, you’ll need to conduct some research into your state’s or region’s regulations to ensure you have all you need to earn your license.
Where to work
As an acoustic engineer you work in the following settings:
- Concert halls
- Opera houses
- Theatres
- Music performance venues
- Arena
- Stadia
- Recording studios
- Cinemas
- Music practice rooms
- Hospitals
- Schools
- Universities
- Residential structures
- Offices and recreational facilities
All these buildings need careful and detailed acoustic designs to make their sounds good, to shield them from nearby noise sources, to make them productive and welcoming places to live or work in, and to make them commercially successful.
Acoustic Engineer Salary Scale
Acoustic engineers’ salary scales are not reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States. However, senior researchers in the field of acoustic engineering on the other hand earned median annual pay of $114,783 in 2019, according to PayScale.com.