AFA with Music Production Emphasis

Music production involves creating, arranging, recording, editing, mixing, and mastering musical recordings. The Associate in Fine Arts with Musical Production Emphasis is ideal for anyone with an interest in working with the creative and technology aspects of music recording. Jobs associated with this profession include music producer, songwriter, music arranger, audio engineer, sound mixer, broadcast engineer, instrument technician and more.

This program is ideal for students who want to complete a bachelor's degree in music production at a four-year university. For more information about what courses to take to meet your goals, please meet with your academic advisor.

Careers

Music Directors & Composers

* Data sampled March 2025. Visit Music Directors & Composers career profile for most current data.

$56,876
Median Salary

3.8%
Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)

18
Job Postings

Description:

Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music.

Core tasks:

Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects.
Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations.
Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies

Quick facts:

Nearly 8% of music directors and composers have an associate degree and 26% have a bachelor's degree, while more than 50% have a master's or doctoral degree.
Top posted job titles include music directors, band directors, choir directors and similar.
Public school districts are among the Chicago-area's top employers for this job category.

Sound Engineering Technicians

* Data sampled March 2025. Visit Sound Engineering Technicians career profile for most current data.

$45,889
Median Salary

3%
Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)

2
Job Postings

Description:

Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.

Core tasks:

Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment.
Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.
Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage.
Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.

Quick facts:

About 22% of sound engineers have an associate degree and 22% have a bachelor's degree.
Top posted job titles include production sound mixers, accoustical consultants and sound technicians.
Some recently hiring Chicago-area employers include Ramboll Group, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Culture Studio.

Audio and Video Technicians

* Data sampled March 2025. Visit Audio and Video Technicians career profile for most current data.

$42,800
Median Salary

1.4%
Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)

103
Job Postings

Description:

Set up, maintain, and dismantle audio and video equipment, such as microphones, sound speakers, connecting wires and cables, sound and mixing boards, video cameras, video monitors and servers, and related electronic equipment for live or recorded events, such as concerts, meetings, conventions, presentations, podcasts, news conferences, and sporting events.

Core tasks:

Notify supervisors when major equipment repairs are needed.
Diagnose and resolve media system problems.
Compress, digitize, duplicate, and store audio and video data.
Direct and coordinate activities of assistants and other personnel during production.

Quick facts:

About 11% of A/V technicians have an associate degree and 43% have a bachelor's degree.
Top posted job titles include audiovisual technicians, front-end supervisors, a/v installation technicians.
Some recently hiring Chicago-area employers include Walmart, Encore Global and Eos Group.

Curriculum

These requirements apply to the Associate in Fine Arts-Music Production Emphasis degree for students who first enrolled for Fall 2026 or later. Students who first enrolled prior to Fall 2026 should obtain the appropriate sheet of requirements from a Student Development Center.

Completion of the Associate in Fine Arts-Music Production degree does not fulfill the requirements of the Illinois General Education core curriculum. After transfer, Associate in Fine Arts-Music Production students will need to complete the general education requirements of the institution to which they transfer. Completion of this option alone does not guarantee admission either to the baccalaureate program or to upper-division or specialty music courses. Students may be required to demonstrate skill level through auditions, placement testing, and/or portfolio review at the institution to which they transfer. In some colleges and universities, a baccalaureate degree may also require competency in a foreign language.

Communications

3 courses

Hours Required: 9

Communications (Hours required: 3)
Number	Course Title	Credits
ENG 101	Composition I ¹	3
ENG 102	Composition II ¹	3
SPE 101	Fundamentals of Speech Communication	3

¹: A grade of C or better is required.

Mathematics

1 course

Hours Required: 3

Mathematics (Hours required: 3)
Number	Course Title	Credits
MTH 102	General Education Mathematics ¹	3
MTH 124	Finite Mathematics ¹	3
MTH 131	Mathematics for Elementary Teaching II	4
MTH 134	Calculus for Business and Social Sciences ¹	4
MTH 200	Calculus I
MTH 165	Elementary Statistics	4
MTH 225	Business Statistics
MTH 201	Calculus II	5
MTH 202	Calculus III	5
MTH 220	Discrete Mathematics	3

¹: MTH 102, MTH 124, or MTH 134 preferred.

Physical and Life Sciences

2 courses with 1 course from the Life Sciences and 1 from the Physical Sciences. 1 course must be a lab science.

Hours Required: 7

LIFE SCIENCES

LIFE SCIENCES (Hours required: 4)
Number	Course Title	Credits
BIO 101	Biology Survey	3
BIO 103	Humans and the Environment	3
BIO 104	Environmental Laboratory Biology ¹	4
BIO 105	Heredity, Evolution and Society	3
BIO 110	Introduction to Biology and Society ¹	4
BIO 115	Fundamentals of Cellular Biology ¹	4
BIO 116	Fundamentals of Organismal Biology ¹	4
BIO 120	Plants and Society ¹	4
BIO 140	Animals and Society ¹	4

¹: Lab science course

PHYSICAL SCIENCES

PHYSICAL SCIENCES (Hours required: 5)
Number	Course Title	Credits
AST 100	Astronomy Survey	3
AST 112	The Solar System ¹	4
AST 115	Stars and Galaxies ¹	4
CHM 100	Chemistry for the Health Sciences ¹	4
CHM 103	The Chemistry Connection ¹	4
CHM 105	Chemical World ¹	4
CHM 110	Fundamentals of Chemistry ¹	4
CHM 121	General Chemistry I ¹	5
ESC 100	Rocks and Minerals Survey	3
ESC 101	Earth Science Survey	3
ESC 110	Exploring the Earth and Universe ¹	4
ESC 111	Physical Geology ¹	4
ESC 112	Dinosaurs, Fossils and Planet Earth ¹	4
ESC 113	Environmental Geology ¹	4
ESC 121	Introduction to Meteorology ¹	4
GEG 111	Physical Geography	3
GEG 112	Physical Geography Laboratory ¹	1
PHY 100	Basic Concepts in Physics	3
PHY 110	Introduction to Physics ¹	4
PHY 121	Introductory Physics I ¹	5
PHY 201	General Physics I-Mechanics ¹	5

¹: Lab science course

Humanities and Fine Arts

MUS 104 and 110 are required and one additional 3 credit-hour Humanities course is required.

Hours Required: 9

Fine Arts

Fine Arts (Hours required: 3)
Number	Course Title	Credits
MUS 104	Introduction to American Music ⁺	3
MUS 110	Div Traditions in American Music: Hip-Hop	3

+: This course meets the World Cultures and Diversity graduation requirement.

Humanities

Humanities (Hours required: 3)
Number	Course Title	Credits
FRN 202	Intermediate French II	4
FRN 210	Introduction to French Literature	3
GER 202	Intermediate German II	4
GER 210	Introduction to German Literature ⁺	3
HST 105	Great Ideas of World Civilizations	3
HUM 105	Great Ideas of World Civilizations
HUM 101	Ancient through the Medieval West ⁺	3
HUM 102	Renaissance through the Modern West ⁺	3
HUM 104	Introduction to Middle Eastern Civilizations ⁺	3
HUM 106	The Cultures of Asia ⁺	3
HUM 107	The Cultures of Africa ⁺	3
HUM 110	Women and Creativity ⁺	3
HUM 120	Classical Mythology	3
HUM 125	World Mythology ⁺	3
JPN 202	Intermediate Japanese II	4
LIT 105	Poetry	3
LIT 112	Literature and Film	3
LIT 115	Fiction	3
LIT 208	Non-Western Literature ⁺	3
LIT 210	Introduction to Shakespeare	3
LIT 219	Children's Literature	3
LIT 220	Japanese Literature in Translation ⁺	3
LIT 221	American Literature, Colonial Days to Civil War	3
LIT 222	American Literature: Civil War to Present	3
LIT 223	Multicultural American Literature ⁺	3
LIT 224	Women in Literature ⁺	3
LIT 231	English Literature to 1800	3
LIT 232	English Literature 1800-1914	3
PHI 101	Critical Thinking	3
PHI 105	Introduction to Philosophy	3
PHI 115	Ethics	3
PHI 120	Social and Political Philosophy	3
PHI 160	Non-Western Philosophy ⁺	3
PHI 205	Religions of the World ⁺	3
PHI 215	Religion in America	3
PHI 220	Philosophy of Religion	3
PHI 231	History of Philosophy--Ancient and Medieval	3
PHI 232	History of Philosophy-Modern	3
SGN 202	American Sign Language IV	3
SGN 210	American Sign Language: Cultural Perspective ⁺	4
SPA 202	Intermediate Spanish II	4
SPA 210	Introduction to Spanish Literature ⁺	3
THE 121	Ethnic Traditions in American Theatre	3

+: This course meets the World Cultures and Diversity graduation requirement.

Social and Behavioral Sciences

1 course

Hours Required: 3

Social and Behavioral Sciences (Hours required: 3)
Number	Course Title	Credits
ANT 101	Introduction to Anthropology ⁺	3
ANT 202	Cultural Anthropology ⁺	3
ANT 205	Physical Anthropology	3
ANT 206	Archeology ⁺	3
ECO 200	Introduction to Economics	3
ECO 211	Microeconomics	3
ECO 212	Macroeconomics	3
GEG 100	Cultural Geography ⁺	3
GEG 101	World Regional Geography ⁺	3
GEG 103	Geography of the Developing World ⁺	3
GEG 104	Geography of the Developed World ⁺	3
GIS 100	Introduction to Geospatial Technologies	3
HED 202	Human Sexuality ⁺	3
HST 111	American Experience to 1877	3
HST 112	American Experience Since 1877	3
HST 121	History of Mexico, Central and South America ⁺	3
HST 141	History of Western Civilization to 1650	4
HST 142	History of Western Civilization Since 1650	4
HST 212	Recent American History, 1945-Present	3
HST 231	History of the Middle East to 1453	3
HST 232	History of the Middle East 1453 to Present	3
HST 241	History of China: Earliest Time through Ming Dynasty	3
HST 242	History of China: From the Ching Dynasty to Present	3
HST 243	Far East in the Modern World	3
HST 245	The World Since 1945	3
PSC 101	American Politics and Government	3
PSC 220	State and Local Government in the U.S.	3
PSC 250	Comparative Politics ⁺	3
PSC 270	Global Politics ⁺	3
PSC 280	Non-Western Comparative Politics ⁺	3
PSY 101	Introduction to Psychology ⁺	3
PSY 216	Child Psychology I	3
PSY 217	Adolescent Psychology	3
PSY 218	Adult Psychology	3
PSY 228	Psychology of Human Development	3
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology ⁺	3
SOC 120	Family in Contemporary Society ⁺	3
SOC 205	Social Problems ⁺	3
SOC 215	Introduction to Social Psychology ⁺	3
SOC 230	Sociology of Sex and Gender ⁺	3
SOC 235	Race and Ethnicity ⁺	3

+: This course meets the World Cultures and Diversity graduation requirement.

Core Courses

Hours Required: 36

Core music courses

14 credit hours required

Core music courses (Hours required: 3)
Number	Course Title	Credits
MUS 100	Introduction to Music Careers	1
MUS 102	Introduction to Electronic/Computer Music	3
MUS 201	Fundamentals of Audio Technology	3
MUS 202	Recording Techniques	3
MUS 203	Mixing and Mastering Techniques	3
MUS 275	Audio/Visual Arts Technology Internship	1-3

Music Mechanics

18 credit hours required

Music Mechanics (Hours required: 2)
Number	Course Title	Credits
MUS 111	Theory of Music I	3
MUS 112	Theory of Music II	3
MUS 115	Aural Skills I	1
MUS 116	Aural Skills II	1
MUS 165	Class Piano I ¹	2
MUS 166	Class Piano II ¹	2
MUS 211	Theory of Music III	3
MUS 215	Aural Skills III	1
MUS 265	Class Piano III ¹	2
MUS 167	Class Guitar

`: All music majors must demonstrate piano proficiency: MUS 165, 166, and 265 may be passed by proficiency exam.

applied instruction

4 credit hours required

applied instruction (Hours required: 2)
Number	Course Title	Credits
MUS 180	Flute and Piccolo	1
MUS 181	Oboe and English Horn	1
MUS 182	Clarinet	1
MUS 183	Bassoon and Contra Bassoon	1
MUS 184	Saxophone	1
MUS 185	French Horn	1
MUS 186	Trumpet	1
MUS 187	Trombone	1
MUS 188	Baritone	1
MUS 189	Tuba	1
MUS 190	Drum Set	1
MUS 191	Violin	1
MUS 192	Viola	1
MUS 193	Cello	1
MUS 194	String Bass	1
MUS 195	Harp	1
MUS 196	Piano	1
MUS 198	Voice	1
MUS 199	Guitar	1
MUS 279	Private Lessons in Composition	2
MUS 280	Flute and Piccolo	2
MUS 281	Oboe and English Horn	2
MUS 282	Clarinet	2
MUS 283	Bassoon and Contra Bassoon	2
MUS 284	Saxophone	2
MUS 285	French Horn	2
MUS 286	Trumpet	2
MUS 287	Trombone	2
MUS 288	Baritone	2
MUS 289	Tuba	2
MUS 290	Drum Set	2
MUS 291	Violin	2
MUS 292	Viola	2
MUS 293	Cello	2
MUS 294	String Bass	2
MUS 295	Harp	2
MUS 296	Piano	2
MUS 298	Voice	2
MUS 275	Audio/Visual Arts Technology Internship	1-3
MUS 299	Guitar	2

If you are interested in pursuing the AFA with Music Production Emphasis, please contact Admissions Outreach at 847.925.6700 or fill out our request information form.