Music Degrees and Certificates
Awards Offered
The Commercial Music Program at San Diego City College offers an A.S. in Music Production Technology as well as a Certificate of Achievement in Audio Production Technology. Please see below for the courses required for each award.
Schedule Planning
Some courses are only offered one semester per year. To help you reach your academic goals at City College as efficiently as possible, please take a look at the table below to see which courses will be offered when. For questions about selecting Music and Commercial Music courses, please contact Professor Bob Kostlan (rkostlan@sdccd.edu) or Associate Professor Mike Espar (mespar@sdccd.edu). For registration questions, please contact CityCounseling@sdccd.edu.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When registering, all required courses are listed under "Commercial Music" (MUSC) not "Music" (MUSI). The only exception is Music 108: The Business of Music.
Associate of Science in Music Production Technology (effective Fall 2022)
|
Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
Semester(s) Offered |
Retired Course Substitution* |
Articulates to SDSU course |
|
MUSC 104 |
Composition Technology |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 50 (Reason) |
Music 204 |
|
MUSC 118 |
Music Entrepreneurship |
3 |
Fall |
— |
— |
|
MUSC 160 |
Introduction to Electro-Acoustic Music |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 84 (Logic Pro) |
Music 160 |
|
MUSC 162 |
Introduction to Recording and Sound Reinforcement |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 80 (Pro Tools) |
Music 162 |
|
MUSC 170A |
Electro-Acoustic Ensemble I |
1 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 70 (Ableton Live) |
(Ensemble credit) |
|
MUSC 170B |
Electro-Acoustic Ensemble II |
1 |
Fall/Spring |
— |
(Ensemble credit) |
|
MUSC 170C |
Electro-Acoustic Ensemble III |
1 |
Fall/Spring |
— |
(Ensemble credit) |
|
MUSC 220A |
Music Marketing and Promotion I |
2 |
Fall/Spring |
— |
— |
|
MUSC 220B |
Music Marketing and Promotion II |
2 |
Fall/Spring |
— |
— |
|
MUSC 252 |
Sound Design and Digital Audio Post Production |
3 |
Fall |
MUSC 152 (Sound/Music for Film and Video Games) |
— |
|
MUSC 260 |
Intermediate Electro-Acoustic Music |
3 |
Spring |
MUSC 95 (Pure Data, Max for Live) |
Music 260 |
|
MUSC 262 |
Intermediate Recording and Sound Reinforcement |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 82 (Audio Recording) |
Music 262 |
|
MUSI 108 |
Music Business |
3 |
[Offered online via Miramar College, Fall 2024] |
— |
— |
|
|
TOTAL CREDITS (plus Gen Ed) |
31 |
|
|
|
*Course Substitutions: A student who enrolled in Commercial Music courses in Spring 2022 or earlier may follow the previous A.S. degree requirements. Current courses may substitute for the retired courses listed in this chart. Such substitutions will require the student to petition for a Modification of Major. Please consult a Music faculty member and/or an academic counselor for further details about this process.
Suggested Two-Year Course Sequence for A.S. degree
|
Topic |
Year 1, Fall |
Year 1, Spring |
|
Production |
MUSC 104 (Reason) |
MUSC 160 (Logic Pro) |
|
Business |
MUSC 118 (Entrepreneurship) |
MUSI 108 (Business) |
|
Performance |
MUSC 170A (Ableton Live) |
MUSC 170B (Ableton Live) |
|
Topic |
Year 2, Fall |
Year 2, Spring |
|
Production |
MUSC 252 (Film/TV/Game Audio) |
MUSC 260 (Pure Data, Max for Live) |
|
Business |
MUSC 220A (Record Marketing) |
MUSC 220B (Event Marketing) |
|
Studio/Live Sound |
MUSC 162 (Pro Tools) |
MUSC 262 (Pro Tools) |
|
Performance |
MUSC 170C (Ableton Live) |
|
Certificate of Achievement in Audio Production Technology (effective Fall 2022)
|
Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
|
Retired Course Substitution |
Articulates to SDSU course |
|
MUSC 104 |
Composition Technology |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 50 (Reason) |
Music 204 |
|
MUSC 160 |
Introduction to Electro-Acoustic Music |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 84 (Logic Pro) |
Music 160 |
|
MUSC 162 |
Introduction to Recording and Sound Reinforcement |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 80 (Pro Tools) |
Music 162 |
|
MUSC 252 |
Sound Design and Digital Audio Post Production |
3 |
Fall |
MUSC 152 (Sound/Music for Film and Video Games) |
— |
|
MUSC 260 |
Intermediate Electro-Acoustic Music |
3 |
Spring |
MUSC 95 (Pure Data, Max for Live) |
Music 260 |
|
MUSC 262 |
Intermediate Recording and Sound Reinforcement |
3 |
Fall/Spring |
MUSC 82 (Audio Recording) |
Music 262 |
|
|
TOTAL CREDITS |
18 |
|
|
|
Course Descriptions
MUSC 104: Composition Technology (3 units)
Computer-based music production basics using Reason Studio Reason. Offered Fall and Spring.
MUSC 118: Music Entrepreneurship (3 units)
An exploration of techniques for developing your own music career. Offered Fall only.
MUSC 160: Introduction to Electro-Acoustic Music (3 units)
Audio and MIDI production with Apple Logic Pro X. Includes mixing and mastering basics. Offered Fall and Spring.
MUSC 162: Introduction to Recording and Sound Reinforcement (3 units)
Fundamentals of AVID Pro Tools, the industry-standard digital audio workstation. Offered Fall and Spring.
MUSC 170A-D: Electro-Acoustic Ensemble I-IV (1 unit)
Live electronic music performance with Ableton Live. Offered Fall and Spring.
MUSC 220A-D: Music Marketing and Promotion I-IV (2 units)
Hands-on experience promoting and marketing live performances and recordings. Offered Fall and Spring.
MUSC 252: Sound Design and Digital Audio Post Production (3 units)
Create and edit audio for visual media such as film, television and video games. Offered Fall only.
MUSC 260: Intermediate Electro-Acoustic Music (3 units)
Create original software devices and explore more sophisticated aspects of computer-based music creation with Cycling 74 Max for Live while assembling a portfolio of professional-level work. Offered Spring only.
MUSC 262: Intermediate Recording and Sound Reinforcement (3 units)
Record full live bands in the recording studio using AVID Pro Tools. Offered Fall and Spring.
MUSI 108: The Business of Music (3 units)
A survey of the structure of the music industry and related legal and financial issues. Offered Spring only. [For AY24-25, MUSI 108 will not be offered at City College. Instead, please take the 8-week online course offered by Miramar College beginning 10/14/24.]