Georgia Tech does not offer nor has it ever offered a degree in acoustical engineering. It once offered a certificate on the graduate level that was awarded with the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees if the student had completed certain courses. Because I once served as Chair of the Acoustical Engineering Committee, I continue to receive requests for information on the Acoustical Engineering program. To my knowledge, the program no longer exists. This page is for informational purposes only. The course numbers listed below are the numbers for our former semester system.

This page gives a version of a brochure which I prepared when I was Chair of the Acoustical Engineering Committee back around 1980. Since it was written, we have converted from the quarter system to the semester system, so the course information given below is no longer correct. However, I would venture to guess that most of the courses still exist in some form. The current Georgia Tech catalog is the official source of information on courses. -- W. Marshall Leach, Jr., Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Atlanta, GA 30332-0250 USA

Background

The acoustical engineering program at Georgia Tech is one of several graduate level multidisciplinary programs sponsored by the College of Engineering. The program provides the opportunity for specialized study in acoustics through any one of six schools of the College or through the College of Architecture. Upon graduation, both the degree in the major field of study and a certificate attesting to the successful completion of the program in Acoustical Engineering are awarded. Either M.S. or Ph.D. students may enter the program.

Programs of Study

Because there is no school of acoustics, no special application needs to be made to enter the program. The student should apply to the school of his choice, and the eventual degree will be from that school. Participating schools are as follows:

• School of Aerospace Engineering
• School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• School of Mechanical Engineering
• School of Textile Engineering
• College of Architecture

The particular school in which the student enrolls depends on his area of primary interest. For example, he may enroll in mechanical engineering, or aerospace engineering if his interests are vibrations or noise control, or electrical and computer engineering if his interests are in audio engineering and electroacoustics. This gives the opportunity to choose the program so as to best meet the objectives of each individual student.

All M.S. level programs of participating schools in the College of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Council for Professional Development. If the student enrolls in one of these schools, he is awarded a certificate of completion of a program in Acoustical Engineering with his diploma. It is possible to enter the program while pursuing a non-engineering degree program such as psychology, physics, or city planning. In this case, the student is awarded a certificate of completion of a program in Acoustics.

Course Requirements

The student must satisfy both the requirements for the degree in the school in which he enrolls and those for the acoustical engineering certificate. Normally, the out-of-department course requirements for the certificate can be met by taking these courses as part of the required minor in the school in which the student is enrolled. In this way, the student can obtain the acoustical engineering certificate with a minimum of added course work above that which is normally required for his degree.

To receive the certificate, the student must have satisfied all requirements for a M.S. degree from any school or in any graduate program at Georgia Tech. The program must be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology for the certificate in Acoustical Engineering. Otherwise, the certificate in Acoustics is awarded. A M.S. degree from another institution may be considered as meeting this requirement. In addition, the student must complete five or more courses from the list below. The courses selected must include AE/ESM/ME 6760, at least one course which is neigher taught nor cross-listed by the school in which the student in enrolled, and at least four courses with catalog numbers greater than 6000.

Courses in Acoustics

Undergraduate Courses

• AE/ESM/ME 4760. Engineering Acoustics and Noise Control I
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: senior standing.
  Study of acoustics related to noise and its control, acoustic terminology, wave propagation, solutions to the wave equation, instrumentation, sound fields in large and small rooms, noise legislation.
• AE/ESM/ME 4761. Engineering Acoustics and Noise Control II
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: AE 4760 or equivalent.
  Continuation of AE 4760, emphasizing techniques for the solution of noise problems. Vibration isolation, energy absorption, dissipative and reactive mufflers, enclosures, barriers, properties of materials, panel damping.
• EE 4026. Audio Engineering
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: EE3270 and EE3310.
  An introduction to the application of the tools of electrical engineering to the detection, measurement, processing, recording, and reproduction of audio frequency signals. Basic principles of sound. Fundamentals of acoustics. Sound radiation. Mechanical and acoustical analogous circuits. Microphones. Moving-coil loudspeaker drivers. Loudspeaker driver parameter measurements. Closed-box loudspeaker systems. Vented-box loudspeaker systems. Crossover networks. Audio power amplifiers.
• PHYS 3265. Introduction to Acoustics
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: PHYS 2012 or 2122.
  An introduction to the art and science of acoustics for students of varied backgrounds and interests. The emphasis is on the basic physical mechanisms that underlie all acoustical phenomena.

Graduate Courses

• AE/ESM/ME 6760-1. Engineering Acoustics I and II
  3-0-3 each. Prerequisite: partial differential equations or consent of the School.
  Governing equations of sound waves from the conservation laws. Acoustic momentum, energy, and intensity. Propagation, reflection, absorption, and scattering. Effects of the physical properties. Application of the theory of sound to real systems. Transmission of sound in real media.
• AE/ESM/ME 6761. Engineering Acoustics III
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: AE/ME 6761.
  Advanced duct acoustics, wave dispersion and attenuation, acoustics in moving media, geometrical acoustics, nonlinear acoustics.
• AE/ESM/ME 6763. Noise Reduction and Control
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: AE/ME 6760, ME 4025, or equivalent.
  Methods of noise reduction and control applied to systems in industry. Measurement of sound power, material acoustic properties, barriers, enclosures, mufflers, vibration reduction, and damping methods.
• ESM/ME/EAS 6764. Ocean Acoustics
  3-0-3. Prerequiste: EAS 4300 or consent of the School. MATH 4321, 4582, ESM 6760 recommended.
  Propagation of sound waves in the oceans, stress-strain relationships, asymptotic ray theory. Propagation in shallow water and deep water.
• AE 6460. Aerodynamic Noise
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: AE/ESM/ME 6761.
  Jet, boundary layer, combustion, propeller, and fan noise. Sonic boom, noise propagation from engines, and attenuation techniques.
• PSY 6610. Psychoacoustics
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: PSY 3304 or equivalent and consent of the school.
  A comprehensive coverage of physiological and psychological acoustics, including analyses of auditory and extra-auditory response mechanisms and evaluation of research and theories in hearing.
• EE 6431. Electroacoustics
  3-0-3. Prerequisite: graduate standing.
  An introduction to the physical details needed to understand ultrasonic transducers, acoustic wave propagation and scattering, and the application of these details to systems for biomedical ultrasound, non-destructive evaluation, and acoustic microscopy.

Research Opportunities

The opportunities for research experience depend upon the school selected and the particular interests of the individual student. Current and past areas of sponsored or institutional research programs are machinery noise, combustion noise, aerodynamic noise, helicopter noise, atmospheric acoustics, low-frequency underwater transducers, propagation in multiphase media, low-noise environmental site design, near-field to far-field transformations, and subjective response to noise. The Institute maintains a modern, large-scale computer facility which is linked to a state-of-the-art computer network linking the entire campus. In addition, many computer systems are housed in the different schools. Complete access to these computers is available to graduate students without charge. A portion of the work conducted by the Georgia Tech Research Institute is related to acoustics, and their facilities are often available to contribute to master's and doctoral thesis work. The library offers the graduate student one of the most extensive sources of scientific and engineering information in the country.

Financial Aid

Well qualified students will receive suitable financial aid. Teaching and research assistantships are available in all participating schools. Although the stipends vary from school to school, out-of-state tuition waivers accompany all graduate assistantships of one-third time or more. The Georgia Tech Research Institute usually has part time research appointments available. In addition, industry fellowships and the Georgia Tech President's Fellowships are available to qualified students.

The Community

The Atlanta metropolitan area has a population of about three million persons and is recognized as the cultural and technical center of the southeast. The 1,050-foot elevation and freedom from climatic extremes provide both the resident and visitor with year around recreational opportunities. Continuous cultural events are accessible from the urban Tech campus.

The Institute

The Georgia Institute of Technology was founded in 1888. Master's and doctoral programs are available in all traditional engineering disciplines. Current total enrollment at Tech is approximately 10,000. A major campus expansion, which is nearing completion, has provided modern facilities for all the academic and research activities.

Applying

Applications for admission are accepted at any time and entrance may be at the beginning of any of the four quarters. However, summer or fall quarter admission is optimum. For information on the degree programs and requirements and financial aid, prospective students should contact the school of his choice, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, 30332 USA.

This page is not a publication of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Institute of Technology has not edited or examined the content. The author of this page is solely responsible for the content.