Distance Education Course Schedule
Preregistration and registration information is available on the Distance Education Course Registration page.
Spring 2027 Class Dates:
January 11 – May 7
- Spring 2027 admission deadline: December 1, 2026
- All classes video streamed and archived for review
- All courses available for credit or audit
Tuition Fee
Acoustics Master's Degree (M.Eng.) Online - Penn State World Campus
Spring 2027 Distance Education Courses
- ACS 514, Electroacoustics Transducers
- ACS 515, Acoustics in Fluid Media
- ACS 523, Signal Analysis for Acoustics and Vibration II
- ACS 544, Computational Acoustics
- ACS 547, Noise Control Applications
- ACS 552, Architectural Acoustics Theory and Applications
- ACS 894, MENG Capstone
MATLAB software is used in many of our courses.
CORE COURSES
ACS 514, Electroacoustics Transducers (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Robert Smith
Class Time: T/TH 9:05 AM-10:20 AM
ECoRE Building 433
Course Description: This course covers derivation and discussion of the fundamental operating characteristics of transducers for acoustics and for vibration. Acoustic transducers will include microphones, loudspeakers, and underwater hydrophones and projectors. Student must have a working knowledge of MATLAB prior to taking this course.
ACS 515, Acoustics in Fluid Media (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Daniel Russell
Class Time: T/TH 10:35 AM-11:50 AM
ECoRE Building 433
Course Description: This course covers sources of sound: superposition of simple courses, free space Green's functions, dipoles and quadrupoles, multipole expansion, radiation of sound, Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral theorem, Rayleigh integral, radiation from cylinders and spheres, scattering from cylinders and spheres, diffraction, sound sources in ducts, cavities, and rooms, and a very brief introduction to acoustic finite elements and acoustic boundary elements.
ACS 523, Signal Analysis for Acoustics and Vibration II (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Sean Collier
Class Time: M/W 10:00 AM-11:15 AM
ECoRE Building 433
Course Description: This course is concerned with the time and frequency-domain analysis of discrete-time signals and discrete-time linear systems, with an emphasis on developing and applying analysis techniques with applications in acoustics and vibrations. Topics covered include: a review of time and frequency-domain representations of systems; the analysis and design of IIR and FIR digital filters; time-frequency analysis; signal detection and denoising; and data driven methods with introductions to machine learning and optimization. Possible application topics include vibration and modal analysis, machinery and structural health and condition monitoring, source localization and classification, and fluid-structure interaction. Pre-requisite ACS 503, Signal Analysis for Acoustics and Vibration.
ELECTIVE COURSES
ACS 544, Computational Acoustics (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Victor Sparrow
Class Time: T/TH 3:05PM-4:20 PM
ECoRE Building 433
Course Description: This course provides a background to the field of computational acoustics with exposure to several important computational tools including: symbolic mathematics software (like Mathematica), finite differences, finite elements, boundary elements, scientific visualization, sound propagation algorithms. When possible, emphasis will be placed on commercially available software for solving noise and vibration problems. Guidelines are given for choosing the right numerical approach, generating meshes, and solving problems in areas such as product noise, audio and telephony, structural acoustics, and automobile and aircraft interior noise. Time domain, frequency domain, and fluid-structure interaction problems are all addressed. Concurrent Courses: ACS 501 and ACS 502
ACS 547, Noise Control Applications (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Tyler Dare
Class Time: M/W 8:30 AM-9:45 AM
Course Description: This course focuses on applications in noise control engineering. The course is split into two main overlapping themes: advanced measurement methods and machinery noise control. The advanced measurement methods will cover topics such as sound intensity, sound power, sound quality, impedance and transmission loss tubes, and coherent output power. The machinery noise control topics include noise generation and control from systems such as gears, pulleys, fans, HVAC systems, muffler systems, and rotating machinery. Pre-requisite: This course does not have prerequisites, However, is intended to generally be taken after ACS 537 – Noise Control Engineering. Students with industry or acoustical consulting backgrounds can be successful in this course if they have not taken ACS 537. Course Material: This course focuses on applications in noise control engineering. The course is split into two main overlapping themes: advanced measurement methods including ASTM/ANSI/ISO testing standards and machinery noise generation and control.Text: Bies, Hansen, Howard, and Hansen, Engineering Noise Control, 5th or 6th edition.Software: Working knowledge of (MATLAB, Octave, OR Python) AND Microsoft Excel.
ACS 552, Architectural Acoustics Theory and Applications (3 credits)
Instructor: Dr. Michelle Vigeant-Haas
Class Time: T/TH 1:35 PM-2:50 PM
Course Description: This 3-credit graduate course will cover the underlying theory in architectural acoustics and applications to the design of spaces for speech and music. The theory topics will include reflections off of surfaces and objects, absorption mechanisms, and psychoacoustics concepts specific to architectural acoustics. Applications will include using commercially available software to evaluate the acoustics of spaces for speech and music using both calculated room acoustics metrics in the context of design targets and subjective impression using auralizations. Sound isolation between spaces in buildings will also be introduced.
ACS 894, MENG Capstone
Instructor: Dr. Daniel Russell
Class Time: Tuesday 8:00 PM-9:55 PM
Course Description: This culminating capstone experience will involve reading and writing reviews of published literature, simple data collection and presentation of results, oral presentations, and a 5-10 page scholarly paper. Course activities will involve both individual and group activities. There will be several mandatory Zoom meetings (times will attempt to accommodate multiple time zones and student availability) in addition to recorded lecture content, and online group discussion activities. Pre-requisites: Must have completed ACS 501, ACS 502, ACS 503, and ACS 514. Must have completed 21 credits. Less than 21 credits requires approval from the instructor.
