AU Announces New Audio Forensics Track
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Anderson, Ind. — The Anderson University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance has announced a new audio forensics track under the music business major beginning fall 2021. The track will become part of the new EARS program in music business that includes entrepreneurship, audio forensics, record production, and songwriting.
The audio forensics track will teach students to identify and authenticate audio data that may be used as evidence in a court of law and provide employment opportunities in private forensic practices, law enforcement agencies, and security firms. The new track reflects a growing trend among colleges and universities to prepare students for careers related to homeland security and law enforcement. According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, information security analysts are listed among the top 10 fastest growing occupations.
“Anderson University is the first undergraduate program in the country to offer this program,” said Dr. Rebecca Chappell, director of music business studies. “Our department realized that the same audio technology used for recording could be used for catching criminals, and audio forensics seems a natural fit alongside AU’s current majors in national security and cybersecurity.”
Courses in audio forensics will be taught by AU music business instructor, Chad Evans, a two-time Grammy Award-winning engineer who has worked with law enforcement in both Madison County and Nashville, Tennessee, to authenticate recordings using audio forensic techniques. In addition to traditional recording and music classes, students will be required to take courses in audio enhancement, audio authentication, and criminal justice, and to complete an internship and research project in audio forensics.
“In the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, we are always looking for ways to be innovative, and our research showed that the field of audio forensics is on the rise,” said Dr. Jeff Wright, dean of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. “More audio forensics specialists are needed to address issues related to identity theft and courtroom evidence. Since we already offer courses in the field of audio recording and engineering, we think this track fits perfectly as an extensive of our current offerings.”
Anderson University became one of the first colleges in the United States to establish a music business program in 1976. Later on in 2004, the university became one of the first to develop a student-run record label.
Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.