Graduate Education in Acoustics at The Catholic University of America

Abstract

The Catholic University of America (CUA) has a graduate program with a long history in acoustics dating back to the early 1930s. The acoustics program moved to the School of Engineering in the 1960s when there were strong needs in underwater acoustic studies to meet U.S. Naval applications. The end of the Cold War was concurrent with a decline in the CUA’s acoustics education that persisted into the 1990s. However, renewed interests in acoustical engineering, acoustic metamaterial, and environmental acoustic research has revived the acoustics research and education programs at the CUA in recent years. Currently, a variety of graduate level acoustic courses are being offered in the CUA’s Mechanical Engineering Department. Students can pursue a master’s degree or Ph.D. degree with research in acoustics or vibrations. The courses in the program include a two-course sequence in fundamentals in acoustics, and more focused courses in ocean acoustics, atmospheric acoustics, acoustic metrology, marine bioacoustics, nonlinear vibration, acoustic imaging, and acoustic metamaterials. In addition, CUA offers masters and Ph.D. programs to students who are interested in the field of acoustic research.