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Studies & Degrees in Image and Sound

Image and sound is the technical and creative side of audiovisual production: operating cameras, lighting a set, recording and mixing sound, editing, and running the picture and sound of a live show. Students learn how images and audio are captured, processed and delivered for film, television, radio, music, events and online media, and they spend much of their time with equipment and editing software.

The name comes from Spain, where Imagen y Sonido is one of the professional families of vocational training (FP). In other countries the same content is taught under names such as media production, film and video production, broadcasting or audio engineering, and at Spanish universities it is close to the bachelor's degree (grado) in Comunicación Audiovisual.

Qualifications and levels

  • Vocational training in Spain. TodoFP, the vocational training portal of the Spanish Ministry of Education, lists one intermediate cycle (grado medio) in this family, Técnico en Vídeo Disc-Jockey y Sonido, and five higher cycles (grado superior): Animaciones 3D, Juegos y Entornos Interactivos; Iluminación, Captación y Tratamiento de Imagen; Producción de Audiovisuales y Espectáculos; Realización de Proyectos Audiovisuales y Espectáculos; and Sonido para Audiovisuales y Espectáculos. The cycles in sound, in lighting and image capture, and in video disc-jockey and sound each last 2,000 hours. There is also a specialisation course in audio description and subtitling for holders of a higher diploma.
  • Access to FP. The intermediate cycle asks for the Spanish compulsory secondary certificate (ESO) or a higher qualification. The higher cycles ask for the Bachiller, an intermediate FP diploma or an equivalent qualification, or an entrance test.
  • University degrees. The Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera offers the official Grado en Comunicación Audiovisual: four years, 240 ECTS credits, taught on campus in Spanish at Alfara del Patriarca, near Valencia, with 75 places. The university has taught the subject since 1991, and students edit in Avid and Premiere.
  • United States. The content is usually part of a bachelor's degree. Morehead State University, for example, lists a Media Production and Journalism BA and a Film Studies minor. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), film and video editors and camera operators typically need a bachelor's degree in a field related to film or broadcasting, broadcast technicians typically need an associate degree, and postsecondary programmes for audio, video, lighting and sound technicians take from several months to years.

Where to study image and sound

SpainExchange lists five active schools for image and sound: two in the United States and one each in Spain, Singapore and Mexico. They are Morehead State University in Kentucky and UMBC, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in the United States; the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera in Spain; First Media Design School in Singapore; and CINEARTE, a film school in Puebla, Mexico.

The Spanish FP cycles are taught at many public and private centres that are not in this list. TodoFP has a "Dónde estudiar" search for each diploma, and each autonomous community publishes its own curriculum and admission calendar. FP in Spain is taught in Spanish or in the co-official language of the region, and so is the degree at CEU Cardenal Herrera, so international students need a working level of Spanish.

Careers

The Spanish diplomas name the jobs they lead to. The higher diploma in sound prepares for work as a sound manager, live sound technician, studio recording technician or sound editor in radio, the recording industry, audiovisual production, shows and events. The higher diploma in lighting and image capture leads to jobs such as camera operator for film, video and television, television lighting technician and photographer.

For the United States, the BLS counts 72,000 jobs for film and video editors and camera operators in 2025 and projects growth of 3 percent from 2025 to 2035. Broadcast, sound and video technicians, who set up, operate and maintain the equipment for media programmes, held 136,600 jobs in 2025, with projected growth of 1 percent over the same period. Much of the work in this sector is organised by project, so a portfolio and practical experience count for a lot.

Frequently asked questions

Is image and sound a university degree or vocational training?

Both exist. In Spain Imagen y Sonido is a vocational training family with intermediate and higher diplomas, while universities teach the related Grado en Comunicación Audiovisual, which has 240 ECTS credits at the Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera.

How long do the studies take?

The Spanish FP cycles in sound and in lighting and image capture last 2,000 hours. The Grado en Comunicación Audiovisual at CEU Cardenal Herrera lasts four years.

What do I need to enter a higher FP cycle in image and sound in Spain?

According to TodoFP, the Bachiller, an intermediate FP diploma or an equivalent qualification, or a pass in the entrance test. Students with foreign school certificates need them recognised in Spain first.

Can I study image and sound in English?

Yes, at the schools in the United States and Singapore in this list. In Spain and Mexico the programmes listed here are taught in Spanish.