There is no need to reiterate why online engineering courses and "side-hustle" gigs are becoming more popular than ever, and when those hobbies become educational, it almost always leads to lots of opportunities. Online, weekend and leisure courses can be done with increased flexibility, better financial options and even shorter times to completion. Acoustic and audio engineering courses can transform a musical interest into a full career path for those wanting to mix STEM and creativity. Below are five different avenues for audio-based and acoustic-focused learning tracks.

Berklee Online music degree programs

Berklee College of Music is a world-renowned program that musicians, audio engineers and acoustics fans alike flock to for an education rich in the science behind music and how it's engineered. With unique online degree programs like guitar performance, songwriting, interdisciplinary studies and others, there are engineering-focused programs for everyone's interests that can be completed off-campus. Something else that may sway your decision is the star-studded alumni list: John Mayer, Quincy Jones, Charlie Puth and many others have graduated from Berklee and gone on to exercise their talents in huge ways.

Udemy

A unique approach to learning new skills without the commitment of enrolling in college courses is an online platform like Udemy. Udemy offers companies, governments, non-profits or private individuals the ability to sign up and access hundreds of thousands of courses in 65 languages for engineers looking to learn a whole new path or brush up on skills they want to renew. A simple search of "acoustics" will bring up tons of pages of diverse science courses that can be filtered by expertise level, language, video duration and more. Udemy also offers the ability for individuals to sign up online to become an instructor, should they have the acoustic expertise to teach others.

Full Sail University

Unique approaches to today's popular professions are top of mind at Full Sail University. With an online bachelor of science in audio production, Full Sail promotes this degree path as a tool that will set the student up "to conduct business as an independent audio creator." Without being confined to traditional studios, students can learn the science behind acoustics at the pace and in the environment that is best for them.

Skillshare

Probably the most unique way to learn about audio and acoustics engineering is Skillshare, an online community platform that anyone can join -- either as a student, or even a teacher -- and gain the necessary skills to become an acoustician and study sound engineering. This platform socializes the skills that lots of people have and gives ways for communities to teach each other without the confinements of hefty enrollment fees, professors or a graduation schedule looming. There are plenty of courses offered for free and range in expertise level and duration, so even if the learner is a hobbyist looking for a couple hours of interesting content on the science behind audio and acoustics, this may be the perfect place.

Graduate at Penn State

If you have already tackled a bachelor's degree, then the Penn State graduate program in acoustics may be the best next step. With this program, both in-person and distance learning are offered on the same schedule. A master of engineering in acoustics degree will expose students to courses like Electroacoustic Transducers, Sound and Structure Interaction, and even Ocean Acoustics. After four to six courses per semester, students are sure to gain an advanced knowledge of audio engineering that will set them apart from their competitors.

Whether you are looking to explore a hobby interest in audio technology or graduate with a master of engineering in acoustics, there are so many online opportunities to take advantage of now. Distance learning is becoming the go-to route for furthering education and turning interests into full-time professions or talents that can change lives, so don't hesitate to take advantage of it.