The Acoustical Studies program at the Peabody Institute is a two-year graduate program, resulting in a Master of Arts degree, which prepares students to work in the specialized and growing fields of architectural acoustic design and consulting, acoustical product design, and audio systems design and integration. The program provides a thorough grounding in acoustics fundamentals, design practices, and advanced analysis applications, to enable graduates to pursue careers in these specialized fields.

The program considers all aspects of the behavior of sound in space and its impact on the human condition, from the classroom, to the concert hall, to the workplace, to the city. As the only graduate program in acoustics situated within a music conservatory [in North America], the program has a specific [but not exclusive] focus on music, and on the design and analysis of spaces for performance, including concert and recital halls, spoken-word theaters, studios for recording and production, and critical listening spaces.

The graduate program in Acoustical Studies seeks high-achieving candidates, from a variety of backgrounds, with a deep passion for understanding aural-spatial interaction, critical listening and the human condition. Acoustics is an interdisciplinary pursuit, which is both calculated and perceived. As such, students come from varied undergraduate disciplines, including architecture, audio/music technology, electrical or mechanical engineering, physics, computer science, recording sciences and music. Regardless of background, students must be capable of nimbly functioning at the intersection of spatial, technical, musical and creative thought.