Our History

SAE Institute was established as The School of Audio Engineering (SAE) in October 1976 by engineer/producer Tom Misner, who in doing so developed the world's first combined practical and theoretical curriculum in audio engineering. Our unique education system remains the only one of its kind in the world and has since expanded to offer programs in other curriculums such as film making, multimedia and other creative medias. Our first courses began humbly in our own 4-track recording studio however, over the past three decades, SAE has developed into a world-wide network of campuses, boasting some of the most advanced equipment and facilities available to students studying in the creative media industries.

SAE Institute arrived in the United States in 1999, its first campus in mid-town New York City. SAE quickly added campuses in Nashville and Miami, followed by Los Angeles, Atlanta, and the most recent location in San Francisco.


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Mission Statement

The mission of SAE Institutes is to provide relevant theory and practice in the art and science of the Creative Media Industry.  SAE emphasizes practical experience providing facilities reflective of the professional workplace environment into which students graduate.  SAE faculty provides industry-standard best-practices in the career fields we teach so our graduates are fully prepared for entry-level jobs.  We place high respect on our world-wide professional community in our effort to provide well-educated, proactive, creatively intelligent and pragmatic contributors to society

Dr. Tom Misner – President and Founder

SAE Group

SAE Institute is the proud owner of the Studios 301 Group (www.studios301.com) - one of the world's leading recording studios, Qantm College (www.qantm.com) - a leading educator in games and animation and AMS Neve (www.ams-neve.com) - the leading audio and film console manufactures.