Development of a master program in acoustics and vibration.

In 2008 a new master program on acoustics and vibration became part of the graduate offerings at the Univ. Austral of Chile. This program—the first graduate course on this topic to be offered in the country—evolved from the undergraduate one on Acoustical Engineering that has been offered for several decades in the university. Its set of courses is offered through the Institutes of Acoustics, Materials, Mechanics, Physics, Electronics, and Mathematics of the university. Its curriculum was planned taking into account the strongest areas of research in our university. It has been designed into three core courses: Vibroacoustics, Instrumentation, and Mathematics. These courses give the students the basic theoretical background. Then, there is a pool of optional courses on forensic acoustics, advanced signal processing, acoustic sensors, acoustic emission, environmental acoustics, advanced theory of vibrations, finite elements in vibrations, machinery diagnostics, parametric modeling, materials engineering, and heat transfer. After completion of the courses, the students have to elaborate a thesis work including a final dissertation. The duration of the program is three semesters for a full‐time student. After 2 years of offering this program, a great success has been achieved in the advancement of the acoustic knowledge of the country.