The SAE Institute is a private college founded in 1976 by Sound Engineer, Record Producer and businessman Tom Misner. The first school was opened 1977 in Sydney, . SAE Institute offers courses in Audio engineering, 3D Animation, Multimedia, Digital Filmmaking, and Music Production. It is the largest college worldwide in these fields, and currently has campuses / facilities in 56 cities in 23 countries. Since 1998 SAE is additionally offering full university degrees through its global partnership with Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom, and in Australia already since 1996 through its co-operation with Southern Cross University.