Sacred Music

Types of Degrees Sacred Music Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many sacred music graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	134
Doctor’s Degree	33
Graduate Certificate	20

What Sacred Music Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to sacred music were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Sacred Music Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

Skills for Sacred Music Majors

When studying sacred music, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Sacred Music Majors

A major in sacred music will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Sacred Music Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with sacred music:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Music Directors	5.7%	$49,630
Philosophy and Religion Professors	12.3%	$71,890

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 57% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of sacred music majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	9
Black or African American	15
Hispanic or Latino	12
White	73
International Students	14
Other Races/Ethnicities	11

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Sacred Music. About 10.4% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Sacred Music

Some careers associated with sacred music require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for sacred music careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
Some College Courses	0.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	14.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.1%
Master’s Degree	17.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	55.4%
Post-Doctoral Training	6.4%

Online Sacred Music Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	5	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	22	2
Bachelor’s Degree	11	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	41	6
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	7	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to Sacred Music

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to sacred music.

Major	Number of Grads
Theological & Ministerial Studies	14,928
Biblical Studies	3,832
Pastoral Counseling & Specialized Ministries	3,433
Missionary Studies	1,490
Theology & Religious Vocations (Other)	1,237
Religious Education	1,185
Religious Institution Administration and Law	56

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Jackerhack under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.