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Sacred Music

Instructional content is defined in code 39.0501.

Types of Degrees Sacred Music Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Sacred Music can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	5
Associate’s Degree	10
Bachelor’s Degree	311
Master’s Degree	126
Doctor’s Degree	25

What Sacred Music Majors Need to Know

Studies in Sacred Music develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Sacred Music graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Sacred Music emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Sacred Music program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Sacred Music careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Sacred Music graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Sacred Music professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
University of California Thesaurus Linguae Graecae TLG	Dictionary software	—
InteLext Past Masters	Data base user interface and query software	—
Gateway to Logic	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Sacred Music graduates include:

• Religious Educator
• Humanities Professor
• Philosophy Specialist
• Adjunct Philosophy Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Professor
• Church History Teacher
• Philosophy Assistant Professor
• Western Philosophy Professor
• Associate Professor
• Metaphysics Teacher
• Religious Studies Teacher
• Instructor
• Systematic Theology Professor
• Pastoral Ministries Professor

What Can You Do With a Sacred Music Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Sacred Music commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Directors, Religious Activities and Education	-2.3%	$64,599	$53,067–$76,131
Religious Workers, All Other	-1.4%	$58,956	$47,118–$70,794

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Sacred Music graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	54.6%
Master’s degree	14.2%
Bachelor’s degree	12.2%
Post-doctoral training	8.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.4%
Some college courses	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Sacred Music?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.9% women and 49.1% men among Sacred Music graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	243	50.9%
Men	234	49.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Sacred Music graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	319	66.9%
Asian	24	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	60	12.6%
Black or African American	18	3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	17	3.6%
Race Unknown	24	5.0%
International Students	12	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Sacred Music Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Sacred Music graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$35,384
4 years	$38,039
5 years	$44,242

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,242 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Sacred Music Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Sacred Music. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	4	1
Bachelor’s	8	8
Master’s	6	6
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Sacred Music Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Sacred Music graduates earn a median of $38,039 four years after completion — essentially in line with the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Theology and Religious Vocations	26,216
Theological and Ministerial Studies	15,135
Bible/Biblical Studies	3,603
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries	3,230
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology	1,249
Theology and Religious Vocations, Other	1,235
Religious Education	1,230
Religious Institution Administration and Law	57
THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.