Arts & Media Management

Types of Degrees Arts & Media Management Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many arts and media management graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,115
Graduate Certificate	62
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Arts & Media Management Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, media management majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Media Management Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in media management should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• 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.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Media Management Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to media management:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• 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.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities for Media Management Majors

Media Management majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Can You Do With a Arts & Media Management Major?

People with a media management degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes	4.7%	$66,040
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Music Directors	5.7%	$49,630
Producers	12.2%	$71,680
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Technical Directors/Managers	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Arts & Media Management?

This major is dominated by women with about 69% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of media management majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	37
Black or African American	143
Hispanic or Latino	109
White	448
International Students	246
Other Races/Ethnicities	132

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Media Management. About 22.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• India
• Canada
• Mexico

How Much Do Arts & Media Management Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of arts and media management students with a master’s degree is $43,504 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $40,541 (25th percentile) and $48,221 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a media management degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $82,560 to $90,930 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to media management. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Arts & Media Management

Some careers associated with media management require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to media management have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.1%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.7%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.8%
Some College Courses	4.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	46.4%
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.	0.6%
Master’s Degree	25.3%
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.	1.0%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	2.4%
Doctoral Degree	11.4%

Online Arts & Media Management Programs

In 2020-2021, 337 schools offered a media management program of some type. 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)	25	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	50	3
Bachelor’s Degree	20	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	87	7
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Arts & Media Management Worth It?

The median salary for a media management grad is $89,840 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 125% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $998,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Arts & Media Management

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to media management.

Major	Number of Grads
Music	7,675
Fine & Studio Arts	3,224
Design & Applied Arts	1,979
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	1,704
Drama & Theater Arts	1,699
General Visual & Performing Arts	390
Dance	257
Other Visual Art	254
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry	13

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 Perspectives - The Photography Club, IIM Ahmedabad under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.