Music

Types of Degrees Music Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many music graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	5,778
Doctor’s Degree	1,327
Graduate Certificate	570

What Music Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, music 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 Music Majors

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

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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 Music Majors

A major in music prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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 Music Majors

As a music major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Music Major?

People with a music degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Music Composers and Arrangers	5.7%	$49,630
Music Directors	5.7%	$49,630
Musicians, Instrumental	6.0%	NA
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320
Singers	6.0%	NA
Sound Engineering Technicians	6.5%	$52,390

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Music?

Music runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #36 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 5,777 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 48% of the graduates are women, and 52% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	304
Black or African American	270
Hispanic or Latino	472
White	2,855
International Students	1,500
Other Races/Ethnicities	377

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Music, too. About 26.0% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Canada
• Brazil

How Much Do Music Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a master’s degree in music have a median salary of $25,041 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $21,877 (25th percentile) and $30,758 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to music.

Salaries According to BLS

Music majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $59,790 to $64,340 (25th to 75th percentile). 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 Music

Some careers associated with music 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 music have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	4.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.8%
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)	3.7%
Some College Courses	7.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	27.1%
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.	3.0%
Master’s Degree	22.7%
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.	2.4%
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.	0.4%
Doctoral Degree	13.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Music Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,394 schools offered a music 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)	70	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	49	0
Associate’s Degree	379	10
Bachelor’s Degree	189	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	766	19
Post-Master’s	72	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	229	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	9	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	14	0

Is a Degree in Music Worth It?

The median salary for a music grad is $63,500 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 59% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $472,000 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Music

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

Major	Number of Grads
Fine & Studio Arts	3,224
Design & Applied Arts	1,979
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	1,704
Drama & Theater Arts	1,699
Arts & Media Management	1,184
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

More about our data sources and methodologies.