Music major
Music: courses, careers, and where to study
Music combines performance, theory, and history with applied study on a primary instrument or voice, suiting students who want formal training in composing, performing, or teaching music.
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Music earn a median $42,892 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $26,048 to $58,755 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college
A Music major covers music theory, ear training and sight-singing, music history, and applied lessons on a primary instrument or voice, alongside ensemble participation and conducting. Programs commonly let students follow a track such as performance, composition, music education, jazz studies, or music technology, and many require a junior or senior recital or a composition portfolio. Bachelor of Music (BM) degrees concentrate heavily on the applied area, while Bachelor of Arts (BA) tracks leave more room for a second field; music education tracks add coursework and student teaching toward state licensure.
Graduates work as performers, composers and arrangers, private instructors, ensemble or church music directors, K-12 music teachers (with certification), and in music production, publishing, and arts administration. Many roles in performance, composition, conducting, and college teaching typically require a graduate degree such as a master's or doctorate, and freelance and contract work is common in the field.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median annual wage of $63,670 for music directors and composers, with projected employment about flat (-0.3%) from 2024 to 2034.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Music maps to CIP 50.0901, Music, General, within the VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS family. The official definition:
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Music is awarded as
Of the 26,082 Music credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:
- Certificate: 3%, 824 credentials.
- Associate: 8%, 2,182 credentials.
- Bachelor's: 57%, 14,981 credentials.
- Graduate: 31%, 8,095 credentials.
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 45 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 6 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Music theory, harmony, and analysis
- Ear training, sight-singing, and aural skills
- Music history and literature across periods and styles
- Applied lessons on a primary instrument or voice
- Ensemble performance and conducting
- Composition, arranging, and orchestration
- Music technology, notation software, and recording basics
- A junior or senior recital or composition portfolio
Typical careers
- Music directors and composers
- Performer / Instrumentalist or Vocalist
- Private Music Instructor
- K-12 Music Teacher (with certification)
- Arranger / Orchestrator
- Music Producer / Audio Engineer
Typical salary range: BLS, 2024 music directors and composers median $63,670Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
How much do Music graduates earn?
Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Music earn a median $42,892 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $26,048 to $58,755 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
| Credential | National median | Middle half of programs |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | $42,892 | $26,048 to $58,755 |
| Associate's | $34,056 | $19,743 to $49,228 |
| Undergraduate certificate | $33,318 | $17,479 to $48,525 |
| Master's | $48,285 | $28,079 to $65,736 |
| Doctoral | $59,592 | $38,708 to $76,817 |
Compare Music programs in your state
Highest-earning bachelor's Music programs
- The University of Texas at El Paso (TX): $60,172, median federal debt $14,894
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (TX): $59,218, median federal debt $15,175
- The University of Texas at Arlington (TX): $59,198, median federal debt $22,714
- Sam Houston State University (TX): $58,743, median federal debt $25,630
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC): $58,127, median federal debt $18,007
- University of California-San Diego (CA): $58,071, median federal debt $19,500
- Texas Tech University (TX): $57,043, median federal debt $27,000
- University of Houston (TX): $56,667, median federal debt $25,000
- University of Connecticut (CT): $56,104, median federal debt $24,148
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick (NJ): $56,008, median federal debt $25,492
Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Music. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Music, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $64,580 | 66,200 | -1.6% | Bachelor's degree |
| Musicians and Singers | Not reported | 19,400 | +1.1% | No formal educational credential |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 1 of these 2 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Music does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Music major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Music program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Music department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Music program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Music credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- Berklee College of Music, MA · 1,011 credentials
- Los Angeles Film School, CA · 486 credentials
- Indiana University-Bloomington, IN · 435 credentials
- Full Sail University, FL · 359 credentials
- Manhattan School of Music, NY · 334 credentials
- University of North Texas, TX · 306 credentials
- New York University, NY · 301 credentials
- The New England Conservatory of Music, MA · 288 credentials
- Johns Hopkins University, MD · 254 credentials
- The New School, NY · 249 credentials
- The Juilliard School, NY · 246 credentials
- University of Rochester, NY · 234 credentials
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Music credentials were awarded
27 states have a distinct enough set of Music colleges to be worth its own page.
- Texas: 84 colleges
- Pennsylvania: 53 colleges
- Illinois: 51 colleges
- Florida: 39 colleges
- North Carolina: 39 colleges
- Michigan: 36 colleges
- Massachusetts: 34 colleges
- Minnesota: 33 colleges
- Georgia: 31 colleges
- Tennessee: 30 colleges
- Missouri: 28 colleges
- Washington: 28 colleges
- Indiana: 27 colleges
- Iowa: 21 colleges
- Alabama: 21 colleges
- New Jersey: 20 colleges
- Colorado: 19 colleges
- South Carolina: 19 colleges
- Oklahoma: 19 colleges
- Louisiana: 18 colleges
- Mississippi: 18 colleges
- Maryland: 15 colleges
- Kansas: 13 colleges
- Nebraska: 11 colleges
- West Virginia: 8 colleges
- New Hampshire: 6 colleges
- Wyoming: 6 colleges
Every Music program with its own CampusPin page
62 programs in 20 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.
Music programs in California, 6 programs
- California State University-Chico Bachelor's, $42,269
- California State University-Long Beach Bachelor's, $47,831
- California State University-Northridge Bachelor's, $40,669
- San Diego State University Bachelor's, $42,090
- San Francisco Conservatory of Music Master's, $51,822
- University of Southern California Master's, $45,304
Music programs in Colorado, 2 programs
- Colorado State University-Fort Collins Master's, $57,772
- University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Bachelor's, $46,532
Music programs in Connecticut, 1 program
- University of Hartford Bachelor's, $43,700
Music programs in Florida, 2 programs
- Florida State University Bachelor's, $44,454
- Full Sail University Bachelor's, $39,466
Music programs in Illinois, 4 programs
- Columbia College Chicago Bachelor's, $40,734
- DePaul University Master's, $38,670
- Northwestern University Bachelor's, $53,875
- Roosevelt University Master's, $41,219
Music programs in Indiana, 1 program
- Indiana University-Bloomington Master's, $44,312
Music programs in Maryland, 1 program
- Johns Hopkins University Master's, $51,713
Music programs in Massachusetts, 3 programs
- Berklee College of Music Bachelor's, $38,617
- The New England Conservatory of Music Master's, $45,532
- University of Massachusetts Lowell Bachelor's, $53,384
Music programs in Michigan, 3 programs
- Michigan State University Bachelor's, $52,132
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Bachelor's, $43,777
- Western Michigan University Bachelor's, $36,254
Music programs in New Jersey, 5 programs
- Montclair State University Bachelor's, $50,418
- Rider University Bachelor's, $43,753
- Rowan University Bachelor's, $47,208
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick Bachelor's, $56,008
- William Paterson University of New Jersey Bachelor's, $39,553
Music programs in New York, 7 programs
- Ithaca College Bachelor's, $51,338
- Manhattan School of Music Master's, $40,812
- New York University Master's, $52,777
- SUNY at Purchase College Bachelor's, $41,926
- The Juilliard School Master's, $46,372
- The New School Master's, $26,925
- University of Rochester Bachelor's, $34,888
Music programs in North Carolina, 1 program
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Bachelor's, $58,127
Music programs in Ohio, 3 programs
- Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Master's, $46,069
- Capital University Bachelor's, $43,125
- University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Master's, $37,208
Music programs in Oklahoma, 2 programs
- Oklahoma City University Bachelor's, $35,621
- University of Central Oklahoma Bachelor's, $42,355
Music programs in Oregon, 1 program
- University of Oregon Bachelor's, $39,928
Music programs in Pennsylvania, 2 programs
- Millersville University of Pennsylvania Bachelor's, $40,713
- Temple University Bachelor's, $40,387
Music programs in Tennessee, 2 programs
- Belmont University Bachelor's, $36,866
- Middle Tennessee State University Bachelor's, $43,999
Music programs in Texas, 11 programs
- Rice University Master's, $50,777
- Sam Houston State University Bachelor's, $58,743
- Stephen F Austin State University Bachelor's, $52,341
- Texas State University Bachelor's, $52,320
- Texas Tech University Bachelor's, $57,043
- The University of Texas at Arlington Bachelor's, $59,198
- The University of Texas at Austin Bachelor's, $47,164
- The University of Texas at San Antonio Bachelor's, $53,878
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Bachelor's, $59,218
- University of Houston Bachelor's, $56,667
- University of North Texas Bachelor's, $55,705
Music programs in Utah, 1 program
- Brigham Young University Bachelor's, $29,483
Music programs in Virginia, 4 programs
- George Mason University Bachelor's, $46,765
- James Madison University Bachelor's, $51,882
- Liberty University Bachelor's, $42,960
- Virginia Commonwealth University Bachelor's, $38,278
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Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Music degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Arts, Design & Media careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Music degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Music path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.