Bachelor's · earnings grade

Is a Music degree worth it?

Graduates earn a median $25,658 two years after finishing, more than 4% of bachelor's majors. Measured across 1,080 US programmes by the Department of Education — real graduate pay, not survey answers.

F

The verdict on the money

On earnings alone this is among the lowest-paying majors at this level. That does not make it a bad subject, but it does make the debt you take on for it matter more.

Median earnings $25,658 2 years after finishing
Typical range $21,508–$32,391 middle half of US programmes
Over no degree — vs $39,520 high-school median
Graduates a year 15,225 1,080 programmes

Where a Music degree pays best US programmes ranked on their own graduates' median earnings two years out.

#University1 yr out2 yrs out3 yrs outGraduates/yr
1 University of Houston cost & debt at this university → $49,557 $49,312 $52,788 55
2 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley cost & debt at this university → $47,631 $49,084 $52,815 41
3 Texas A&M University-Kingsville cost & debt at this university → $48,541 $48,041 not published 29
4 The University of Texas at El Paso cost & debt at this university → $48,653 $47,846 not published 21
5 Texas Tech University cost & debt at this university → $43,170 $44,170 $40,878 76
6 The University of Texas at San Antonio cost & debt at this university → $32,974 $43,674 $47,466 44
7 Lamar University cost & debt at this university → not published $43,426 not published 10
8 Stephen F Austin State University cost & debt at this university → $39,195 $43,054 $45,138 66
9 Tarleton State University cost & debt at this university → $29,088 $42,682 not published 23
10 East Texas A&M University $43,755 $42,682 $45,148 47
11 Texas State University cost & debt at this university → $40,576 $42,363 $42,724 57
12 West Texas A & M University $42,424 $41,937 $43,827 21

What this figure does and does not tell you

It is the median of what real graduates of this exact major earned, taken from tax records two years after they completed. It is not a starting salary, not an average of job adverts, and not a projection. The median bachelor's major in this dataset reports $37,568, so Music sits below the middle by $11,910.

Two years is early in a career. Fields with long training pipelines — medicine, law, research — look weaker at this point than they will at ten, while trades and applied technical fields peak sooner. Read a low figure in a long-pipeline subject as "slow start", not "bad degree".

There is no debt figure here on purpose. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not borrowing, so nobody can honestly tell you the debt of a specific major. Debt is published per institution — that is where our university cost pages carry it.

Music at other levels

Master's — $29,051 (F)

Scholarships for Music students

Whatever the subject pays, the money you do not borrow is the money you keep.

University of Salford Scholarships for International Students... 25 VC’s Scholarships for Sport, Music and Arts at Durham Unive... Distance Learning Scholarships Law and Culture UK, 2017 Music Scholarships at the Regent’s International School of Ban... UWA International Master’s by Coursework Scholarships in Austr... Villa I Tatti Wallace Fellowship for International Applicants...
See all Music scholarships →

Study Music Programmes listed on ScholarshipsAds.

Music, Folk- and World Music — Lund University Music, Individual Programme — Lund University Church Music, Organ and Keyboard — Lund University Music — University of Oxford BA Music (Music Studies, Performance & Composi... — University of Oxford M.A. in Music (Performance, Conducting, or Com... — Bilkent University

Majors that pay more at this level Closest first — useful if you are still choosing.

Biology, General — $28,443 English Language and Literature, General — $28,598 Philosophy — $28,598 Psychology, General — $29,141 History — $29,685 Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness — $29,685

Funding the degree Lenders that fund US and international students — compare the rate before you sign.

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We may earn a commission if you take a loan through a provider here. It never changes the earnings figures on this page — those come from the US Department of Education.

Music: the questions people ask

How much do Music graduates earn?
The median bachelor's graduate earns $25,658 two years after finishing, across 287 US programmes that publish the figure. One year out it is $24,984.
Is a Music degree worth it?
On earnings alone this is among the lowest-paying majors at this level. That does not make it a bad subject, but it does make the debt you take on for it matter more.
What is the salary range for Music?
Half of US programmes report medians between $21,508 and $32,391. Where you study moves this figure more than most applicants expect.
How many people graduate in Music each year?
About 15,225 students complete a bachelor's in this field each year across 1,080 US programmes.
Does this include student debt?
No — and deliberately. The Department of Education publishes earnings by field of study but not debt, so any "debt by major" figure you see elsewhere is an estimate. Debt is published per institution, which is why our university pages carry it and this page does not.
All degree grades Highest paying majors Most popular majors University costs & payback

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings (median earnings of graduates who received federal financial aid, measured 1–3 years after completion). Figures are per major and credential level, pooled across US programmes. Information only, not financial advice.