UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Music worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 10 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$35,327 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$35,327Median year-4 earnings
$24,837Average institution net-price context
$9,500Median federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$35,327Typical earnings four years after completion
$24,762Average earnings five years after completion
$9,500Typical federal student debt
21thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
958Degrees awarded in 2024–25
8College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 6 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Music
How much do Music undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?
The national median is $35,327 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $9,500. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Music?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $29,373 to $36,639 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Music?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
CURRENT VIEW
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $35,327
- Federal debt
- $9,500
- Programs in the comparison
- 10
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $36,153
- Federal debt
- $19,687
- Programs in the comparison
- 13
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $43,385
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 314
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $35,623
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $47,357
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 98
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,796
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 30
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$29,373National median$35,32775th percentile$36,639
8 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Musicians Institute
$37,763 four years after completionHollywood, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtAmerican InterContinental University-Atlanta
$9,500 among completer borrowersAtlanta, GA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classBerklee College of Music
719 reported awards in 2024–25Boston, MA · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$36,639Observed year-4 earnings$24,423
Musicians Institute$46,518 price · $37,763 earningsAmerican InterContinental University-Atlanta$16,482 price · $36,639 earningsAmerican InterContinental University System$15,172 price · $36,639 earningsAmerican InterContinental University-Houston$20,249 price · $36,639 earningsBerklee College of Music$49,465 price · $34,014 earningsAtlanta Institute of Music and Media$37,832 price · $30,624 earningsDallas College$3,214 price · $29,373 earningsNashville State Community College$6,777 price · $24,423 earnings
$3,214Annual college-wide average net price$46,518
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
9 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 9 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Musicians Institute$37,7632American InterContinental University-Atlanta$36,6393American InterContinental University System$36,6394American InterContinental University-Houston$36,6395Berklee College of Music$34,0146Atlanta Institute of Music and Media$30,6247Dallas College$29,3738Nashville State Community College$24,4239Visible Music CollegeNot availableObserved year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$78,620 median wage93,560 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 8,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$47,570–$163,350 typical wage rangeMusicians and Singers36,180 jobs nationwide+0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 17,400 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credentialMusic Directors and Composers$73,710 median wage12,540 jobs nationwide+1.2% projected growth through 2035 · 4,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$39,880–$165,760 typical wage rangeSound Engineering Technicians$73,130 median wage13,080 jobs nationwide-3.1% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award$37,570–$137,370 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeDisc Jockeys, Except Radio7,920 jobs nationwide+3.8% projected growth through 2035 · 1,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.