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POST-BACCALAUREATE CERTIFICATE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5009

Music: is this post-baccalaureate certificate worth it?

National picture across 1 reporting college programs.

Personal baseline needed

$35,623 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.

$35,623Median year-4 earnings

$18,809Average institution net-price context

Not availableMedian federal debt

Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$35,623Median reported earnings · year 4

Not availableAverage reported earnings · year 5

Not availableMedian federal debt

2thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

1Reporting programs

1With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $35,327
Federal debt: $9,500
Reporting programs: 10

8 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $36,153
Federal debt: $19,687
Reporting programs: 13

10 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $43,385
Federal debt: $26,000
Reporting programs: 314

275 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings: $35,623
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 1

1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $47,357
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 98

98 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings: $57,796
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 30

30 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

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$35,623National median$35,62375th percentile$35,623

1 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Johns Hopkins University$35,623

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1121 · 16 crosswalk linksMusicians and SingersSOC 27-2042 · 11 crosswalk linksMusic Directors and ComposersSOC 27-2041 · 8 crosswalk linksDisc Jockeys, Except RadioSOC 27-2091 · 1 crosswalk linksSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationSOC 25-2031 · 1 crosswalk linksSound Engineering TechniciansSOC 27-4014 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR MUSIC

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	ROI status	Cost context
1	Johns Hopkins UniversityPost-baccalaureate Certificate	Baltimore, MD	$35,623	Not available	Baseline needed	$18,809

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.