MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a master's degree in Music worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 98 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$47,357 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.
$47,357Median year-4 earnings
$22,412Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$47,357Typical earnings four years after completion
$41,176Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
2thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
196Degrees awarded in 2024–25
98College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 30 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Music
How much do Music master's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $47,357 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Music?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $41,657 to $53,050 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.
OPEN PROFILE
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$41,657National median$47,35775th percentile$53,050
98 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.
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.
$77,342Observed year-4 earnings$52,995
New Jersey City University$16,053 price · $82,054 earningsCentral Washington University$18,476 price · $79,115 earningsMessiah University$26,502 price · $77,342 earningsSam Houston State University$16,404 price · $68,888 earningsUniversity of Delaware$17,799 price · $66,502 earningsCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 price · $63,685 earningsMichigan State University$19,680 price · $62,193 earningsOhio State University-Main Campus$17,339 price · $60,865 earningsCalifornia State University, Northridge$7,021 price · $60,697 earningsUniversity of Florida$6,541 price · $59,913 earningsStephen F Austin State University$14,260 price · $59,471 earningsColorado State University-Fort Collins$21,279 price · $57,772 earningsSUNY at Fredonia$15,897 price · $57,662 earningsUniversity of Memphis$12,397 price · $57,099 earningsUniversity of Miami$37,244 price · $55,826 earningsBerklee College of Music$49,465 price · $55,467 earningsUniversity of Hartford$30,282 price · $54,836 earningsMontclair State University$15,566 price · $54,787 earningsUniversity of South Carolina-Columbia$22,811 price · $54,634 earningsUniversity of Nevada-Las Vegas$10,359 price · $54,262 earningsUniversity of Maryland-College Park$15,678 price · $54,160 earningsUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts$14,906 price · $54,140 earningsGeorge Mason University$17,915 price · $53,431 earningsNorwich University$22,257 price · $53,360 earningsUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln$17,747 price · $53,139 earningsUniversity of Denver$36,131 price · $53,050 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee$15,014 price · $53,047 earningsThe University of Tennessee-Knoxville$18,976 price · $53,019 earningsTexas Tech University$19,070 price · $52,995 earningsNew York University$37,050 price · $52,777 earnings
$6,541Annual college-wide average net price$37,050
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1New Jersey City University$82,0542Central Washington University$79,1153Messiah University$77,3424Sam Houston State University$68,8885University of Delaware$66,5026CUNY Brooklyn College$63,6857Michigan State University$62,1938Ohio State University-Main Campus$60,8659California State University, Northridge$60,69710University of Florida$59,913Observed 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.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
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.