Music: is this doctoral degree worth it?
National picture across 30 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$57,796 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.
$57,796Median year-4 earnings
$19,781Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$57,796Median reported earnings · year 4
$53,408Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
5thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
30Reporting programs
30With year-4 earnings
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
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $36,153
- Federal debt
- $19,687
- Reporting programs
- 13
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $43,385
- Federal debt
- $26,000
- Reporting programs
- 314
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $35,623
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $47,357
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 98
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,796
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 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$52,257National median$57,79675th percentile$60,156
30 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$75,3672The University of Texas at Austin$75,0553University of California, San Diego$68,6934University of Maryland-College Park$68,6605Northwestern University$66,5726University of Wisconsin-Madison$65,4957Michigan State University$64,6728University of North Texas$64,3159Boston University$60,15610University of Nebraska-Lincoln$60,133Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
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
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 | University of Michigan-Ann ArborDoctoral Degree | Ann Arbor, MI | $75,367 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,138 |
| 2 | The University of Texas at AustinDoctoral Degree | Austin, TX | $75,055 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,857 |
| 3 | University of California, San DiegoDoctoral Degree | La Jolla, CA | $68,693 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,470 |
| 4 | University of Maryland-College ParkDoctoral Degree | College Park, MD | $68,660 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,678 |
| 5 | Northwestern UniversityDoctoral Degree | Evanston, IL | $66,572 | Not available | Baseline needed | $29,167 |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-MadisonDoctoral Degree | Madison, WI | $65,495 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,354 |
| 7 | Michigan State UniversityDoctoral Degree | East Lansing, MI | $64,672 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,680 |
| 8 | University of North TexasDoctoral Degree | Denton, TX | $64,315 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,649 |
| 9 | Boston UniversityDoctoral Degree | Boston, MA | $60,156 | Not available | Baseline needed | $24,402 |
| 10 | University of Nebraska-LincolnDoctoral Degree | Lincoln, NE | $60,133 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,747 |
| 11 | Florida State UniversityDoctoral Degree | Tallahassee, FL | $60,076 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,297 |
| 12 | Stony Brook UniversityDoctoral Degree | Stony Brook, NY | $59,933 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,784 |
| 13 | University of Southern CaliforniaDoctoral Degree | Los Angeles, CA | $59,885 | Not available | Baseline needed | $32,740 |
| 14 | CUNY Graduate School and University CenterDoctoral Degree | New York, NY | $59,802 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 15 | University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignDoctoral Degree | Champaign, IL | $58,016 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,355 |
| 16 | Ohio State University-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | Columbus, OH | $57,576 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,339 |
| 17 | Texas Tech UniversityDoctoral Degree | Lubbock, TX | $57,408 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,070 |
| 18 | University of GeorgiaDoctoral Degree | Athens, GA | $56,716 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,936 |
| 19 | University of Colorado BoulderDoctoral Degree | Boulder, CO | $56,459 | Not available | Baseline needed | $25,346 |
| 20 | University of Missouri-Kansas CityDoctoral Degree | Kansas City, MO | $54,810 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,310 |
| 21 | Indiana University-BloomingtonDoctoral Degree | Bloomington, IN | $53,477 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,264 |
| 22 | University of KansasDoctoral Degree | Lawrence, KS | $52,762 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,059 |
| 23 | University of RochesterDoctoral Degree | Rochester, NY | $52,257 | Not available | Baseline needed | $29,278 |
| 24 | University of Cincinnati-Main CampusDoctoral Degree | Cincinnati, OH | $49,909 | Not available | Baseline needed | $25,648 |
| 25 | University of KentuckyDoctoral Degree | Lexington, KY | $49,845 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,851 |
| 26 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionDoctoral Degree | Tempe, AZ | $48,038 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,967 |
| 27 | University of IowaDoctoral Degree | Iowa City, IA | $47,407 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,531 |
| 28 | University of ArizonaDoctoral Degree | Tucson, AZ | $47,280 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,674 |
| 29 | University of South Carolina-ColumbiaDoctoral Degree | Columbia, SC | $46,203 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,811 |
| 30 | University of MiamiDoctoral Degree | Coral Gables, FL | $45,553 | Not available | Baseline needed | $37,244 |
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.