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DOCTORAL DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a doctoral degree in Music worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 30 college programs with reportable data.

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

What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$57,796Typical earnings four years after completion
$53,408Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
5thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
838Degrees awarded in 2024–25
30College 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.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Music

How much do Music doctoral degree graduates earn?

The national median is $57,796 four years after completion across reportable doctoral 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 $52,257 to $60,156 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.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

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
8 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$36,153
Federal debt
$19,687
Programs in the comparison
13
10 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$43,385
Federal debt
$26,000
Programs in the comparison
314
275 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
$35,623
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$47,357
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
98
98 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$57,796
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
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$52,257National median$57,79675th percentile$60,156
30 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$60,15675th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
Not availableMedian federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
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

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

$75,367 four years after completionAnn Arbor, MI · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Indiana University-Bloomington

50 reported awards in 2024–25Bloomington, IN · 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.

$68,693Observed year-4 earnings$46,203
$12,470Annual college-wide average net price$29,278
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

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 →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

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$60,133

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

Career outlook

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

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.