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Music Education

Types of Degrees Music Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Music Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	28
Bachelor’s Degree	3,257
Master’s Degree	1,174
Doctor’s Degree	85

What Music Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Music Education build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Music Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Music Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Music Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Music Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Music Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Music Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Music Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Orchestra Teacher
• Music Educator
• Art Instructor
• Band Teacher
• Art Educator
• Choral Teacher
• Voice Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Music Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	43.1%
Bachelor’s degree	28.7%
Master’s degree	18.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.5%
Less than a high school diploma	1.8%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Music Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55.1% women and 44.9% men among Music Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,503	55.1%
Men	2,041	44.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Music Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,337	73.4%
Asian	143	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	490	10.8%
Black or African American	213	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	163	3.6%
Race Unknown	82	1.8%
International Students	97	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Music Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Music Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Music Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Music Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	6	11
Master’s	29	19
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Music Education Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Music Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	13.1303
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Drama and Dance Teacher Education	13.1324
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.