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Sacred Music

Types of Degrees Sacred Music Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Sacred Music have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	5
Associate’s Degree	10
Bachelor’s Degree	311
Master’s Degree	126
Doctor’s Degree	25

What Sacred Music Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Sacred Music develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Sacred Music graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Sacred Music professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Learning management system LMS	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 Sacred Music graduates include:

• Religious Educator
• Jewish Educator
• Adjunct Professor
• Philosophy Assistant Professor
• Divinity Professor
• Philosophy Faculty Member
• Religion Professor
• Western Philosophy Professor
• Associate Professor
• Theology Professor
• Philosophy Adjunct Professor
• Instructor
• Systematic Theology Professor
• Metaphysics Teacher
• Religious Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	54.6%
Master’s degree	14.2%
Bachelor’s degree	12.2%
Post-doctoral training	8.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.4%
Some college courses	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Sacred Music?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.9% women and 49.1% men among Sacred Music graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	243	50.9%
Men	234	49.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	319	66.9%
Asian	24	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	60	12.6%
Black or African American	18	3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	17	3.6%
Race Unknown	24	5.0%
International Students	12	2.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Sacred Music Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Sacred Music graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$35,384
4 years	$38,039
5 years	$44,242

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $44,242 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Sacred Music Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Sacred Music. 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
Associate’s	4	1
Bachelor’s	8	8
Master’s	6	6
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 Sacred Music Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Sacred Music graduates earn a median of $38,039 four years after completion — essentially in line with 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
Theology and Religious Vocations	39
Bible/Biblical Studies	39.02
Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology	39.03
Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries	39.07
Religious Education	39.04
Religious Institution Administration and Law	39.08
Theological and Ministerial Studies	39.06
Theology and Religious Vocations, Other	39.99
THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS	39.00

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.