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Music Management

Types of Degrees Music Management Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	21
Associate’s Degree	149
Bachelor’s Degree	1,346
Master’s Degree	350

What Music Management Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Music Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Music Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

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

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Music Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Music Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Dreamweaver	Web page creation and editing software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
PhoneGap	Development environment software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Music Management graduates include:

• College Professor
• Adjunct Music Professor
• Lighting Design Lecturer
• Vocal Teacher
• Studio Instructor
• Piano Pedagogy Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Arts and Crafts Instructor
• Performing Arts Instructor
• Woodshop Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Dramatic Art Teacher
• Dancing Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Ceramics Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	47.4%
Doctoral degree	30.0%
Bachelor’s degree	15.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
Some college courses	0.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Music Management?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50.8% women and 49.2% men among Music Management graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	947	50.8%
Men	919	49.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,041	55.8%
Asian	85	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino	306	16.4%
Black or African American	178	9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	97	5.2%
Race Unknown	38	2.0%
International Students	116	6.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Music Management Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Music Management 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	$30,449
4 years	$42,732
5 years	$47,703

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,703 — roughly 57% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Music Management Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Music Management. 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	1	3
Master’s	3	2

^{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 Management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Music Management graduates earn a median of $42,732 four years after completion — roughly 12% 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
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management	50.10
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General	50.1001
Fine and Studio Arts Management	50.1002
Theatre/Theatre Arts Management	50.1004
Conducting	50.0906
Music Performance, General	50.0903
Music Technology	50.0913
Music Theory and Composition	50.0904
Music, Other	50.0999
Musical Theatre	50.0509
Musicology and Ethnomusicology	50.0905
Sound Arts	50.0917

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.