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Music Technology

Types of Degrees Music Technology Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	60
Associate’s Degree	526
Bachelor’s Degree	1,022
Master’s Degree	330

What Music Technology Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Music Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Adobe Audition	Music or sound editing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Linux	Operating system software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Music Technology graduates include:

• Visual Arts Instructor
• Arts and Crafts Instructor
• Theater Teacher
• Arts Teacher
• Drama Professor
• Woodshop Instructor
• Stagecraft Professor
• Instructor
• Scene Design Lecturer
• Baton Teacher
• Dance Professor
• Voice Professor
• Piano Pedagogy Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• College Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	37.7%
Doctoral degree	23.9%
Bachelor’s degree	16.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.3%
Postsecondary certificate	4.1%
Some college courses	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	2.1%
First professional degree	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Music Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 75.1% of Music Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	482	24.9%
Men	1,456	75.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	970	50.1%
Asian	50	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	288	14.9%
Black or African American	342	17.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	16	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.2%
Two or More Races	110	5.7%
Race Unknown	113	5.8%
International Students	46	2.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Music Technology Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Music Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$29,248
4 years	$35,586
5 years	$40,828

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,828 — roughly 40% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Music Technology Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Music Technology. 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	2	5
Master’s	2	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 Technology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Music Technology graduates earn a median of $35,586 four years after completion — about 6% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Music	50.09
Brass Instruments	50.0914
Conducting	50.0906
Jazz/Jazz Studies	50.0910
Keyboard Instruments	50.0907
Music History, Literature, and Theory	50.0902
Music Pedagogy	50.0912
Music Performance, General	50.0903
Music Theory and Composition	50.0904
Music, General	50.0901
Music, Other	50.0999
Musicology and Ethnomusicology	50.0905

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.