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Other Music

Types of Degrees Other Music Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	22
Associate’s Degree	47
Bachelor’s Degree	847
Master’s Degree	203
Doctor’s Degree	22

What Other Music Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Other Music emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.2 / 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 emphasized by a Other Music program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other Music professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Apple Logic Pro	Music or sound editing software	—
PhoneGap	Development environment software	—
MySQL	Data base management system software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Music graduates include:

• Dramatic Coach
• Dramatic Art Teacher
• Lighting Design Lecturer
• College Faculty Member
• Adjunct Art Instructor
• Guitar Teacher
• Baton Teacher
• Choral Teacher
• Violin Teacher
• Piano Teacher
• Dance Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Voice Teacher
• Photography Teacher
• Stagecraft Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	46.3%
Doctoral degree	29.3%
Bachelor’s degree	15.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.6%
Less than a high school diploma	1.4%
Some college courses	1.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Music?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 47.7% women and 52.3% men among Other Music graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	544	47.7%
Men	597	52.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	639	56.0%
Asian	61	5.3%
Hispanic or Latino	112	9.8%
Black or African American	70	6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	49	4.3%
Race Unknown	45	3.9%
International Students	162	14.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Music Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Other Music 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	$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 Other Music Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Other 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	1	0
Bachelor’s	3	1
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 Other Music Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Other Music 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 Technology	50.0913
Music Theory and Composition	50.0904
Music, General	50.0901
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.