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Music

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

Music majors balance performance, theory, history, and ear training. Performers spend hours each day practicing their instrument or voice, take private lessons with a faculty member, and play in ensembles ranging from orchestras and choirs to jazz combos.

Composition tracks add classes in writing for various instruments and increasingly include electronic music production. Music education tracks add teaching methods and student-teaching placements. Conservatories are intense and pre-professional; university music programs may offer more flexibility.

What you'll do after college

Grads work as performers, teachers, composers, music producers, recording engineers, music therapists, arts administrators, and church musicians. Some pursue further training at conservatories or in graduate school, while others go directly into freelancing, teaching, or music technology.

Pay is famously uneven—a few become stars, most piece together careers from teaching, gigs, and side work. The major is for students who genuinely can't imagine doing anything else.

Famous graduates

  • Sheryl Crow — Grammy-winning musician; B.S. in Music Education from University of Missouri
  • Renée Fleming — Legendary opera soprano; B.M. in Music Education from SUNY Potsdam
  • Esperanza Spalding — Grammy-winning jazz bassist and singer; B.M. from Berklee College of Music

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$48,486
654
100–88%
$45,491
1,265
88–78%
$48,002
2,021
78–72%
$47,607
2,636
72–55%
$43,844
2,609
55–52%
$41,911
1,951
52–34%
$39,209
1,317
34–9%
$44,870
681
9–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

By SAT median

$49,292
499
400–1035
$49,512
1,006
1035–1090
$46,757
1,462
1092–1140
$47,025
1,992
1140–1235
$47,490
1,961
1235–1285
$47,714
1,503
1285–1400
$41,522
985
1400–1500
$47,514
496
1500–1600
Median SAT · bar = degree-weighted adjusted 5-year earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl 5yr Earn
Music 994 20,475 51% / 49% 6% $44,774
Music 843 7,135 52% / 48% 3% $43,386
Music Performance 323 3,504 53% / 47% 8% $40,945
Music Education 387 3,062 46% / 54% 1% $56,050
Musical Theatre 105 1,008 32% / 68% 2% $34,708
Music Management 67 825 49% / 51% 7% $44,081
Music Technology 63 557 77% / 23% 1% $41,659
Music Theory and Composition 116 486 62% / 38% 14% $39,455
Electronic Production and Design 1 365 68% / 32% 40%
Music Therapy 47 312 10% / 90% 2% $70,342
Music Business 6 285 42% / 58% 2% $54,063
Intermedia/Multimedia 16 260 42% / 58% 5% $43,194
Voice and Opera 63 243 30% / 70% 5% $38,882
Jazz Studies 27 225 82% / 18% 13% $38,560
Music Production and Engineering 1 175 75% / 25% 22%
Stringed Instruments 18 152 45% / 55% 21% $39,973
Music - Entertainment and Media Industries 1 152 38% / 62% 15%
Keyboard Instruments 46 115 49% / 51% 42% $39,237
Recording Industry Studies 1 114 74% / 26% 1% $43,169
Music Industry 4 106 46% / 54% 5% $82,984
Jazz/Jazz Studies 26 98 80% / 20% 2% $42,592
Music Pedagogy 20 97 40% / 60% 1% $44,887
Broadcasting Technology 4 90 41% / 59% 0% $37,418
Recording Arts Technology/Technician 6 82 77% / 23% 1% $45,610
Organ 1 72 57% / 43% 4% $36,065
Recording Arts Technology 7 66 79% / 21% 0% $43,015
Sacred Music 23 64 56% / 44% 0%
Music History, Literature, and Theory 20 64 45% / 55% 6% $40,485
Strings 3 57 37% / 63% 35% $30,813
Lyric Theatre 1 44 41% / 59% 2% $36,263
Music Composition 11 38 68% / 32% 11% $40,388
Brass Instruments 10 38 89% / 11% 8% $38,558
Woodwind Instruments 9 35 51% / 49% 14% $41,223
Composition 7 35 80% / 20% 11% $31,273
Sound Arts 4 28 79% / 21% 0% $55,306
Music Studies 6 26 46% / 54% 0% $40,710
Music Teacher Education 48 25 40% / 60% 0%
Music Learning and Teaching 1 23 61% / 39% 0% $73,748
Global Jazz Studies 1 22 36% / 64% 9% $46,404
Audio Production 2 20 95% / 5% 10%
Audio Recording Technology 1 20 80% / 20% 0% $36,021
Keyboard 1 20 65% / 35% 55% $26,792
Choral Music 1 19 53% / 47% 5% $25,143
Jazz 3 18 89% / 11% 6% $34,968
Music History 3 17 53% / 47% 0% $38,038
Voice 3 15 40% / 60% 33% $30,813
Worship Music 2 13 31% / 69% 0%
Contemporary Music 1 13 38% / 62% 8% $32,733
Instrumental Music 1 13 69% / 31% 0% $45,230
Recording Technology 1 13 100% / 0% 0%
Woodwinds 2 12 67% / 33% 25% $27,946
Audio Engineering Technology 2 11 36% / 64% 0%
Brass 2 11 82% / 18% 27% $27,946
Instrumental Performance 2 11 55% / 45% 0% $32,987
Audio Arts and Acoustics 1 11 82% / 18% 0% $46,572
Sound Recording Technology 1 11 73% / 27% 0%
Technology and Applied Composition 1 11 82% / 18% 45% $29,101
Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies 1 9 67% / 33% 0% $26,275
Keyboard Performance 2 8 50% / 50% 12%
Computer Science and Digital Audio 1 8 75% / 25% 0%
Vocal Performance 4 7 43% / 57% 14% $33,208
Musicology 2 7 86% / 14% 14% $36,001
Music for New Media 1 7 100% / 0% 14% $34,658
Piano Performance 3 6 50% / 50% 17% $39,308
Metal Arts 2 6 0% / 100% 50% $31,934
Percussion 2 6 83% / 17% 17% $27,946
Audio Technology 1 6 50% / 50% 0% $59,304
Keyboard Studies 1 6 50% / 50% 83% $29,101
Percussion Instruments 8 5 80% / 20% 20% $32,068
Audio Engineering Technology/Technician 1 5 60% / 40% 20%
Commercial Music 1 5 60% / 40% 20%
Music and Technology 1 5 100% / 0% 0% $29,286
Musicology and Ethnomusicology 3 4 25% / 75% 0% $42,404
Ethnomusicology 2 4 75% / 25% 0% $32,910
Audiovisual Technology 1 4 50% / 50% 0% $43,015
Music Theory and History 1 4 75% / 25% 0% $41,727
Teacher Education: Music Education 1 4 25% / 75% 0% $55,501
Conducting 3 3 100% / 0% 0% $27,519
Applied Music 2 3 67% / 33% 33%
Voice Performance 2 3 33% / 67% 0% $39,062
Musical Arts/Composition 1 3 67% / 33% 33% $85,981
Music Composition (CCS) 1 2 100% / 0% 0%
Piano 1 1 0% / 100% 0% $36,547