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Music Education Major

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Music Education

3,393 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
1,178 Master's Degrees Annually
#7 in Popularity
$64,340 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Music Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many music education graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 3,393
Master’s Degree 1,178
Graduate Certificate 79
Doctor’s Degree 77
Associate Degree 33
Basic Certificate 1

What Music Education Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to music teacher education were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Music Teacher Education Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in music teacher education should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

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  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Music Teacher Education Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to music teacher education:

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  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Abilities for Music Teacher Education Majors

Music Teacher Education majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Music Education Major?

People with a music teacher education degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors 12.0% $69,960
Education Professors 10.3% $64,780
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education?

3,393 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
58% Percent Women
21% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
The major attracts more women than men. About 58% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of music teacher education majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 100
Black or African American 160
Hispanic or Latino 332
White 2,575
International Students 20
Other Races/Ethnicities 206

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Music Teacher Education, too. About 0.6% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Music Education Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Music Teacher Education majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $62,030 to $73,680 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Music Education Major  ( 62030 to 73680 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with music teacher education require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for music teacher education careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 2.0%
Bachelor’s Degree 34.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 7.5%
Master’s Degree 28.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 2.1%
Doctoral Degree 25.6%
Post-Doctoral Training 0.0%

Online Music Education Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 592 schools offered some type of music education program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 2 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 18 0
Bachelor’s Degree 35 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 172 17
Post-Master’s 8 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 32 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Music Education Worth It?

The median salary for a music teacher education grad is $64,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $488,800 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to music teacher education.

Major Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching 8,121
Reading Teacher Education 6,490
Mathematics Education 3,395
English & Language Arts Education 3,113
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 2,335
Social Studies Education 1,968
Art Education 1,837
Health Education 1,801
Science Education 1,371
Agricultural Teacher Education 1,130
Biology Education 865
History Education 804
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education 715
Technology Education 575
Social Science Teacher Education 474
Technical Teacher Education 462
Spanish Education 457
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist 370
Modern Language Education 338
Drama & Dance Education 293
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education 286
Chemistry Education 238
Computer Teacher Education 217
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education 185
Earth Science Teacher Education 169
Physics Education 152
Environmental Education 96
Speech Teacher Education 68
French Language Teacher Education 55
Driver & Safety Teacher Education 55
Health Occupations Teacher Education 48
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education 22
Distributive Education 11
German Language Teacher Education 8
Psychology Teacher Education 5
Latin Teacher Education 4
Geography Teacher Education 3

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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