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Music Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach music and music appreciation programs at various educational levels.

Types of Degrees Music Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Music Education may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	28
Bachelor’s Degree	3,257
Master’s Degree	1,174
Doctor’s Degree	85

What Music Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Music Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Music Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 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 Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Music Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Music Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Music Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Professor
• Associate Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Band Teacher
• Music Educator
• Art Educator
• Orchestra Teacher
• Art Instructor
• Music Instructor
• Vocal Teacher

What Can You Do With a Music Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Music Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary	9.1%	$46,983	$40,423–$53,543

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	43.1%
Bachelor’s degree	28.7%
Master’s degree	18.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.5%
Less than a high school diploma	1.8%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Music Education?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55.1% women and 44.9% men among Music Education graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,503	55.1%
Men	2,041	44.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,337	73.4%
Asian	143	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	490	10.8%
Black or African American	213	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.1%
Two or More Races	163	3.6%
Race Unknown	82	1.8%
International Students	97	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Music Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Music Education 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	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Music Education Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Music Education. 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	6	11
Master’s	29	19
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{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 Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Music Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Secondary Education and Teaching	10,594
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Health Teacher Education	1,472

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.