Best Schools for Music
Music graduates earn a median of $43,903 within four years of graduating, ranking #258 out of 283 tracked majors — 30% below the median across all fields. There are 343 colleges nationwide with tracked earnings for this major, producing 8,631 recent graduates.
Where you study matters: Sonoma State University graduates earn $65,533 while Columbus State University graduates earn $18,218 — a $47,315 difference. Factors like location, employer networks, co-op programs, and curriculum focus drive this gap. Across all fields, though, which major you pick separates earnings more than which college does.
Early career salary growth is moderate: Music graduates see an average 7% increase between year 1 and year 2 post-graduation, reflecting career advancement and skill development in the first years after college.
Public vs Private: Music
Public schools produce comparable or higher early earnings for Music, often at lower tuition — making them strong value options for this major.
Music by State
Also by state: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin
Top Music Schools by Graduate Earnings
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA · Public
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, VA · Public
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ · Private
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · Private
The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX · Public
University of Redlands
Redlands, CA · Private
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg, TX · Public
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · Private
The University of Texas at Arlington
Arlington, TX · Public
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX · Public
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · Public
University of California-San Diego
La Jolla, CA · Public
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, TX · Public
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX · Public
Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX · Public
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY · Private
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX · Public
University of Houston
Houston, TX · Public
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus
Waterbury, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Avery Point
Groton, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Stamford
Stamford, CT · Public
University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus
Hartford, CT · Public
Rutgers University-Camden
Camden, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public
Rutgers University-Newark
Newark, NJ · Public
University of North Texas
Denton, TX · Public
Monmouth University
West Long Branch, NJ · Private
East Texas A&M University
Commerce, TX · Public
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV · Public
Illinois State University
Normal, IL · Public
Lebanon Valley College
Annville, PA · Private
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX · Public
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio, TX · Public
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private
Tennessee State University
Nashville, TN · Public
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Lowell, MA · Public
Texas A & M International University
Laredo, TX · Public
New York University
New York, NY · Private
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI · Public
Stephen F Austin State University
Nacogdoches, TX · Public
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX · Public
Furman University
Greenville, SC · Private
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI · Public
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA · Public
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY · Private
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Columbus, OH · Public
Rhode Island College
Providence, RI · Public
Showing top 50 of 343 schools. View all or filter by state above.
Majors with Similar Earnings
Frequently Asked Questions
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median 2 years after graduation for bachelor's degree holders, from the field-of-study file last updated June 2026. Institution-level figures elsewhere on the site come from the June 2026 release — Scorecard publishes the two separately.
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