Music, General Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Music, General maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 7,179 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 56%.
Key Statistics
Music, General: what the data shows
Common questions about music, general degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a music, general degree?
A Music, General program is classified under NCES CIP 50.0901 in the Music field family (50.09).
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media
IPEDS counted 7,179 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of music, general degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 50.09 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Brass Instruments (CIP 50.0914)
- Conducting (CIP 50.0906)
- Jazz/Jazz Studies (CIP 50.0910)
- Keyboard Instruments (CIP 50.0907)
- Music History, Literature, and Theory (CIP 50.0902)
- Music Pedagogy (CIP 50.0912)
- Music Performance, General (CIP 50.0903)
- Music Technology (CIP 50.0913)
- Music Theory and Composition (CIP 50.0904)
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology (CIP 50.0905)
- Percussion Instruments (CIP 50.0916)
- Sound Arts (CIP 50.0917)
- Stringed Instruments (CIP 50.0911)
- Voice and Opera (CIP 50.0908)
- Woodwind Instruments (CIP 50.0915)
How long does it take to get a music, general degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0901 in our file:
- 1,009 Associate (10.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 7,179 Bachelor's (73.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 1,579 Master's (16.2% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 8 Doctorate (0.1% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in music, general?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 50.0901, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a music, general degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Music, General to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a music, general degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Music bachelor's program family: median debt $41,145, median earnings $42,892 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.58.
About 5.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $7,540 and median net price is $17,622.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Music, General and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$7,540 Median In-State Public
$36,030 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Music, General majors are, on average, $7,540 for in-state public colleges, and $36,030 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Music, General programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
7,179 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Music, General from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Music, General.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 76,996 |
| 2 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 68,619 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 4 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 5 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,095 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Music, General programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 2 | Copper Mountain Community College | CA | $1,114 |
| 3 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 4 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Music, General programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $10 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 3 | Coahoma Community College | MS | $560 |
| 4 | Henry Ford College | MI | $576 |
| 5 | Oxnard College | CA | $659 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Music, General programs.
Graduation Rates
55.93% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
56.54% Average Graduation Rate
1,209 Institutions Reporting
43.63% - 69.34% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Music, General programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Music, General is in TX (888 completions). That state represents about 12.4% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is VI (1.22% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| TX | 888 | 12.4% | 0.30% |
| CA | 694 | 9.7% | 0.15% |
| PA | 310 | 4.3% | 0.18% |
| NY | 279 | 3.9% | 0.10% |
| TN | 273 | 3.8% | 0.37% |
| NJ | 271 | 3.8% | 0.31% |
| IL | 249 | 3.5% | 0.18% |
| CO | 235 | 3.3% | 0.33% |
| FL | 232 | 3.2% | 0.10% |
| AL | 216 | 3.0% | 0.32% |
| WI | 203 | 2.8% | 0.27% |
| NC | 187 | 2.6% | 0.15% |
| MA | 184 | 2.6% | 0.14% |
| GA | 170 | 2.4% | 0.15% |
| OH | 156 | 2.2% | 0.11% |
| VA | 149 | 2.1% | 0.12% |
| MO | 146 | 2.0% | 0.20% |
| IA | 141 | 2.0% | 0.30% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 50.09 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Brass Instruments CIP 50.0914
- Conducting CIP 50.0906
- Jazz/Jazz Studies CIP 50.0910
- Keyboard Instruments CIP 50.0907
- Music History, Literature, and Theory CIP 50.0902
- Music Pedagogy CIP 50.0912
- Music Performance, General CIP 50.0903
- Music Technology CIP 50.0913
- Music Theory and Composition CIP 50.0904
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology CIP 50.0905
- Percussion Instruments CIP 50.0916
- Sound Arts CIP 50.0917
- Stringed Instruments CIP 50.0911
- Voice and Opera CIP 50.0908
- Woodwind Instruments CIP 50.0915
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0901 in the survey year used in our extract (9,775 total across levels below).
- 1,009 Associate (10.3% of IPEDS total)
- 7,179 Bachelor's (73.4% of IPEDS total)
- 1,579 Master's (16.2% of IPEDS total)
- 8 Doctorate (0.1% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Music, General graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Music CIP family (55 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Music, General graduate.
- $41,145 median federal loan debt among completers
- $42,892 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.58 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Music, General majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Music, General majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of Music, General graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Music, General by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Music, General in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Music, General.
Age distribution for Music, General degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
7,179 Total Degrees Awarded
3,706 Male (51.62%)
3,473 Female (48.38%)
Gender distribution of Music, General degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
4,186 White (58.31%)
1,154 Hispanic or Latino (16.07%)
594 Black or African American (8.27%)
439 Asian (6.12%)
406 Two or More Races (5.66%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Music, General degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Music, General are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Music, General.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Music, General field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Music, General majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Music, General majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Music, General majors.
About
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media
In 2023, 7,179 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Music, General.
CIP Code
50.0901 - Music, General
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $41,145 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $42,892, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.58. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Music, General graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $7,540 in-state at public colleges and $36,030 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.