Sound Arts Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Sound Arts maps to BLS occupations averaging about $97,893, with roughly 277,560 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $8,845; common paths include Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance and Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Key Statistics
Sound Arts: what the data shows
Common questions about sound arts degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a sound arts degree?
A Sound Arts program is classified under NCES CIP 50.0917 in the Music field family (50.09).
A program that focuses on sound as a form of cultural expression, and its relationship to other disciplines such as computer programming, performance, and video. Includes instruction in acoustics; arranging, composing, and editing music; music theory; musicology; orchestration and scoring; and sound design
IPEDS counted 29 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of sound arts 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)
- Music, General (CIP 50.0901)
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology (CIP 50.0905)
- Percussion Instruments (CIP 50.0916)
- Stringed Instruments (CIP 50.0911)
- Voice and Opera (CIP 50.0908)
- Woodwind Instruments (CIP 50.0915)
How long does it take to get a sound arts degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0917 in our file:
- 14 Associate (32.6% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 29 Bachelor's (67.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (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 50.0917, 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 sound arts degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Sound Arts 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Craft Artists | 4,370 | $38,480 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 17,410 | $59,600 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a sound arts 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 $8,845 and median net price is $17,043.
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 Sound Arts and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,845 Median In-State Public
$40,150 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Sound Arts majors are, on average, $8,845 for in-state public colleges, and $40,150 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Sound Arts programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Sound Arts from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Sound Arts.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Sound Arts programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 3 | Compton College | CA | $1,142 |
| 4 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 5 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Sound Arts programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 5 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Sound Arts programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Sound Arts 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 Sound Arts is in MA (13 completions). That state represents about 44.8% 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 MA (0.01% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA | 13 | 44.8% | 0.01% |
| MI | 7 | 24.1% | 0.01% |
| NY | 6 | 20.7% | 0.00% |
| TN | 2 | 6.9% | 0.00% |
| VT | 1 | 3.5% | 0.01% |
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
- Music, General CIP 50.0901
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology CIP 50.0905
- Percussion Instruments CIP 50.0916
- 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 50.0917 in the survey year used in our extract (43 total across levels below).
- 14 Associate (32.6% of IPEDS total)
- 29 Bachelor's (67.4% 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 $97,893. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Sound Arts graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | $122,805 | 3,320 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | $91,347 | 114,410 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,318 | 97,890 |
| Floral Designers | $49,284 | 40,160 |
| Craft Artists | $88,430 | 4,370 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | $68,341 | 17,410 |
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 Sound Arts 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
$97,893 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Sound Arts majors is $97,893.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Sound Arts majors.
Occupations by Share
277,560 2023 Workforce
The number of Sound Arts graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Sound Arts by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Sound Arts in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Sound Arts.
Age distribution for Sound Arts degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
29 Total Degrees Awarded
23 Male (79.31%)
6 Female (20.69%)
Gender distribution of Sound Arts degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
26 White (89.66%)
1 Asian (3.45%)
1 Hispanic or Latino (3.45%)
1 Two or More Races (3.45%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Sound Arts degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Sound Arts are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Sound Arts.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Sound Arts field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Sound Arts majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Sound Arts 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 Sound Arts majors.
About
A program that focuses on sound as a form of cultural expression, and its relationship to other disciplines such as computer programming, performance, and video. Includes instruction in acoustics; arranging, composing, and editing music; music theory; musicology; orchestration and scoring; and sound design
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Sound Arts.
CIP Code
50.0917 - Sound Arts
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 Sound Arts graduate.
Men earned 13.2% of 53 Sound Arts completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $97,893. The largest mapped role by headcount is Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (3,320 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,845 in-state at public colleges and $40,150 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.