On-campus Audio and Music Production Undergraduate certificate
29 programs — 1 with federal cost data, the rest suppressed for small class sizes and listed after them, led by institutions where this is the main program rather than one of many. Federal figures cover the wider program family, so a row may share its numbers with related degrees.
Data last updated
Specific program
Schools file the same degree under different federal codes — Berklee’s music production sits under “Music, Other”, Academy of Art’s under “Recording Arts”. These groups gather every code a program is actually filed under.
Delivery
Hide for-profit colleges(1 program)What our data shows about for-profit collegesAcross the creative fields on this site, students at private for-profit institutions borrow 27% more than students at public ones ($29,332 against $23,033) and earn 15% less four years after completing ($38,361 against $45,110).The combined effect is severe. Median debt at a for-profit equals 70% of a graduate’s annual earnings, against 47% at a public institution. And 10% of for-profit programs leave graduates owing more than they earn in a year — against 1% of public ones. Ten times the rate.This is a pattern across 212 for-profit programs, not a handful of outliers, and it holds in every creative field we cover. It does not mean no for-profit program is worth taking: some appear high in our best-value rankings, and this filter hides those too. It means the odds are materially worse, and the burden of proof sits with the school.Figures are medians computed from the College Scorecard and IPEDS data behind every table on this site.
| Institution | Programcredential and delivery | at completion | 4 yrs after | Median federal loan debt at completion, divided by median earnings four years later. It answers a single question: how much of one year’s income do you owe on the day you finish?Below 50% is generally considered manageable. Above 100% means graduates owe more than they earn in a year, and repayment on a standard ten-year plan starts to consume a serious share of income.Debt covers federal loans only, so real ratios are often worse. Both figures are medians — half of graduates fall on the wrong side of each. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berklee College of MusicMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusOffers: Contemporary Writing and Production (BM) · Film Scoring (BM) · Game and Interactive Media Scoring (BM) · Songwriting (BM) · Composition (BM) · Jazz Composition (BM)What this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic, OtherMusic PedagogyConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | — | $34,014 | — |
| Madonna UniversityMI · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Stark State CollegeOH · PublicRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music, GeneralThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Los Angeles College of MusicCA · Private for-profitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music TechnologyVoice and OperaStringed InstrumentsPercussion InstrumentsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of MiamiFL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic, OtherJazz/Jazz StudiesVoice and OperaKeyboard InstrumentsMusic, GeneralConductingMusicology and EthnomusicologyMusic PedagogyThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Boise State UniversityID · PublicRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music, GeneralMusic Performance, GeneralConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Johns Hopkins UniversityMD · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic TechnologyMusic History, Literature, and TheoryMusic, OtherThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Colorado Christian UniversityCO · Private nonprofitRequest information → | ConductingUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music, GeneralThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Ohio University-Main CampusOH · PublicRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music PedagogyMusic Performance, GeneralConductingMusic History, Literature, and TheoryKeyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaMusic TechnologyThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Temple UniversityPA · PublicRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic TechnologyJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic, GeneralVoice and OperaConductingKeyboard InstrumentsMusic History, Literature, and TheoryThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Shenandoah UniversityVA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | ConductingUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic PedagogyMusic TechnologyMusic Theory and CompositionMusic, OtherThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Longy School of Music of Bard CollegeMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Keyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaStringed InstrumentsMusic Performance, GeneralWoodwind InstrumentsBrass InstrumentsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Millikin UniversityIL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic, GeneralThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Texas Christian UniversityTX · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic, GeneralKeyboard InstrumentsStringed InstrumentsVoice and OperaMusicology and EthnomusicologyConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of the ArtsPA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralJazz/Jazz StudiesThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Manhattan School of MusicNY · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusOffers: Composition (BM) · Conducting (BM)What this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Keyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaStringed InstrumentsWoodwind InstrumentsJazz/Jazz StudiesBrass InstrumentsPercussion InstrumentsMusic Performance, GeneralConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Yale UniversityCT · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Stringed InstrumentsMusic Performance, GeneralMusic, GeneralKeyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaMusic, OtherConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| The New England Conservatory of MusicMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Stringed InstrumentsVoice and OperaKeyboard InstrumentsJazz/Jazz StudiesWoodwind InstrumentsMusic Performance, GeneralBrass InstrumentsPercussion InstrumentsConductingMusic PedagogyThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| The Juilliard SchoolNY · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Stringed InstrumentsKeyboard InstrumentsJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic, OtherWoodwind InstrumentsVoice and OperaBrass InstrumentsPercussion InstrumentsConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| The New SchoolNY · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralKeyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic History, Literature, and TheoryConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Rider UniversityNJ · Private nonprofitRequest information → | ConductingUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Voice and OperaMusic PedagogyMusic History, Literature, and TheoryMusic, GeneralMusic Theory and CompositionKeyboard InstrumentsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Wisconsin-Stevens PointWI · PublicRequest information → | ConductingUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic, GeneralThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Massachusetts-AmherstMA · PublicRequest information → | ConductingUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music, GeneralMusic Performance, GeneralMusic PedagogyThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Boston UniversityMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic, GeneralMusicology and EthnomusicologyKeyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSC · PublicRequest information → | ConductingUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music, GeneralMusic Performance, GeneralMusic, OtherThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| San Francisco Conservatory of MusicCA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Stringed InstrumentsVoice and OperaMusic TechnologyKeyboard InstrumentsBrass InstrumentsWoodwind InstrumentsJazz/Jazz StudiesPercussion InstrumentsConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Oberlin CollegeOH · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic, OtherMusic TechnologyThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Curtis Institute of MusicPA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music Performance, GeneralMusic, GeneralVoice and OperaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Texas Tech UniversityTX · PublicRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionUndergraduate certificate · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Music, GeneralMusic PedagogyKeyboard InstrumentsJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic History, Literature, and TheoryThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
Source: College Scorecard, Field of Study (retrieved September 2026)
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One thing these figures cannot tell you
Earnings and debt are reported by the federal government at a four-digit program level, so a figure shown against “Audio and Music Production” covers every related program at that institution rather than one named degree. Full methodology.