Online Music Master’s degree
24 programs — 8 with federal cost data, the rest suppressed for small class sizes and listed after them, ordered by median debt against median earnings — lowest first.
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.
Hide for-profit collegesWhat 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State University-Fort CollinsCO · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | $40,506 | $57,772 | 70% |
| Berklee College of MusicMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Performance, GeneralMaster’s degree · Online or on campusOffers: Music Production and Engineering (BM) · Electronic Production and Design (BM) · Independent Recording and Production (BM) · Contemporary Writing and Production (BM) · Film Scoring (BM) · Game and Interactive Media Scoring (BM) · Music Business/Management (BM) · Songwriting (BM) · Composition (BM) · Jazz Composition (BM) · Performance (BM) · Global Jazz Performance (BM) · Music Education (BM) · Music Therapy (BM) · Professional Music (BM) · Black Music and Culture (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, OtherMusic Theory and CompositionMusic PedagogyConductingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $41,000 | $55,467 | 74% |
| Rider UniversityNJ · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Voice and OperaMaster’s degree · Online or 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 History, Literature, and TheoryConductingMusic, GeneralMusic Theory and CompositionKeyboard InstrumentsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $41,000 | $45,928 | 89% |
| University of New Mexico-Main CampusNM · PublicRequest information → | Music Performance, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | $38,240 | $41,657 | 92% |
| Boston UniversityMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Performance, GeneralMaster’s degree · Online or 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 Theory and CompositionMusicology and EthnomusicologyKeyboard InstrumentsVoice and OperaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $39,771 | $43,249 | 92% |
| Ohio University-Main CampusOH · PublicRequest information → | Music PedagogyMaster’s degree · Online or 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 Theory and CompositionConductingMusic 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. | — | $50,365 | — |
| Rutgers University-New BrunswickNJ · PublicRequest information → | Music Performance, GeneralMaster’s degree · Online or 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. | $41,000 | — | — |
| Western Michigan UniversityMI · PublicRequest information → | Music Performance, GeneralMaster’s degree · Online or 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 TechnologyMusic, GeneralVoice and OperaJazz/Jazz StudiesMusic Theory and CompositionConductingKeyboard InstrumentsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | — | $33,453 | — |
| Eastern Illinois UniversityIL · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Eastern Kentucky UniversityKY · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Hampton UniversityVA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music TechnologyMaster’s degree · Online or on campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Indiana University-IndianapolisIN · PublicRequest information → | Music TechnologyMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Jacksonville State UniversityAL · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Kansas State UniversityKS · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| New Mexico State University-Main CampusNM · PublicRequest information → | Music Performance, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Northeastern UniversityMA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Online or on campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Rowan UniversityNJ · PublicRequest information → | Music TechnologyMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat 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, 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 | — |
| University of IdahoID · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat 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 Theory and CompositionVoice 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 Missouri-ColumbiaMO · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat 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 PedagogyJazz/Jazz StudiesThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of MobileAL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Voice and OperaMaster’s degree · Online or 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 TechnologyMusic, GeneralMusic Performance, 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 Nebraska at OmahaNE · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat 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, 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 West GeorgiaGA · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat 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:Jazz/Jazz StudiesThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Vermont College of Fine ArtsVT · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Music Theory and CompositionMaster’s degree · Fully online | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Washington State UniversityWA · PublicRequest information → | Music, GeneralMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat 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 Theory and CompositionThe 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 “Music” covers every related program at that institution rather than one named degree. That pooling also spans delivery: where a school runs the same credential both online and on campus, the federal figures combine both sets of students. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. Full methodology.