undergradly.
Major · Visual & Performing Arts

Learn to listen, perform, and make a living with music

Music, General is a broad introductory program covering music appreciation, history, performance, and theory — sometimes alongside dance and other performing arts. About 7,600 degrees are awarded annually across more than 1,100 colleges. The most common tracked career path is music education, not performance.

Schools offering
1,134
Annual completions
7,606
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$44k

About this major

Music, General is the broadest entry point in the music CIP family — a program designed to give students exposure across music history, theory, ear training, applied performance, and sometimes the performing arts more broadly. The CIP definition explicitly frames it as introductory study that may include dance and other performing arts media alongside music, which means programs vary considerably in their emphasis. At some schools, it functions as a traditional liberal arts music degree; at others, it's a foundation from which students move into more specialized concentrations by their junior year.

The major is available at more than 1,100 colleges and produces roughly 7,600 degrees per year, which makes it one of the most widely accessible performing arts credentials in the country. The overwhelming majority of completions are at the bachelor's level, though associate's degrees exist — most commonly at community colleges that serve as transfer platforms toward a four-year program. Top-volume programs include University of North Texas (109 completions), University of Colorado Denver (97), and Stephen F. Austin State University (69), among others.

The career picture for this major requires honest framing. The two careers most directly associated with Music, General in the data — secondary school teachers ($64,580 median wage, -1.6% projected growth) and musicians and singers (no BLS median wage available, 1.1% projected growth) — together describe a field where the credential supports teaching more reliably than performance, and where performance income typically comes from multiple sources rather than a single employer. Five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers sit around $43,972, which reflects the broad graduate population including those who went into lower-wage arts or education-adjacent roles. The ceiling is higher for those who complete teacher licensure or layer on additional skills.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education $65k -1.6% Bachelor's degree
Musicians and singers — +1.1% No formal educational credential
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$44k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$37k

Bachelor's

$44k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you're seriously engaged with music but not yet certain which direction to pursue — performance, education, composition, or production. The breadth of a general music degree can be an asset during the undergraduate years, giving you time to develop technically while you figure out where your interests are strongest. You may also fit well here if your plan includes K-12 music education: the general curriculum typically overlaps well with teacher preparation program requirements, and the broad exposure to multiple instruments, ensembles, and pedagogical approaches is genuinely useful in a classroom.

Think twice if you already know you want to perform at a professional level. Music Performance, General (3,958 completions annually) is the more direct credential for that path, with the applied lesson hours and jury requirements that performing careers expect. Think twice, too, if your interest is in the production or technology side of music — Music Technology (1,542 completions) will put you closer to the skills and portfolio that audio engineering or music production roles require. And if the modest earnings picture relative to the time and cost of a bachelor's degree is a concern, it's worth running those numbers honestly: at $43,972 five-year median earnings, the financial case for this major rests less on a strong salary outcome and more on the value of the credential for specific paths (especially teaching) or as a foundation for graduate study.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Music, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of North Texas Denton, TX 0 109 109
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO 0 97 97
Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX 0 69 69
Montclair State University Montclair, NJ 0 65 65
Snow College Ephraim, UT 36 28 64
University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 0 59 59
Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX 0 56 56
William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ 0 54 54
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 54 54
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 0 53 53
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Music Performance, General

3,958 completions/yr

Music Technology

1,542 completions/yr

Music, Other

861 completions/yr

Music Theory and Composition

847 completions/yr

Jazz/Jazz Studies

341 completions/yr

Voice and Opera

283 completions/yr

Stringed Instruments

209 completions/yr

Keyboard Instruments

171 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the Music, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is Music, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Music, General majors actually study day-to-day?
Expect a mix of music theory, ear training, applied performance lessons (voice or an instrument), music history, and ensemble participation. Most programs also require some coursework in music education methods or pedagogy, even if you don't plan to teach. Upper-division work typically allows some specialization — arranging, conducting, or cross-over into music technology. The "general" designation means the curriculum is broad by design, which is useful if you're still figuring out your direction but less efficient if you already know you want to specialize in performance or production.
What kinds of jobs do Music, General graduates end up in?
The clearest tracked career path is secondary school music teacher, with a median wage of $64,580 and a bachelor's degree listed as the typical entry credential. However, that occupation shows a -1.6% projected job decline, meaning there is more competition for a shrinking number of openings. The other tracked career — musicians and singers — has no BLS median wage, because most working musicians earn income from a combination of gigs, teaching privately, session work, and other sources rather than a single employer. The actual career range for music graduates is wide: arts administration, music therapy (requires additional credential), audio production, church music, and private instruction all appear in graduate surveys.
What are realistic earnings after a Music, General degree?
The five-year median earnings figure for this major is about $43,744 across degree levels — with bachelor's completers at $43,972 and associate's completers at $36,881. These are modest numbers, and the gap between degree levels is small, which signals that the credential level matters less here than what you build on top of it: licensure for teaching, additional skills in audio technology, or a graduate credential. The $64,580 median for secondary school teachers is achievable and represents the clearest earnings ceiling that this degree directly supports — but getting there requires completing a teacher preparation program and state licensure, not just the bachelor's degree itself.
Should I choose Music, General or a more specific music program?
If you already know you want to perform, Music Performance, General (3,958 completions annually) is a more direct path and the most popular specialized music degree. If production, recording, or the technology side of music interests you, Music Technology (1,542 completions) is more targeted and more likely to lead to roles with stable wage data. Music Theory and Composition (847 completions) is the right fit if you want to write or arrange music academically. Music, General makes the most sense when you're undecided across these paths, want a flexible undergraduate credential, or plan to pursue music education and need broad pedagogical exposure rather than deep performance specialization.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for a music career?
For music education specifically, a bachelor's degree is required — teacher licensure in every state requires a four-year degree plus a student-teaching component. For performance or production careers, the degree level matters less in practice than your portfolio, experience, and network. The earnings data supports this: the gap between associate's ($36,881) and bachelor's ($43,972) five-year median earnings in this major is only about $7,000 — much smaller than in fields where the bachelor's unlocks a distinct tier of credentialed work. An associate's can serve as a transfer platform if you plan to complete a bachelor's, particularly at community colleges that offer music ensemble participation at lower cost.
Is the music job market actually shrinking?
For secondary school teaching — the most clearly tracked occupation for this major — projected growth is -1.6%, meaning the field is expected to contract modestly. For musicians and singers, the BLS projects 1.1% growth, though the framing there reflects a complex reality: the category covers everyone from touring artists to studio session players to church choir directors. Neither path shows strong demand-side growth. That doesn't mean there are no jobs, but it does mean that standing out — through performance reputation, education credentials, or specialized technical skills — matters more than it would in a high-growth field.