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Children's choir director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a children's choir director. Children's choir directors usually study music, general education, specific areas, or elementary education. 73% of children's choir directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 291 real children's choir director resumes to see exactly what children's choir director education sections show.

The most common colleges for children's choir directors are the University of South Carolina - Columbia and the University of South Carolina - Columbia.

There are also many online children's choir director courses to help get the education required to be a children's choir director.

What education do you need to become a children's choir director?

What degree do you need to be a children's choir director?

The most common degree for children's choir directors is bachelor's degree, with 73% of children's choir directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 15% and master's degree degree at 7%.
  • Bachelor's, 73%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 7%
  • High School Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a children's choir director?

You should major in music to become a children's choir director. 32% of children's choir directors major in music. Other common majors for a children's choir director include general education, specific areas and elementary education.

Most common colleges for children's choir directors

Children's choir directors often get their degrees at University of South Carolina - Columbia, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and University of North Texas. Here are the most common colleges for children's choir directors in the US based on their resumes.
Children's choir director common collegePercentages
University of South Carolina - Columbia8.51%
West Chester University of Pennsylvania8.51%
University of North Texas6.38%
Stetson University6.38%
University of North Alabama6.38%

Best majors for children's choir directors

Best colleges for children's choir directors

The best colleges for children's choir directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

A children's choir director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for children's choir directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become children's choir directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

In-state tuition

$49,816

Enrollment

6,840

10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

20 best online courses for children's choir directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for children's choir directors

The most affordable schools for children's choir directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for children's choir directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for children's choir directors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

9. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for children's choir directors

The hardest universities for children's choir directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for children's choir directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for children's choir directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for children's choir directors

The easiest schools for children's choir directors to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a children's choir director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for children's choir directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

6. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

Average children's choir director salary by education level

According to our data, children's choir directors with a Associate degree earn the highest average salary, at $71,663 annually. Children's choir directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $55,672.
Children's choir director education levelChildren's choir director salary
Master's Degree$55,672
Bachelor's Degree$55,473
Some College/ Associate Degree$71,663

Children's choir director education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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