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Music educator education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a music educator. Music educators usually study general education, specific areas, music, or education. 70% of music educators hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 848 real music educator resumes to see exactly what music educator education sections show.
The most common colleges for music educators are the Berklee College of Music and the Berklee College of Music.
There are also many online music educator courses to help get the education required to be a music educator.
What education do you need to become a music educator?
What degree do you need to be a music educator?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a music educator?
Most common colleges for music educators
| Music educator common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Berklee College of Music | 14.29% |
| University of Maine | 6.67% |
| University of Northern Colorado | 5.71% |
| DePaul University | 5.71% |
| Ball State University | 5.71% |
Best majors for music educators
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Education, Specific Areas | 35.0% |
| 2 | Music | 33.4% |
| 3 | Education | 12.4% |
| 4 | Music Performance | 3.0% |
| 5 | Educational Leadership | 2.1% |
Best colleges for music educators
The best colleges for music educators are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Harvard University.
A music educator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for music educators. 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 music educators.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
7. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for music educators
Advertising disclosure
1. Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 1 - How To Read Music
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2. Adventures in Classical Music-Music Appreciation for All!
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3. Music Theory ABRSM Grade 5
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An in-depth and straight forward approach to understanding music...
5. Music Producer Masterclass: Make Electronic Music
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6. Orchestral Music Composition & Music Theory for Video Games
Learn orchestral video game music composition & game composer music theory secrets to compose music for any video game!...
7. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 10, 11, & 12
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
8. Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers - Complete Guide
This is the only Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers you will ever need. Learn Music Theory the Easy & Quick Way...
9. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 7, 8, & 9
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
10. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 4, 5, & 6
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
11. Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, & 3
Electronic music theory, digital music theory, and dance music theory. Learn music theory with ableton live and more!...
12. Game Music Composition: Make Music For Games From Scratch
Learn to compose music for any and every type of video game, from complete beginner to competent game music composer...
13. Music Production + Mixing Music in Presonus Studio One
Learn Presonus Studio One + Music Production in this Complete Course for Creating, Recording, Mixing Music + Mastering...
14. Complete Electronic Music Production for EDM Music Producers
EDM: Learn professional electronic music production techniques from an expert electronic music producer - produce EDM!...
15. Music Theory for Electronic Producers - The Complete Course!
Join Successful students in Music Theory for Electronic Producers for Creating, Arranging, and Analysing Music Theory...
16. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete! (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
A Complete College-Level Music Theory Curriculum. This edition of the course includes levels 1, 2, & 3...
17. Music Theory - Fundamentals for Composition in Any Genre
Expand your music composition skills through learning universal music theory principles, mindset, and ear training...
18. Music Composition with the Piano: Ultimate Keyboard Theory
Music Composition - The Ultimate Guide to Piano, Chords & Music Theory for Producers, Film Composers & Songwriters...
19. Electronic Music Primer
Get started making electronic music today!...
20. Ableton Live 11 - Music Production in Ableton Live
Learn Music Production, Recording, Editing, Music Mixing, Songwriting + Music Theory in this Ableton Live 11 Course...
Top 10 most affordable universities for music educators
The most affordable schools for music educators are California State University - Long Beach, university of florida, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for music educators 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 music educators.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for music educators
The hardest universities for music educators to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for music educators 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 music educators 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
7. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for music educators
The easiest schools for music educators to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a music educator 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 music educators.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
9. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
10. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
Average music educator salary by education level
| Music educator education level | Music educator salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $43,910 |
| Doctorate Degree | $51,807 |
Music educator education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025