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Music manager education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a music manager. Music managers usually study music, communication, or business. 67% of music managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 510 real music manager resumes to see exactly what music manager education sections show.
The most common colleges for music managers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online music manager courses to help get the education required to be a music manager.
What education do you need to become a music manager?
What degree do you need to be a music manager?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Associate, 11%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a music manager?
- Music, 15%
- Communication, 10%
- Business, 9%
- History, 6%
- Other Majors, 60%
Most common colleges for music managers
| Music manager common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 9.84% |
| University of California - Los Angeles | 6.56% |
| Indiana University Bloomington | 6.56% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.56% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.56% |
Best majors for music managers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 14.7% |
| 2 | Communication | 10.4% |
| 3 | Business | 9.3% |
| 4 | History | 6.2% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.8% |
Best colleges for music managers
The best colleges for music managers are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A music manager 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 managers. 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 managers.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
3. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
4. Baylor University
Waco, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$45,542
Enrollment
14,159
5. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
6. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Enrollment
9,394
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
9. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
10. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
20 best online courses for music managers
Advertising disclosure
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10. Ableton Live 11 - Music Production in Ableton Live
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11. GarageBand Masterclass: GarageBand for Music Production
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12. Game Music Composition: Make Music For Games From Scratch
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17. Recording Your Own Music: A Step-By-Step Guide for Musicians
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18. Adventures in Classical Music-Music Appreciation for All!
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19. Music Production in Logic Pro X - The Complete Course!
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20. Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 1 - How To Read Music
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Top 10 most affordable universities for music managers
The most affordable schools for music managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and university of florida.
If the best universities for music managers 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 managers.
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. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
7. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
8. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for music managers
The hardest universities for music managers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for music managers 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 managers 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Fordham University
Bronx, NY • Private
Admissions rate
46%
SAT average
1,354
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for music managers
The easiest schools for music managers to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a music manager 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 managers.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
9. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
10. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
Average music manager salary by education level
| Music manager education level | Music manager salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $106,735 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $71,771 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $92,789 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $75,507 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025