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Professional musician education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a professional musician. Professional musicians usually study music, general education, specific areas, or business. 67% of professional musicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 11% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,481 real professional musician resumes to see exactly what professional musician education sections show.
The most common colleges for professional musicians are the Berklee College of Music and the Berklee College of Music.
There are also many online professional musician courses to help get the education required to be a professional musician.
What education do you need to become a professional musician?
What degree do you need to be a professional musician?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Associate, 11%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 8%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a professional musician?
Most common colleges for professional musicians
| Professional musician common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Berklee College of Music | 21.28% |
| University of North Texas | 6.38% |
| Florida State University | 6.38% |
| New York University | 4.96% |
| Michigan State University | 4.96% |
Best majors for professional musicians
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 35.9% |
| 2 | General Education, Specific Areas | 8.4% |
| 3 | Business | 7.7% |
| 4 | Music Performance | 6.1% |
| 5 | English | 4.3% |
Best colleges for professional musicians
The best colleges for professional musicians are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
A professional musician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for professional musicians. 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 professional musicians.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Princeton University
Princeton, NJ • Private
In-state tuition
$50,340
Enrollment
5,301
7. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
8. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
20 best online courses for professional musicians
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Top 10 most affordable universities for professional musicians
The most affordable schools for professional musicians are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for professional musicians 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 professional musicians.
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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
5. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
6. Clayton State University
Morrow, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$5,419
Cost of attendance
17,697
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
10. Brigham Young University - Hawaii
Laie, HI • Private
In-state tuition
$5,560
Cost of attendance
18,043
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for professional musicians
The hardest universities for professional musicians to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for professional musicians 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 professional musicians 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. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,465
5. Amherst College
Amherst, MA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,449
6. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Hamilton College
Clinton, NY • Private
Admissions rate
21%
SAT average
1,446
9. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
10. University of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK • Private
Admissions rate
41%
SAT average
1,321
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for professional musicians
The easiest schools for professional musicians to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, nyack college, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a professional musician 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 professional musicians.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
8. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
9. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average professional musician salary by education level
| Professional musician education level | Professional musician salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $65,501 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $51,138 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $52,898 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $58,617 |
Professional musician education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025