Music Therapy

Types of Degrees Music Therapy Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many music therapy graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	492
Master’s Degree	143
Graduate Certificate	25
Undergraduate Certificate	4
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Music Therapy Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to music therapy and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Music Therapy Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Music Therapy Majors

When studying music therapy, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Music Therapy Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a music therapy student include the following:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a Music Therapy Major?

People with a music therapy degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Therapists	19.9%	$50,980

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy?

The major attracts more women than men. About 87% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of music therapy majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	18
Black or African American	19
Hispanic or Latino	50
White	346
International Students	18
Other Races/Ethnicities	41

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Music Therapy, too. About 3.7% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Music Therapy Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Music Therapy majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $57,680 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Music Therapy

Some careers associated with music therapy require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to music therapy have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	12.5%
Master’s Degree	35.9%
Doctoral Degree	24.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	19.1%

Online Music Therapy Programs

In 2020-2021, 78 schools offered a music therapy program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	9	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	30	1
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Music Therapy Worth It?

The median salary for a music therapy grad is $57,680 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 45% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $355,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Music Therapy

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to music therapy.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Therapy/Therapist	13,655
Occupational Therapy	9,958
Rehabilitation Science	1,161
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling	1,046
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy	870
Art Therapy	858
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	837
Orthotist/Prosthetist	335
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	117
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	110
Animal-Assisted Therapy	85
Play Therapy	56
Dance Therapy	52
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General	28
Drama Therapy	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Barbara E. Carver under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.