Music education degrees leading to state teacher licensure, scored on student teaching, licensure alignment, and placement.
36programs in this category
36institutions
31states represented
1with a documented online option
Reviewed by Maya ThompsonDirector of Music and Creative Industries, ArtDegree.org · Last reviewed August 2026
AI Summary
Best Music Education Programs: 36 matching program records at 36 institutions across
31 states, each linked to its official program page. 1 document an online
option, 33 are at public institutions, and 33 hold specialised arts accreditation such
as NASM, NASAD, NAST, ACF, or ACCSC. Credential levels represented:
Bachelor degree (36).
Career outcomes evidence carries more weight in this ranking's practical reading than its ten percent suggests, because licensure linked programs are the one creative track where field level employment evidence is strong. NASM accreditation and institutional approval also matter more here than in any other music category. In our Creative Arts Career Outcomes Survey 2026, the Music subsample of
314 graduates reported 86 percent employment within six months and a median
bachelor level starting salary of $58,000.
Reviewed by Maya Thompson, Director of Music and Creative Industries, ArtDegree.org. Last updated August 2026.
Our take on this category
Music education is the only music degree with a documented job market attached to it. School districts hire every single year, the pay is on a published scale with a pension, and the summers are yours to perform. Musicians who look down on it are usually the ones later asking those teachers for gig referrals.
What is in this ranking?
Music education is the only music degree with a documented job market attached: districts hire annually, pay is on a published schedule, and the licence limits who can compete for the role.
These are the music education programs in our database. The decisive filter is not ranking position, it is whether the program is approved for licensure in the state where you intend to teach.
Music education is the most reliably employable music degree in the country, and it is the one prospective students are most likely to dismiss. This ranking covers bachelor and master programs that lead to state licensure, with the licensure question treated as the primary filter it deserves to be.
Every card below links to the institution's own program page, which is the authority on curriculum, cost, and
accreditation. Our record is a pointer to it, not a replacement for it.
Composition of this category
Detail
Credential levels represented
Bachelor degree (36)
Subject areas
Music (36), Music education (36)
States with the most records
New York (2), Virginia (2), Nebraska (2), Delaware (2), South Dakota (2), California (1)
Specialised arts accreditation recorded
33 of 36 programs
Institutional control
33 public, 3 private
Online option documented
1 of 36 programs
How should music education programs be judged?
Career outcomes evidence carries more weight in this ranking's practical reading than its ten percent suggests, because licensure linked programs are the one creative track where field level employment evidence is strong. NASM accreditation and institutional approval also matter more here than in any other music category.
The factor no index can capture is student teaching placement quality, which varies within a single program and shapes first year survival more than any coursework.
The full seven factor arithmetic lives on the methodology page rather than being reprinted here. Scores cluster: a three point gap is usually one documentation decision
rather than a difference in the education itself.
Best Music Education Programs: the ranked list
25 institutions in the ranked cards, ordered by
Quality Index score.
11 additional matching records appear in the table below.
One record per institution, so a single school cannot occupy the whole list.
Bachelor degree
Bachelor of Music in Music Education Music education
Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Credential
Bachelor degree
Delivery
On campus
Accreditation
NASM member institution
Institution type
Public
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Subject areas
Music, Music education
Index detail: faculty 84, portfolio output 89, curriculum
66, accreditation 94, industry access
60, outcomes evidence 84, cost value 92.
Specialised accreditation recorded.
State approval. Confirm the program is currently approved for licensure in your target state, in writing, from the state board.
Licensure examination pass rate. Strong programs quote it immediately. Hesitation is the answer.
Early classroom exposure. Whether you are in front of real students in year two or only during student teaching.
Student teaching placement process. Whether you can request districts you might want to work in, since placement doubles as a job interview.
From our Creative Arts Career Outcomes Survey 2026
1,247 creative arts graduates from the graduating classes of 2020 through 2025, fielded January to March 2026.
83 percent reported employment or creative placement within six
months. 74 percent called hands on experience critical or very important.
Median self reported first position salaries: $45,000 certificate, $50,000 associate, $58,000 bachelor,
$68,000 master, $75,000 doctorate or MFA. Respondents opted in, so the employment figure is a ceiling.
For this category specifically, the Music subsample of 314 graduates reported 86 percent employment within six months.
Music education is the largest single destination in the music subsample at 26 percent, which is consistent with it being the only music track with a licensed, salaried employer attached.
Career path, Music respondents
Share
Music education
26 percent
Music performance and production
22 percent
Music business
18 percent
Music technology
14 percent
Composition and arranging
12 percent
Arts administration
8 percent
Median first position salary, Music
Figure
Certificate
$42,000
Associate, AAS
$48,000
Bachelor, BM or BS
$58,000
Master, MM or MS
$68,000
Doctorate, DMA or PhD
$75,000
Source: Creative Arts Career Outcomes Survey 2026, ArtDegree.org, 1,247 creative arts graduates surveyed
January to March 2026, margin of error ±3.2 percent at 95 percent confidence. Respondents opted in, so
employment figures are a ceiling. Full limitations are published on the
research page.
What are the limits of this ranking?
Licensure requirements are set by states, change regularly, and are outside our control or verification.
Reciprocity between states is rarely automatic and usually adds tests or coursework.
Placement quality varies by cooperating teacher, which no ranking can measure.
District pay varies by tens of thousands of dollars across an hour's drive, so the salary schedule matters more than the program.
What this means for you
Pick the state first, then a program approved in it, then compare on placement and pass rate. That order eliminates the most expensive mistake in this field, which is discovering after graduation that your degree does not license you anywhere.
Then look up three district salary schedules before you enroll. They are public, they are specific, and they tell you what this degree is actually worth where you want to live.
Does this degree license me to teach in any state?
No. Licensure is granted by states, not by schools. A program approved in one state usually supports reciprocity elsewhere, but reciprocity nearly always adds tests, coursework, or provisional periods. Confirm with the state board where you intend to teach before you enroll, not after.
Can I still perform if I teach?
Yes, and most do. The schedule is the point: evenings, weekends, and full summers, with a salary underneath so your artistic decisions are not driven by rent. A large share of the working musicians in any mid sized city teach during the day.
What should I look for in a music education program?
Student teaching placement quality, how early you get in front of real classrooms, whether the program is approved by the state you want to work in, and its licensure exam pass rate. Ask for that pass rate in writing. Strong programs quote it immediately.
Reviewed by Maya ThompsonDirector of Music and Creative Industries, ArtDegree.org · Last reviewed August 2026
Verify before you decide: accreditation status, tuition, curriculum, and program structure
change, sometimes mid year. Every card above links to the institution's own page, which is the authoritative
source. Our database covers 456 program records at 278 institutions and is not
exhaustive. The Creative Arts Program Quality Index 2026 evaluated 212 programs, and score components are
published on each card so you can see how a figure was reached.
