Bachelor's+9% vs national median188 grads tracked
Music at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Ranked 50th of 250 bachelor's programs in Music by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$30,143
middle 50%: $21,476 – $44,129
Median · 5 years out
$54,333
middle 50%: $40,812 – $70,801
Median · 10 years out
$65,231
middle 50%: $51,929 – $81,941
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Music (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Music graduates at Virginia Tech earn a median salary of $30k in their first year. By year ten, the median salary increases to $65k.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
8.3 yrs
≈ $10,059 total interest
Same major at other universities
CUNY Hunter College
$54,857 · 5 yrs out
Oregon State University
$54,857 · 5 yrs out
University of Texas at Tyler
$54,804 · 5 yrs out
Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
$54,757 · 5 yrs out
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
$54,672 · 5 yrs out
University of Saint Thomas
$54,365 · 5 yrs out
Louisiana Tech University
$54,252 · 5 yrs out
West Virginia University
$54,244 · 5 yrs out
University of Utah
$54,199 · 5 yrs out
Tarleton State University
$54,142 · 5 yrs out
Texas Woman's University
$53,848 · 5 yrs out
Eastern Illinois University
$53,776 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$160,426 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$155,674 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$148,193 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$132,072 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$130,533 · 5 yrs out
Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$129,123 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$125,251 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$121,443 · 5 yrs out
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)
$119,838 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Master's)
$116,512 · 5 yrs out
Education (Doctorate)
$109,749 · 5 yrs out