How much debt do FIU music graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $14,882, which ranks 2nd lowest of 9 music bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $158 a month over 10 years.

Is a music degree from FIU worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 92%.

FIU Music (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do FIU music graduates stay in Florida?

Most do. 91% (40 of 44) were working in Florida one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Music
Public university
Miami, FL
About 32 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

FIU music graduates earn about what music graduates earn nationally, $25,484 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $14,882 in federal loans, less than at 95% of music programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying music degrees in Florida.

First-year earnings$25,48449th percentile of 229 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$40,86460% more than year one

Median federal debt$14,8822nd lowest of 9 Florida programs

Debt-to-earnings58%Florida median 118%, national 92%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Florida and national columns are the medians across all music bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	FIU	Florida	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,484	$21,588	$25,532
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$40,864	$40,303	$40,860
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,882	$23,992	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	118%	92%
Programs compared		10	229

Five years out, FIU graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida music program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Florida medians.

FIUOther Florida programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 60% between the first and fifth year.

FIU grads, year 1$25,484

FIU grads, year 5$40,864

All Florida music grads, year 5$40,303

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $158 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (40 of 44) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Miami area are about 14% above the national average, so a $25,484 salary here buys what about $22,324 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to music, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$60,410

Median pay in Florida. 49,810 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,210Top 10%: $77,100

Sound Engineering Technicians

$70,360

Median pay in Florida. 590 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $41,060Top 10%: $140,340

Music Directors and Composers

$57,830

Median pay in Florida. 570 people work in this job in Florida. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $36,350Top 10%: $93,510

About FIU

In-state tuition and fees	$6,565 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,964 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,288 / year
Admission rate	55%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	74%
Undergraduate students	39,508

Music ranks 45th of 49 bachelor's programs at FIU by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($78,671), Computer Engineering ($75,210), and Construction Engineering Technology ($73,602).

Other music bachelor's programs near Miami

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
FIUMiami, FL · public		$25,484	$14,882
University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL · private nonprofit	6 mi	$15,492	$13,998

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,484 one year after graduating and $40,864 five years after. The median across music bachelor's programs in Florida is $21,588.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Florida comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the music program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Music bachelor's programs in Florida, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Music bachelor's programs in the US, ranked229 programs by pay and debt All FIU programs, ranked49 programs by pay and debt