Music at McMurry University

A $23,500 debt load for a music degree might sound manageable at first—it's below both state and national medians for this field. But that relief is tempered by uncertainty: these figures come from comparable Texas programs, not McMurry's actual graduates. With 58% of music programs nationwide producing first-year earnings below $26,036, even the state median of $47,010 that we're using here represents a best-case scenario that many music graduates don't experience.

What makes this estimate harder to trust is the limited sample: only three similar Texas institutions provided debt data, and McMurry serves a population where 45% receive Pell grants—students who often face different financial outcomes than their peers at better-resourced schools. The top-earning music programs in Texas are all larger public universities with extensive alumni networks and performance opportunities, advantages a smaller private institution may struggle to match. If McMurry's actual outcomes track closer to the national median ($26,036), that same debt becomes nearly a year's salary rather than half.

For parents, this calls for direct conversation with McMurry's music department about graduate outcomes before committing. Ask specifically about job placement rates, typical starting salaries for recent alumni, and whether graduates tend to stay in Texas where music salaries appear stronger. The financial picture could work out fine, but you're making that bet without the data you'd normally have.