Music at Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Texas A&M-Kingsville's music program achieves something rare: first-year earnings that more than double the national median for music degrees ($56,072 vs. $26,036). While this ranks 95th percentile nationally—extraordinary for music—it lands at the 60th percentile within Texas, where several universities consistently place music graduates above $50,000. The $31,000 debt load, though $5,000 above state and national medians, translates to a manageable 0.55 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates owe roughly half their first year's salary.

The concerning trend is the 4% earnings decline by year four, dropping to $53,695. This isn't the catastrophic falloff seen in some arts programs, but it suggests graduates may start in better-paying roles (possibly music education positions) before some transition to lower-paying but perhaps more artistically fulfilling work. The moderate sample size (30-100 graduates) means these numbers represent real outcomes, not statistical noise.

For families worried about financing a music degree, this program delivers financial viability that most music programs don't approach. Your child would graduate earning more than many STEM majors at less selective schools, with debt that won't be crushing. The real question isn't whether this beats typical music outcomes—it clearly does—but whether nearby Texas programs like Sam Houston State might offer similar earnings with potentially lower costs.