Music at The University of Texas at Arlington

UTA's music program sits in an uncomfortable middle ground: it significantly outperforms the national field (86th percentile) but lags behind most Texas programs, landing in just the 25th percentile statewide. While the $37,020 starting salary beats the national median by over $10,000, it falls well short of Texas's $47,010 median—and programs at schools like Sam Houston State and UT El Paso are producing graduates who earn 50-60% more right out of the gate.

The debt picture offers some relief. At $24,911, graduates carry slightly less than both state and national medians, creating a manageable 0.67 debt-to-earnings ratio. The 28% earnings growth to $47,358 by year four shows these graduates do catch up somewhat, though they're still starting behind peers at other Texas institutions. For a family considering in-state options, this matters: if your student qualifies for competitive Texas programs, those typically deliver stronger initial returns.

This program makes the most sense for students who value UTA's specific faculty, location in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, or other institutional factors enough to accept a slower financial start. But if earnings trajectory is the primary concern, other Texas public universities offer music degrees with significantly higher early-career returns for similar debt levels.