Music at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

UNLV's Music program shows impressive first-year earnings of $47,151—nearly double the national median of $26,036 and placing it in the 95th percentile nationally. That's remarkable for a music degree, where graduates typically struggle to break $30,000. The $31,000 debt load sits below national averages, creating an unusually favorable starting position for arts graduates.

The significant caveat: earnings drop sharply to $37,043 by year four, a 21% decline that's unusual even for creative fields. This pattern might reflect the realities of Las Vegas's entertainment economy, where initial gigs pay well but stable, long-term music employment proves elusive. With fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset and only two Nevada schools offering music degrees, these numbers could be heavily influenced by a handful of successful casino performers or a particularly strong graduating class—making them less reliable as predictors.

For parents, this means weighing an excellent starting salary against unclear career trajectory. If your child has connections to Las Vegas's entertainment industry or plans to leverage that first year's strong earnings strategically, the math works. But the earnings decline suggests this isn't a path to conventional financial stability, and the small sample size means you're betting on your child's individual talent and hustle more than on the program's consistent track record.