Best Musician programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment
Play one or more musical instruments or sing.
21 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 277 people a year. The job pays a median of $23.79/hr in Alabama across about 190 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Alabama that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Alabama that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Alabama (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Alabama page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0901In Alabama → | 215 | 77.6% | 17 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0509In Alabama → | 21 | 7.6% | 3 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 3 | Voice and Operamain feeder CIP 50.0908In Alabama → | 13 | 4.7% | 3 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 4 | Music, Othermain feeder CIP 50.0999In Alabama → | 13 | 4.7% | 1 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 5 | Music Performance, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0903In Alabama → | 10 | 3.6% | 3 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 6 | Keyboard Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0907In Alabama → | 3 | 1.1% | 2 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 7 | Stringed Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0911In Alabama → | 1 | 0.4% | 1 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 8 | Percussion Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0916In Alabama → | 1 | 0.4% | 1 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
Top 21 schools in Alabama
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 21 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Music, General | — | 73% | — | 77% |
| 2 | Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Music, General | $32,893 | 55% | — | 78% |
| 3 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Music, General | — | 82% | — | 46% |
| 4 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 2 feeder programs | 24 | Music, General | — | 64% | — | 88% |
| 5 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Music, General | $35,599 | 55% | — | 87% |
| 6 | Samford University Birmingham, AL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 17 | Musical Theatre | — | 77% | $28,160 | 82% |
| 7 | University of Mobile Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 17 | Voice and Opera | — | 57% | $19,817 | 78% |
| 8 | University of South Alabama Mobile, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Music, General | $27,050 | 53% | — | 71% |
| 9 | Alabama State University Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Music, General | — | 30% | — | 98% |
| 10 | John C Calhoun State Community College Tanner, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Music, Other | — | 41% | — | — |
| 11 | Troy University Troy, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Music, General | — | 50% | — | 96% |
| 12 | University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Music, General | — | 54% | — | 54% |
| 13 | University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Music, General | — | 64% | — | 69% |
| 14 | Miles College Fairfield, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Music, General | — | 16% | $16,735 | — |
| 15 | Stillman College Tuscaloosa, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Music Performance, General | — | 25% | $13,151 | 62% |
| 16 | Talladega College Talladega, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Music, General | — | 31% | $15,807 | 85% |
| 17 | Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Music Performance, General | — | 48% | $21,604 | 69% |
| 18 | Oakwood University Huntsville, AL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 3 | Voice and Opera | — | 45% | $23,870 | 45% |
| 19 | Alabama A & M University Normal, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Music, General | — | 24% | — | 58% |
| 20 | Tuskegee University Tuskegee, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Music Performance, General | — | 55% | $33,313 | 49% |
| 21 | University of West Alabama Livingston, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Music, General | — | 35% | — | 43% |
All 21 schools in Alabama
Every school in Alabama with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Public | 39 | 1 |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | Public | 35 | 1 |
| Auburn University | Auburn | Public | 28 | 1 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | Public | 24 | 2 |
| University of North Alabama | Florence | Public | 19 | 2 |
| Samford University | Birmingham | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 4 |
| University of Mobile | Mobile | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 5 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery | Public | 15 | 1 |
| John C Calhoun State Community College | Tanner | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Troy University | Troy | Public | 12 | 1 |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo | Public | 9 | 1 |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Miles College | Fairfield | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Stillman College | Tuscaloosa | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
What musicians and singers earn in Alabama
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
BLS publishes an hourly wage only for this occupation. The work is intermittent, so no annual figure is estimated.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Alabama, by employment
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Musicians and Singers page.
How to become a Musician
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Alabama
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Musicians and Singers12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0509Musical Theatre
- 50.0901Music, General
- 50.0903Music Performance, General
- 50.0907Keyboard Instruments
- 50.0908Voice and Opera
- 50.0910Jazz/Jazz Studies
- 50.0911Stringed Instruments
- 50.0912Music Pedagogy
- 50.0914Brass Instruments
- 50.0915Woodwind Instruments
- 50.0916Percussion Instruments
- 50.0999Music, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing musicians and singers programs in Alabama.
What degree do you need to become a Musician?+
No formal educational credential is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Music, General, which awarded 215 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 77.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Musician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Music, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Together they graduate about 277 people a year in Alabama.
How much do musicians and singers earn in Alabama?+
The median is $23.79 an hour (BLS OEWS May 2025). This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for musicians and singers growing?+
BLS projects a +1.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 19,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+
21 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do musicians and singers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Singer, Musician, Violinist, Choir Member among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2042.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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