Program Payoff

Music programs in California

134 schools in California teach this, at certificate or associate level. 2 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $21,052 at Los Angeles College of Music.

What this work pays in California

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in California earn a median of $101,370 a year across 99,230 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.

Also leads toMedianJobs in California
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$99,4109,820
Sound Engineering Technicians$78,1504,060
Music Directors and Composers$93,0902,510

Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

Schools

SchoolCredentialMedian debtGraduate earnings, 2 yrsGraduates
Los Angeles College of Music Pasadena Associate's degree — $21,052 (20 grads) 6
Los Angeles Film School Hollywood Associate's degree $20,000 $16,478 (81 grads) 483
Academy of Art University San Francisco Associate's degree — not published 3
Allan Hancock College Santa Maria Associate's degree — not published 2
American River College Sacramento Associate's degree — not published 16
Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster Associate's degree — not published 9
Bakersfield College Bakersfield Associate's degree — not published 10
Bethesda University Anaheim Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Butte College Oroville Associate's degree — not published 6
Cabrillo College Aptos Undergraduate certificate — not published 2
Cabrillo College Aptos Associate's degree — not published 11
California College of Music Pasadena Undergraduate certificate — not published 3
California College of Music Pasadena Associate's degree — not published 0
Canada College Redwood City Associate's degree — not published 0
Cerritos College Norwalk Associate's degree — not published 3
Chabot College Hayward Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Chabot College Hayward Associate's degree — not published 1
Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga Associate's degree — not published 5
Citrus College Glendora Associate's degree — not published 11
City College of San Francisco San Francisco Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
College of Marin Kentfield Associate's degree — not published 2
College of San Mateo San Mateo Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
College of San Mateo San Mateo Associate's degree — not published 7
College of the Canyons Santa Clarita Associate's degree — not published 9
College of the Desert Palm Desert Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
College of the Desert Palm Desert Associate's degree — not published 8
College of the Sequoias Visalia Associate's degree — not published 8
College of the Siskiyous Weed Associate's degree — not published 1
Columbia College Sonora Associate's degree — not published 2
Compton College Compton Associate's degree — not published 0
Contra Costa College San Pablo Associate's degree — not published 2
Cosumnes River College Sacramento Associate's degree — not published 4
Crafton Hills College Yucaipa Undergraduate certificate — not published 4
Crafton Hills College Yucaipa Associate's degree — not published 2
Cuesta College San Luis Obispo Undergraduate certificate — not published 5
Cuesta College San Luis Obispo Associate's degree — not published 13
Cuyamaca College El Cajon Associate's degree — not published 2
Cypress College Cypress Associate's degree — not published 3
De Anza College Cupertino Associate's degree — not published 1
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill Associate's degree — not published 12
East Los Angeles College Monterey Park Associate's degree — not published 2
El Camino Community College District Torrance Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
El Camino Community College District Torrance Associate's degree — not published 13
Foothill College Los Altos Hills Undergraduate certificate — not published 4
Foothill College Los Altos Hills Associate's degree — not published 3
Fresno City College Fresno Associate's degree — not published 11
Fullerton College Fullerton Associate's degree — not published 17
Gavilan College Gilroy Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Gavilan College Gilroy Associate's degree — not published 3
Glendale Community College Glendale Undergraduate certificate — not published 2
Glendale Community College Glendale Associate's degree — not published 5
Golden West College Huntington Beach Associate's degree — not published 3
Grossmont College El Cajon Associate's degree — not published 5
Hartnell College Salinas Associate's degree — not published 2
Imperial Valley College Imperial Associate's degree — not published 5
Irvine Valley College Irvine Associate's degree — not published 6
La Sierra University Riverside Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Laney College Oakland Undergraduate certificate — not published 5
Laney College Oakland Associate's degree — not published 2
Las Positas College Livermore Undergraduate certificate — not published 2
Las Positas College Livermore Associate's degree — not published 6
Long Beach City College Long Beach Associate's degree — not published 10
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles Associate's degree — not published 23
Los Angeles College of Music Pasadena Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington Associate's degree — not published 4
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills Associate's degree — not published 4
Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles Associate's degree — not published 0
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen Associate's degree — not published 4
Los Medanos College Pittsburg Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Los Medanos College Pittsburg Associate's degree — not published 0
Mendocino College Ukiah Associate's degree — not published 0
Merced College Merced Associate's degree — not published 6
MiraCosta College Oceanside Undergraduate certificate — not published —
MiraCosta College Oceanside Associate's degree — not published 4
Mission College Santa Clara Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Modesto Junior College Modesto Associate's degree — not published 7
Monterey Peninsula College Monterey Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Monterey Peninsula College Monterey Associate's degree — not published 0
Moorpark College Moorpark Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Moorpark College Moorpark Associate's degree — not published 13
Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley Associate's degree — not published 3
Mt San Antonio College Walnut Undergraduate certificate — not published 5
Mt San Antonio College Walnut Associate's degree — not published 12
Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto Associate's degree — not published 4
Musicians Institute Hollywood Undergraduate certificate — not published 60
Musicians Institute Hollywood Associate's degree — not published 53
Napa Valley College Napa Associate's degree — not published 4
Norco College Norco Associate's degree — not published 0
Ohlone College Fremont Undergraduate certificate — not published 3
Ohlone College Fremont Associate's degree — not published 3
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa Associate's degree — not published 3
Pacific Union College Angwin Associate's degree — not published 0
Palomar College San Marcos Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Palomar College San Marcos Associate's degree — not published 13
Pasadena City College Pasadena Undergraduate certificate — not published 9
Pasadena City College Pasadena Associate's degree — not published 18
Porterville College Porterville Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Porterville College Porterville Associate's degree — not published 1
Reedley College Reedley Undergraduate certificate — not published 16
Reedley College Reedley Associate's degree — not published 2
Rio Hondo College Whittier Associate's degree — not published 0
Riverside City College Riverside Undergraduate certificate — not published 8
Riverside City College Riverside Associate's degree — not published 24
Sacramento City College Sacramento Associate's degree — not published 0
Saddleback College Mission Viejo Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Saddleback College Mission Viejo Associate's degree — not published 6
San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino Associate's degree — not published 9
San Diego Mesa College San Diego Undergraduate certificate — not published 5
San Diego Mesa College San Diego Associate's degree — not published 7
San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton Associate's degree — not published 3
Santa Ana College Santa Ana Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Santa Ana College Santa Ana Associate's degree — not published 1
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara Associate's degree — not published 4
Santa Monica College Santa Monica Associate's degree — not published 11
Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa Associate's degree — not published 4
Shasta College Redding Associate's degree — not published 2
Sierra College Rocklin Associate's degree — not published 8
Skyline College San Bruno Associate's degree — not published 4
Solano Community College Fairfield Associate's degree — not published 1
Southwestern College Chula Vista Undergraduate certificate — not published 2
Southwestern College Chula Vista Associate's degree — not published 10
University of Silicon Valley San Jose Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Ventura College Ventura Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Ventura College Ventura Associate's degree — not published 7
Victor Valley College Victorville Associate's degree — not published 3
West Los Angeles College Culver City Associate's degree — not published 0
West Valley College Saratoga Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
West Valley College Saratoga Associate's degree — not published 7
Yuba College Marysville Associate's degree — not published 4

A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.

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The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Music — nothing else, and nothing in between.

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Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.