Music graduates from Columbia College Chicago earn $40,734 median salary — above the national average for this program. Median debt: $25,625.
Music at Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Music at Columbia College Chicago
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Columbia College Chicago and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Music at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program — not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 46 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Columbia College Chicago, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $40,734 represent Treasury-verified wages approximately one year after program completion, drawn from Social Security Administration records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Compared to the national mean of $38,970 across all institutions offering Music, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at Columbia College Chicago, the mean median-earnings figure is $47,790, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Music graduates at Columbia College Chicago is $25,625, which translates to roughly $214 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63 is under the 1.0 threshold the College Scorecard uses to flag favorable gainful-employment outcomes — earnings in year one already exceed cumulative borrowing. Program-level debt and earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard FOS release, updated annually.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Music at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Sonoma State University | $65,533 | — |
| Christopher Newport University | $63,852 | — |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | $61,943 | $27,000 |
| University of Florida | $61,446 | — |
| Northeastern University | $60,974 | $25,500 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs | $60,974 | $25,500 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | $60,172 | $14,894 |
| University of Redlands | $59,275 | $27,000 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | $59,218 | $15,175 |
| Vanderbilt University | $59,217 | $21,500 |
Other Programs at Columbia College Chicago
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $66,798 | $24,225 |
| Marketing | $65,686 | $25,250 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | $60,136 | — |
| Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education | $59,340 | $67,949 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $57,240 | $48,604 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $56,482 | $27,000 |
| Physics | $54,861 | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | $54,357 | $23,400 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | $53,147 | $83,900 |
| Journalism | $51,639 | $24,525 |
Other Schools with Music
Quick picks offering the same program — compare side by side
About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.