Best colleges for Music in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, Sonoma State University leads: its Music graduates earn a median $65,533 four years after finishing, against the field's $42,892 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonoma State University | $65,533 | +$22,641 |
| 2 | University of Redlands | $59,275 | +$16,383 |
| 3 | University of California-San Diego | $58,071 | +$15,179 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Music programs?
$7,462 separates the top and bottom of this list — $65,533 at Sonoma State University against $58,071 at University of California-San Diego, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Music graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $22,641 above the $42,892 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.