Graduates of Manhattan School of Music earn median 4-year earnings of $30,305, placing the institution in the 0.4 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $57,042 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the earnings profile typical of conservatory training in Visual & Performing Arts. Azimuth ranks Manhattan School of Music #1448 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students pursuing performance and composition careers, the institution's value lies not in immediate salary premium but in the specialized training and professional network that supports long-term artistic and financial viability in competitive creative fields. The earnings pattern reflects the concentration in Visual & Performing Arts. Music is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $27,952. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft represents the second major pathway, with graduates entering performance, teaching, and arts administration roles. Within conservatory training, these earnings trajectories are shaped by the time required for artistic development, the diversity of career paths (performance, teaching, composition, arts management), and the geographic variation in creative-sector compensation. Graduates often experience earnings growth beyond the four-year mark as performance careers, teaching positions, and administrative roles mature, making the long-term financial picture stronger than early-career figures alone suggest.
Graduates of Manhattan School of Music earn median 4-year earnings of $30,305, placing the institution in the 0.4 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $57,042 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the earnings profile typical of conservatory training in Visual & Performing Arts. Azimuth ranks Manhattan School of Music #1448 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students pursuing performance and composition careers, the institution's value lies not in immediate salary premium but in the specialized training and professional network that supports long-term artistic and financial viability in competitive creative fields. The earnings pattern reflects the concentration in Visual & Performing Arts. Music is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $27,952. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft represents the second major pathway, with graduates entering performance, teaching, and arts administration roles. Within conservatory training, these earnings trajectories are shaped by the time required for artistic development, the diversity of career paths (performance, teaching, composition, arts management), and the geographic variation in creative-sector compensation. Graduates often experience earnings growth beyond the four-year mark as performance careers, teaching positions, and administrative roles mature, making the long-term financial picture stronger than early-career figures alone suggest.
Latest FE earnings field: 10-year
Lower quartile, 10-year field
How graduate earnings grow across the currently available FE horizons.
Financial justification for the investment.
Graduates of Manhattan School of Music earn median 4-year earnings of $30,305, placing the institution in the 0.4 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $57,042 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the earnings profile typical of conservatory training in Visual & Performing Arts. Azimuth ranks Manhattan School of Music #1448 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students pursuing performance and composition careers, the institution's value lies not in immediate salary premium but in the specialized training and professional network that supports long-term artistic and financial viability in competitive creative fields. The earnings pattern reflects the concentration in Visual & Performing Arts. Music is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $27,952. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft represents the second major pathway, with graduates entering performance, teaching, and arts administration roles. Within conservatory training, these earnings trajectories are shaped by the time required for artistic development, the diversity of career paths (performance, teaching, composition, arts management), and the geographic variation in creative-sector compensation. Graduates often experience earnings growth beyond the four-year mark as performance careers, teaching positions, and administrative roles mature, making the long-term financial picture stronger than early-career figures alone suggest.
Program mix and student pathways explain much of the earnings story.
Manhattan School of Music is anchored in music performance and composition — a portfolio shaped by the institution's identity as a specialized conservatory in New York City. The program mix concentrates in classical music training across instrumental and vocal specializations, with performance pathways dominating the degree output. Across 2 programs, 0 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, reflecting the institution's depth in music-specific disciplines. The earnings pattern at Manhattan School of Music reflects the realities of music-performance careers. Music, the largest program with 92 graduates, generates median earnings of $27,952 four years after enrollment. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft follows as a substantial program with 28 graduates. The highest-earning program tracked is Music, where 92 graduates earn median earnings of $27,952 four years after enrollment — a figure that reflects the earnings premium available to performers who establish themselves in New York's music market and related creative industries. Music-performance pathways are inherently grad-school-dependent for many students, where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory because a meaningful share of graduates pursue advanced degrees, artist residencies, or continued training before stabilizing earnings. The supply and demand for college graduates provides context for how music-performance fields align with labor-market demand and career-longevity patterns. For students considering Manhattan School of Music, earnings outcomes should be weighed alongside the institution's conservatory mission and the long-term career-building arc typical of music professionals.
Upper quartile, 10-year field
Graduates of Manhattan School of Music earn median 4-year earnings of $30,305, placing the institution in the 0.4 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs below the $57,042 median at comparable institutions, reflecting the earnings profile typical of conservatory training in Visual & Performing Arts. Azimuth ranks Manhattan School of Music #1448 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. For students pursuing performance and composition careers, the institution's value lies not in immediate salary premium but in the specialized training and professional network that supports long-term artistic and financial viability in competitive creative fields. The earnings pattern reflects the concentration in Visual & Performing Arts. Music is the largest program with 92 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $27,952. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft represents the second major pathway, with graduates entering performance, teaching, and arts administration roles. Within conservatory training, these earnings trajectories are shaped by the time required for artistic development, the diversity of career paths (performance, teaching, composition, arts management), and the geographic variation in creative-sector compensation. Graduates often experience earnings growth beyond the four-year mark as performance careers, teaching positions, and administrative roles mature, making the long-term financial picture stronger than early-career figures alone suggest.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
