Careers and Outcomes

A lifetime of performing, teaching and composing

Hands on a piano's keyboard

A graduate music degree from Missouri State University prepares you to work as a professional musician, teach at the university level and more. The following is a sampling of the careers our graduates have pursued:

  • Music teacher, band director, vocal instructor or choir director
  • Symphony orchestra performer
  • Vocalist with civic and metropolitan operas
  • Working on Disney’s "The Lion King" musical in New York City
  • Touring and singing with a Swedish operatic metal band
  • Recording solo jazz CDs
  • Performing and recording experimental electronic music
  • Pursuing doctoral degrees in music

Further graduate education

If you decide to continue your education in a doctoral program, your career options will increase, as well as your earning potential. To aid in this transition, you should produce solid undergraduate work and secure faculty recommendations to help you move on to the next step.

Many of Missouri State University’s music graduates have earned master’s and doctoral degrees and then gone on to teach music at the college level.

Missouri State Career Center

To help you prepare and search for jobs, the Missouri State Career Center provides a database of current openings, tips for preparing your résumé and on-campus interview opportunities. The Career Center also compiles information about what you can do with a graduate degree in music. You can view their recommendations by downloading "What can I do with this major?"