[analog31]

I would also ask: "What about the musicians?" After all, music degrees are heavily vocational. But the music vocation itself is overcrowded unlike engineering or medicine.

The article cites as evidence the large disparity in value between three and four years of college. This is much more prevalent in engineering than in music. Taking three years of college music study, or learning it informally, will in fact prepare you for a music career. I know people who have done it.

In my view, the need to make special exceptions for certain college majors weakens the signaling hypothesis.

Disclaimer: One of my kids is a music major, and I earn part of my income as a musician.