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2024 Best Music Schools in Ohio

21 Colleges in Ohio
1,148 Music Degrees Awarded
$27,206 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in music, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #43 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 21 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Schools in Ohio ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,148 degrees in music to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in Ohio Your choice of music school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for music schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Music Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Music
Bachelor's Degrees in Music
Master's Degrees in Music
Doctor's Degrees in Music

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Music Schools in Ohio list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Music in Ohio

The schools below may not offer all types of music degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Ohio Schools in Music

1
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Music Degrees Awarded
$20,910 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Oberlin College if you want to pursue a degree in music. Located in the fringe town of Oberlin, Oberlin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #226 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Oberlin is a great college overall.

There were about 107 music students who graduated with this degree at Oberlin in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, music degree recipients usually earn around $20,910 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in music from Oberlin College

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 Music Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Cincinnati - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in music. UC is a very large public university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 253 music students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career income of $24,783.

More information about a degree in music from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Music Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State University - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in music. Ohio State is a very large public university located in the city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 67 music students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career earnings of $28,247.

More information about a degree in music from Ohio State University - Main Campus

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Music Degrees Awarded
$19,171 Median Starting Salary

Cleveland Institute of Music is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in music. Cleveland Institute of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Cleveland.

There were approximately 93 music students who graduated with this degree at Cleveland Institute of Music in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $19,171.

More information about a degree in music from Cleveland Institute of Music

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Music Degrees Awarded
$34,494 Median Starting Salary

OHIO Athens is a very large public university located in the town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #239 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were roughly 74 music students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year. Those music students who get their degree from Ohio University - Athens Campus make $7,288 more than the standard music student.

More information about a degree in music from Ohio University - Athens Campus

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In OH
33 Music Degrees Awarded

Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 33 music students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Miami University - Oxford

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
116 Music Degrees Awarded
12.1% Growth in Graduates

BGSU is a large public university located in the fringe town of Bowling Green. This university ranks 23rd out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 116 music students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career wages of $22,254.

More information about a degree in music from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22nd Most Popular In OH
28.6% Growth in Graduates

UDayton is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dayton. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UDayton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 7 music students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from University of Dayton

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Music Degrees Awarded
$26,539 Median Starting Salary

Kent State is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Kent. A Best Colleges rank of #388 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 31 music students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career earnings of $26,539.

More information about a degree in music from Kent State University at Kent

10
Capital crest
Capital University
Columbus, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Music Degrees Awarded
$26,534 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Columbus, Capital is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 41st out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 37 music students who graduated with this degree at Capital in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career income of $26,534.

More information about a degree in music from Capital University

Best Music Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Music Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 726
Illinois 304 1,091
Indiana 294 599
Wisconsin 273 356

View All Rankings >

Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Music Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Music Performance 573
General Music 245
Music Theory & Composition 75
Other Music 65
Music Pedagogy 54
Music Technology 41
Jazz Studies 24
Keyboard Instruments 21
Conducting 19
Voice Performance 16

View All Music Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Music

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,941
Fine & Studio Arts 907
Drama & Theater Arts 558
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 371
General Visual & Performing Arts 209
Arts & Media Management 145
Dance 103
Other Visual Art 20
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 19

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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