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2024 Best Music Schools in Massachusetts

20 Colleges in Massachusetts
1,491 Music Degrees Awarded
$24,167 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.

College Factual reviewed 20 schools in Massachusetts to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of music. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,491 degrees in music during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in Massachusetts 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Music Schools in Massachusetts list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts Schools in Music

1
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Music Degrees Awarded
$29,744 Median Starting Salary

Boston University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in music. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 109 music students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available. Those music students who get their degree from Boston University earn $5,577 more than the typical music graduate.

More information about a degree in music from Boston University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In MA
35.3% Growth in Graduates

Brandeis University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in music. Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Brandeis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 17 music students who graduated with this degree at Brandeis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Brandeis University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
692 Music Degrees Awarded
$22,615 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in music has to take a look at Berklee College of Music. Located in the large city of Boston, Berklee College of Music is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

There were approximately 691.9999999999999 music students who graduated with this degree at Berklee College of Music 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 $22,615.

More information about a degree in music from Berklee College of Music

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Music Degrees Awarded
$15,765 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in music needs to look into The New England Conservatory of Music. The New England Conservatory of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

There were about 241 music students who graduated with this degree at The New England Conservatory of Music in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the music program make about $15,765 for their early career.

More information about a degree in music from The New England Conservatory of Music

5
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In MA
21.7% Growth in Graduates

Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Medford. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Tufts is a great university overall.

There were about 23 music students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Tufts University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Music Degrees Awarded
$27,530 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #81 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMass Amherst is a great university overall.

There were roughly 55 music students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent year we have data available. Music degree recipients from University of Massachusetts Amherst earn a boost of about $3,363 over the average earnings of music majors.

More information about a degree in music from University of Massachusetts Amherst

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Music Degrees Awarded
$29,347 Median Starting Salary

Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #59 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 36 music students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent data year. Those music students who get their degree from Northeastern University earn $5,180 more than the typical music grad.

More information about a degree in music from Northeastern University

8
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In MA

Located in the large suburb of Wellesley, Wellesley is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wellesley is a great college overall.

There were roughly 7 music students who graduated with this degree at Wellesley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Wellesley College

9
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25th Most Popular In MA

Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chestnut Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #60 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Boston College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 5 music students who graduated with this degree at Boston College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Boston College

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Music Degrees Awarded
$25,855 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Lowell, UMass Lowell is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 42 music students who graduated with this degree at UMass Lowell in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music degree recipients usually earn an average of $25,855 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in music from University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Best Music Colleges in the New England Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 241 420
New Hampshire 210 46
Maine 202 55
Rhode Island 200 72
Vermont 194 63

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 438
General Music 277
Other Music 222
Music Theory & Composition 217
Stringed Instruments 80
Voice Performance 67
Keyboard Instruments 59
Jazz Studies 36
Music Pedagogy 35
Woodwind Instruments 21

View All Music Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Music

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 946
Fine & Studio Arts 942
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 757
Drama & Theater Arts 570
Arts & Media Management 312
General Visual & Performing Arts 171
Dance 114
Other Visual Art 41
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 5

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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