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2024 Best Music Schools in Iowa

6 Colleges in Iowa
227 Music Degrees Awarded
$31,786 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in music is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #43 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Schools in Iowa ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 227 degrees in music during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in Iowa The music program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Music rankings. For our Best Overall Music School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Music Degree Level

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

The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Music Schools in Iowa. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Music in Iowa

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the music degree levels they offer.

Top Iowa Schools in Music

1
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,723 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Luther College is a great decision for students interested in a degree in music. Located in the town of Decorah, Luther is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 7th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 30 music students who graduated with this degree at Luther in the most recent data year. Those music students who get their degree from Luther College make $5,937 more than the standard music grad.

More information about a degree in music from Luther College

2
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Music Degrees Awarded
$28,817 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a degree in music. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 84 music students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. After graduating, music degree recipients typically make an average of $28,817 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in music from University of Iowa

3
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IA

Drake University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in music. Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Des Moines. This university ranks 5th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 11 music students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Drake University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
36 Music Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in music has to check out University of Northern Iowa. UNI is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were approximately 36 music students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from University of Northern Iowa

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IA
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 12 music students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Iowa State University

6
Coe crest
Coe College
Cedar Rapids, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IA

Coe is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Cedar Rapids. This college ranks 22nd out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were approximately 8 music students who graduated with this degree at Coe in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Coe College

Best Music Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Music Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 262
Missouri 283 359
Kansas 266 189
Nebraska 238 129
North Dakota 210 76
South Dakota 204 33

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Music has other similar majors worth exploring.

Music Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Music 172
Music Performance 33
Music Pedagogy 7
Music Technology 6
Other Music 5
Music History 1
Music Theory & Composition 1
Conducting 1
Jazz Studies 1

View All Music Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 545
Fine & Studio Arts 286
Drama & Theater Arts 160
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 90
General Visual & Performing Arts 28
Dance 28
Other Visual Art 16
Arts & Media Management 4

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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