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2024 Best Music Schools in Ohio

21 Colleges in Ohio
1,125 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 1,125 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
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Music Degrees Awarded
23.6% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Oberlin College if you wish 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 schools nationwide means Oberlin is a great college overall.

There were roughly 140 music students who graduated with this degree at Oberlin in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, music degree recipients usually earn around $20,910 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in music from Oberlin College

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
219 Music Degrees Awarded
$24,783 Median Starting Salary

It's hard 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 large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 219 music students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career earnings of $24,783.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Music Degrees Awarded
4.3% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 70 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 state that they receive average early career wages of $28,247.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Music Degrees Awarded
3.1% Growth in Graduates

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 fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland.

There were about 96 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 earnings of $19,171.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Music Degrees Awarded
18.7% Growth in Graduates

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

There were roughly 91 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
35 Music Degrees Awarded

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

There were roughly 35 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
98 Music Degrees Awarded
$22,254 Median Starting Salary

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

There were approximately 98 music students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive 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

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 colleges nationwide means UDayton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 6 music students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from University of Dayton

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Music Degrees Awarded
32.6% Growth in Graduates

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 46 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 wages 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
$26,534 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

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

There were about 28 music students who graduated with this degree at Capital in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career wages 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.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan322726
Illinois3041,091
Indiana294599
Wisconsin273356

View All Rankings >

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

Music Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Music Performance549
General Music238
Music Theory & Composition75
Music Pedagogy75
Other Music57
Music Technology32
Keyboard Instruments22
Jazz Studies21
Conducting19
Voice Performance18

View All Music Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Music

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts1,960
Fine & Studio Arts741
Drama & Theater Arts522
Film, Video & Photographic Arts364
General Visual & Performing Arts205
Arts & Media Management143
Dance102
Other Visual Art17
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry2

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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