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2024 Best Music Schools in Virginia

12 Colleges in Virginia
653 Music Degrees Awarded
$27,058 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 looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Music Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 653 degrees in music during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in Virginia 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. 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.

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

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 Virginia 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 Virginia

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 Virginia Schools in Music

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In VA
$18,131 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in music. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 music students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available.

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

2
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Music Degrees Awarded
26.7% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat James Madison University if you want to pursue a degree in music. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 105 music students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the music major at James Madison University earn $5,441 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in music from James Madison University

3
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In VA
9.5% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you wish to pursue a degree in music. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 21 music students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Virginia Tech

4
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Music Degrees Awarded
$23,188 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Shenandoah University if you wish to pursue a degree in music. Located in the city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #302 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Shenandoah is a great university overall.

There were roughly 53 music students who graduated with this degree at Shenandoah in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program make around $23,188 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in music from Shenandoah University

5
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Music Degrees Awarded
24.7% Growth in Graduates

Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Lynchburg. This university ranks 12th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 158 music students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University 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 $28,521.

More information about a degree in music from Liberty University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Music Degrees Awarded
$29,578 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were about 70 music students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Music degree recipients from George Mason University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,520 over the average income of music graduates.

More information about a degree in music from George Mason University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Music Degrees Awarded
$22,973 Median Starting Salary

VCU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #240 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 39 music students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the music program earn an average of $22,973 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in music from Virginia Commonwealth University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,956 Median Starting Salary
$26,280 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Radford, Radford is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 21 music students who graduated with this degree at Radford 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 earnings of $28,956.

More information about a degree in music from Radford University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In VA
58.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Newport News, CNU is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 17th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 17 music students who graduated with this degree at CNU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Christopher Newport University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In VA
7.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 21st out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 13 music students who graduated with this degree at UMW in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from University of Mary Washington

Best Music Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia287453
Florida2821,204
North Carolina279488
Tennessee269803
South Carolina248203
Kentucky244278
Louisiana242315
Mississippi234181
Arkansas234175
Alabama233276
West Virginia20793

View All Rankings >

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

Music Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Music Performance251
General Music213
Music Pedagogy89
Other Music51
Music Technology18
Musicology & Ethnomusicology12
Music History10
Keyboard Instruments4
Music Theory & Composition2
Voice Performance2

View All Music Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Music

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts1,011
Fine & Studio Arts733
Drama & Theater Arts440
Film, Video & Photographic Arts286
General Visual & Performing Arts279
Other Visual Art104
Dance67
Arts & Media Management61
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry20

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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