by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major” ranking.
Music Performance is the 116th most popular major in the country with 7,335 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 479 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major” ranking, we looked at 34 colleges that offer a degree in music performance. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in music performance.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major”.
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major that were part of this year’s ranking, World Mission University landed the #1 spot on the list. World Mission University is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 5 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cleveland Institute of Music. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major. This small school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Rochester. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major. Located in Rochester, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 34 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Shenandoah University landed the #4 spot on the list. Winchester, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music performance degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stony Brook University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major. Stony Brook, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music performance degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music Performance at Stony Brook University
With a ranking of #6, University of North Texas did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 40 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music Performance at University of North Texas
Michigan State University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 47 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at Michigan State University
University of Missouri - Kansas City ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, this fairly large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #9. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 37 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 9 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, this large public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music Performance at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
University of Southern Mississippi came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. University of Southern Mississippi is a fairly large school located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi that handed out 8 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Boston University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Boston University is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 doctorate’s music performance degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Music Performance at Florida State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
University of Miami did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Coral Gables, Florida, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music performance students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. University of Colorado Boulder is a public institution located in Boulder, Colorado. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. UNC Greensboro is a public institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Music Performance at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. University of Oklahoma is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 doctorate’s music performance degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Music Performance Report
Rutgers University - New Brunswick did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #20. This large school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
With a ranking of #21, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 22 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music performance degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at University of South Carolina - Columbia
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Performance at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Northwestern University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 5 doctorate’s music performance degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #25. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Music Performance at Johns Hopkins University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
