2026 Best Music Performance Schools in Maryland

Music Performance degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for music performance students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

• Best Music Performance Schools in Maryland

Best Schools for Music Performance in Maryland

Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall music performance education in Maryland.

Top Schools in Music Performance

1

University Of Maryland College Park
College Park, MD

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

26 Music Performance Degrees Awarded

$52,541 Median Starting Salary

University Of Maryland College Park tops our 2026 ranking of the best music performance schools. University Of Maryland College Park is a very large public school located in the suburb of College Park. University Of Maryland College Park graduates 89% of students within six years. There were roughly 26 music performance students who graduated with this degree at University Of Maryland College Park in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from University Of Maryland College Park generally make around $52,541. Students borrow a median of $21,614 to complete this degree. Read more about the music performance program at University Of Maryland College Park

2

Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

200 Music Performance Degrees Awarded

$23,620 Median Starting Salary

Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in music performance, ranking #2. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University is a very large private not-for-profit university. About 94% of students finish within six years. Johns Hopkins University awarded about 200 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their music performance degree from Johns Hopkins University earn around $23,620 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $23,250. More information about a degree in music performance from Johns Hopkins University

Notes and References

This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.