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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $48-$75k) in California

6 Ranked Colleges
47 Degrees Awarded
$39,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Music Theory & Composition is the 415th most popular major in the country with 1,117 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 253 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 47 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 6 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music theory and composition. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music theory and composition programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 6 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Southern California

#2

University of Redlands

Redlands, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Redlands. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Redlands, California, and it awarded 1 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Redlands, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Redlands are $22,852, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

#3

Mills College

Oakland, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mills College landed the #3 spot on the list. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Mills also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Mills College are $36,263.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Mills

#4

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. SFCM is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFCM also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFCM are $49,050, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SFCM Music Theory & Composition Report

#5

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of the Arts. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This small school is located in Valencia, California, and it awarded 21 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

CalArts also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of the Arts are $53,466, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full California Institute of the Arts Music Theory & Composition Report

#6

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#5 in overall quality

Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 12 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Academy of Art University

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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