2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Doctorate in California” 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 doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 13 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking looked at 3 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California

#1

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree music composition students list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at UC Santa Cruz

#2

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Southern California Music Theory & Composition Report

#3

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California

#2 in overall quality

$53,466 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of the Arts. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California. California Institute of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

CalArts also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of the Arts are $53,466.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at CalArts

#4

Stanford University

Stanford, California

#1 in overall quality

$55,011 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Doctorate in California. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Stanford University

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition

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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