2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition
169
Ranked Colleges
655
Degrees Awarded
$36,000
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Music Theory & Composition is the 390th most popular major in the country with 1,175 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 655 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major” ranking looked at 169 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music theory and composition. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their music theory and composition program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major”.
Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition
Out of the 169 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles College of Music landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Pasadena, California, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Los Angeles College of Music
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Berklee College of Music. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major. Berklee College of Music is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 149 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Berklee College of Music Music Theory & Composition Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Musicians Institute. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Musicians Institute is a small private for-profit school situated in Hollywood, California. It awarded 18 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Musicians Institute
Out of the 169 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles Film School landed the #4 spot on the list. Hollywood, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 76 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at LA Film School
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major. Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music is a small school located in San Juan, that handed out 3 bachelors’s music composition 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.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
Cleveland Institute of Music did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking, coming in at #6. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Cleveland Institute of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. The New England Conservatory of Music is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 10 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full The New England Conservatory of Music Music Theory & Composition Report
With a ranking of #8, DigiPen Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Redmond, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 7 students 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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Digipen
California Institute of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in Valencia, California, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full CalArts Music Theory & Composition Report
The Juilliard School ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Juilliard
Purchase College ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Purchase College is a public institution located in Purchase, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Purchase College
With a ranking of #12, Lawrence University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Appleton, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Lawrence U
With a ranking of #13, Western Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. This small school is located in Danbury, Connecticut, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Western Connecticut State University
Lewis & Clark College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Lewis and Clark College is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
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 Theory & Composition at Lewis and Clark College
San Francisco Conservatory of Music came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. SFCM is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at SFCM
Manhattan School of Music ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, 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 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Manhattan School of Music
Oakwood University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Huntsville, Alabama is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
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.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Oakwood University
With a ranking of #18, Baldwin Wallace University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Located in Berea, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Baldwin Wallace University
Academy of Art University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Academy of Art University Music Theory & Composition Report
Ithaca College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Ithaca College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Ithaca, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Ithaca
With a ranking of #21, SUNY Fredonia did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. This small school is located in Fredonia, New York, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full SUNY Fredonia Music Theory & Composition Report
With a ranking of #22, Hardin - Simmons University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Abilene, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
Full Hardin - Simmons Music Theory & Composition Report
Indiana Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking, coming in at #23. This small school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Full Indiana Wesleyan University Music Theory & Composition Report
Maryville College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
Full Maryville College Music Theory & Composition Report
Bushnell University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Bushnell University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Theory & Composition at Bushnell University
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