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2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region

42 Ranked Colleges
88 Degrees Awarded
$32,000 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region

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 in the Great Lakes Region” 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.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 167 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 88 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 42 colleges that offer a degree in music theory and composition. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in music theory and composition.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region” 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cleveland Institute of Music. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music composition 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Full Cleveland Institute of Music Music Theory & Composition Report

2
Lawrence U crest
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin

Out of the 42 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lawrence University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Appleton, Wisconsin, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Lawrence University

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Baldwin Wallace University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region. Baldwin Wallace University is a small school located in Berea, Ohio that handed out 7 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 85%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Baldwin Wallace College

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana Wesleyan University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IWU is located in Marion, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

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 IWU Music Theory & Composition Report

5
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Out of the 42 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Wheaton College Illinois landed the #5 spot on the list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Wheaton College Illinois

6
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oberlin, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Oberlin College Music Theory & Composition Report

7
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Illinois Wesleyan

8
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kalamazoo, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at WMU

9
Butler crest
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana

With a ranking of #9, Butler University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Butler is a medium-sized school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 2 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

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 freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Butler

10
Capital crest
Capital University
Columbus, Ohio

With a ranking of #10, Capital University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Capital

11
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Chicago, Illinois 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.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Roosevelt

12

With a ranking of #12, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Youngstown State University

13
Cedarville crest
Cedarville University
Cedarville, Ohio

Cedarville University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cedarville is located in Cedarville, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Cedarville

14
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Augustana College Music Theory & Composition Report

15

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. 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%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at UC

16
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Olivet Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Olivet Nazarene University is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Music Theory & Composition Report

17
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Columbia

18

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

Full BGSU Music Theory & Composition Report

19
Bradley crest
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Bradley is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Bradley University

20
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Northwestern

21
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

Central Michigan University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central Michigan is a fairly large school located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan that handed out 3 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Central Michigan University

22
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Ball State Music Theory & Composition Report

23

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Music Theory & Composition Report

24
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music composition 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%.

Full DePaul University Music Theory & Composition Report

25
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 4 bachelors’s music composition 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%.

Full Michigan State Music Theory & Composition Report

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