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2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California

4 Ranked Colleges
4 Degrees Awarded
$41,900 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking.

Music Theory & Composition is the 390th most popular major in the country with 1,175 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across California, there were 328 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 4 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in music theory and composition. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular music theory and composition programs in the United States.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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The music composition school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate”.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree music composition students.

1

Out of the 4 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #1 spot on the list. California Institute of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valencia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s 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%. 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.

Full CalArts Music Theory & Composition Report

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music composition students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of California - Santa Cruz

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national 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 Stanford

3
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

Out of the 4 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Composition Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #3 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 12 students 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 1.3%, 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 University of Southern California Music Theory & Composition Report

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Notes and References

References

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