2024 Best Music Theory & Composition Schools
116
Colleges in the United States
1,175
Music Composition Degrees Awarded
A degree in
music theory & composition is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #390 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
College Factual reviewed 116 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of music theory & composition. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,175 degrees in music theory & composition during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Music Theory & Composition School
The music composition program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Music Theory & Composition rankings. We derive our Best Overall Music Theory & Composition School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Music Theory & Composition Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Theory & Composition Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
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Featured Music Theory & Composition Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More
Best Schools for Music Theory & Composition in the United States
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music composition degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
18 Top Schools in Music Composition
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
Northwestern University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in music theory & composition. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were about 6 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Northwestern University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CT
Yale University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in music theory & composition. Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.
There were approximately 4 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Yale University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In TX
It is difficult to beat Rice University if you want to pursue a degree in music theory & composition. Rice is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Houston. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rice is a great university overall.
There were approximately 2 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Rice in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Rice University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in music theory & composition. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 12 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Southern California
Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were about 22 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Michigan State University
Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.
There were approximately 4 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Carnegie Mellon University
Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.
There were approximately 21 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 2 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of California - Los Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In NY
Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were approximately 11 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Rochester
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In OH
Located in the fringe town of Oberlin, Oberlin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 8th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were about 2 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Oberlin in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Oberlin College
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