2024 Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California
11
Colleges in California
328
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.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 328 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
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 Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California list to help you make the college 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 California
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.
10 Top California Schools in Music Composition
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
Any student pursuing a degree in music theory & composition needs to check out University of Southern California. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large 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 approximately 12 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
Any student who is interested in music theory & composition has to take a look at University of California - Los Angeles. 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 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 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
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
Every student pursuing a degree in music theory & composition needs to check out Chapman University. Chapman is a large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 2 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Chapman University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In CA
It's hard to beat San Francisco Conservatory of Music if you want to pursue a degree in music theory & composition. SFCM is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
There were roughly 5 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at SFCM in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 7 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of California - Santa Barbara
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
11th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 45th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 3 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at University of Redlands in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Redlands
Located in the suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 58th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 4 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Biola in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Biola University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were roughly 2 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of California - Santa Cruz
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
32
Music Composition Degrees Awarded
Located in the large suburb of Valencia, CalArts is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
There were approximately 32 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at CalArts in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from California Institute of the Arts
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
32
Music Composition Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 32 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Academy of Art University
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