2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 27,047 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 40th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,639 and had an average of $28,653 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 1,073 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,747 and $27,432 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 56 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $148,219 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in music. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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.

Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$45,529 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northwestern Music Report

#2

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548.

Full UChicago Music Report

#3

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$36,134 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 38 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music students in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIUC Music Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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