2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k)
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Master’s 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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 6,038 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 267 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music program at the school. 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 “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 26 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Stanford also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 7 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Duke are $59,140.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Yale University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in New Haven, Connecticut. It awarded 124 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Yale also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Yale University are $44,500, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 53 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UPenn is in the top on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Cornell University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cornell is a large school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 5 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell University are $30,042.
University of Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of Florida is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 17 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UF also did well on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #8, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 91 students in 2019-2020.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins are $59,425.
With a ranking of #9, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 1 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k list, WUSTL has also earned the #0 rank in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at WUSTL are $56,562.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a large public school situated in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It awarded 77 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548.
Rice University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rice University are $47,913, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Dartmouth College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k list, Dartmouth has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Dartmouth are $58,120, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Chicago landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 3 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago excels when it comes to music quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Harvard University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Harvard also did well on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Music at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hunter College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Hunter is a large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 9 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter College are $20,828, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #18, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #24. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Music at California State University - Los Angeles
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UC Irvine is also in the top of our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Tufts University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tufts is a fairly large school located in Medford, Massachusetts that handed out 6 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Tufts also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Tufts are $55,168.
With a ranking of #23, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at The City College of New York are $20,832, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Brooklyn College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Brooklyn College are $20,952, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 193 students in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Florida State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Florida State also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State University are $26,707, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Rest of the Best 40 in Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k
Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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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