2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 4,025 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,684 and $28,070 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,125 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,039 and $42,488 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 40 colleges that offered 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the music program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 53 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. 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 Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.
U-M also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Out of the 40 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UChicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 19 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 193 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
IU Bloomington did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Music Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ohio State is a large public school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 12 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Ohio State also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ohio State are $37,141, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Music at Ohio State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #8, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 7 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
EIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at EIU are $20,761, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, this large public school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis are $26,013.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Indiana University - South Bend ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. South Bend, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.
Indiana University - South Bend did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - South Bend are $18,275, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Music at Indiana University - South Bend
With a ranking of #12, Oakland University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oakland is a fairly large school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan that handed out 4 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Oakland also took the #22 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Oakland are $24,648.
Western Illinois University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
WIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Central Michigan University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Central Michigan is a public institution located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Central Michigan also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #16. Average graduate tuition and fees at Central Michigan are $19,359, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. Muncie, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
Ball State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Ball State are $26,204, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Indiana State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. This fairly large school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 1 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Indiana State also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana State University are $15,346, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Youngstown State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Youngstown, Ohio, and it awarded 10 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Youngstown State University are $9,495, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Oberlin College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Oberlin, Ohio, and it awarded 1 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Oberlin, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Oberlin are $29,105, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #19, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it awarded 49 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056.
With a ranking of #20, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086.
Wayne State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Wayne State University are $37,215, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Illinois State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Normal, Illinois, this large public school handed out 25 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region master’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k list, Illinois State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 9 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 32 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UWM also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee are $25,295, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Music at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
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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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