2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $48-$75k)
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 Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 $48-$75k” ranking analyzed 267 colleges that offered a degree in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and 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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One Size Does Not Fit All
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 $48-$75k” 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 124 students in 2019-2020.
Yale also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Yale are $44,500, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 14 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
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 some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at Duke University are $59,140, 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 $48-$75k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 53 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also took the #3 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Out of the 267 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Cornell University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Ithaca, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #6, Rice University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 57 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Rice also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Rice are $47,913.
Harvard University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 8 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, Harvard is in the top on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Johns Hopkins University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 91 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins are $59,425.
Washington University in St Louis ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington University in St Louis are $56,562, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Dartmouth College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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 $48-$75k list, Dartmouth has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Dartmouth College are $58,120, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Chicago ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UChicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UChicago 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 University of Chicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 77 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
U-M also took the #9 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 10 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Columbia also did well 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 Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Music at Columbia University in the City of New York
With a ranking of #15, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #16. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 2 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at UPenn are $41,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 16 masters’s music 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 Wisconsin - Madison came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
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 in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 26 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #20. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW Seattle also did well 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 UW Seattle are $30,294, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Music at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Hunter College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Hunter College is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter are $20,828, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Chapel Hill, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, UIUC has also earned the #24 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083.
Truman State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Truman State is a small school located in Kirksville, Missouri that handed out 9 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Truman State University are $16,551, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #25, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Central Florida is located in Orlando, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Florida are $28,657, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Rest of the Best 41 in Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $48-$75k
Not only did these schools make the top 41 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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