2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Music is the 40th most popular major in the country with 27,047 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s” ranking, we looked at 255 colleges that offer 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree music students.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brigham Young University - Provo. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s. Provo, Utah is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, BYU 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 Brigham Young University - Provo are $7,510, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 255 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Messiah University landed the #2 spot on the list. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.
Messiah not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 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 Messiah University are $12,780.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school situated in Fargo, North Dakota. It awarded 11 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University - Main Campus are $11,589, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 255 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 25 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069.
Out of the 255 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #5 spot on the list. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UNT are $15,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. This small school is located in San Juan, , and it awarded 4 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music are $3,260, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Music at Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
Bob Jones University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Greenville, South Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Bob Jones University are $9,573, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Houghton College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. Houghton is a small school located in Houghton, New York that handed out 4 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Houghton are $11,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Oklahoma City University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Oklahoma City University are $13,410, but some majors have different tuition rates.
West Texas A&M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #10. Canyon, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at West Texas A&M University are $8,013, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #11, University of South Dakota did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and it awarded 12 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at USD are $12,637, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 58 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus are $15,823.
Truman State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. This small school is located in Kirksville, Missouri, and it awarded 9 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Truman State University are $16,551.
Azusa Pacific University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. Azusa Pacific University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Azusa, California. It awarded 28 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Azusa Pacific University are $16,571, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Central Oklahoma landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school awarded 28 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Oklahoma are $17,913, but some majors have different tuition rates.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #16. WCUPA is a public institution located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
WCUPA excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at West Chester University of Pennsylvania are $16,758, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Central Arkansas came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. This fairly large school is located in Conway, Arkansas, and it awarded 12 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Arkansas are $11,648, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #18, Liberty University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Northern Iowa ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UNI excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are $15,151.
With a ranking of #21, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. Springfield, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri State University - Springfield are $12,042, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Hartford did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #21. UHart is a private not-for-profit institution located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 40 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Hartford are $14,847.
Columbia College Chicago ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia are $2,350, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Webster University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Webster are $13,500, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s ranking. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300.
Rest of the Best 39 in Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s
Not only did these schools make the top 39 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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