2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Virginia, there were 675 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,700 and $28,099 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 114 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia” ranking analyzed 5 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

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 Master’s in Virginia” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music in Virginia

#1

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia

#1 in overall quality

$29,544 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$35,060 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. James Madison University is a large school located in Harrisonburg, Virginia that handed out 16 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at James Madison University are $29,544, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full JMU Music Report

#2

Liberty University

Lynchburg, Virginia

#4 in overall quality

$8,349 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$24,421 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #2 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 33 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Liberty University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Liberty University are $8,349, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Music at Liberty University

#3

George Mason University

Fairfax, Virginia

#3 in overall quality

$37,410 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$25,194 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Fairfax, Virginia, this large public school awarded 37 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our virginia master’s degree music students list, GMU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at George Mason University are $37,410, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full George Mason University Music Report

#4

Radford University

Radford, Virginia

#5 in overall quality

$21,382 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia list. Radford is a fairly large school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 4 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Radford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Radford University are $21,382.

Read more about Music at Radford

#5

Shenandoah University

Winchester, Virginia

#2 in overall quality

$23,040 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Master’s in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Shenandoah University landed the #5 spot on the list. Shenandoah is a small school located in Winchester, Virginia that handed out 16 masters’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Shenandoah, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in Virginia” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Shenandoah are $23,040, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Music at Shenandoah

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music

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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