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2025 Best Music Schools in Virginia

11 Colleges in Virginia
653 Music Degrees Awarded
$29,590 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in music, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #43 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 11 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 653 degrees in music annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in Virginia The music program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Music rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for music schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Music Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Music
Bachelor's Degrees in Music
Master's Degrees in Music
Doctor's Degrees in Music

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Music Schools in Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Music in Virginia

The schools below may not offer all types of music degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Music

1
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Music Degrees Awarded
26.7% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat James Madison University if you wish to pursue a degree in music. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were about 105 music students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the music degree program at James Madison University get $6,516 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in music from James Madison University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In VA

It's difficult to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in music. University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 music students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from University of Virginia - Main Campus

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Masters Degree Type
MBA in Music Business Program Name

Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.

More information about a degree in MBA in Music Business from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Music Degrees Awarded
24.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Liberty University if you want to pursue a degree in music. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg. This university ranks 11th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 158 music students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent year we have data available. Music degree recipients from Liberty University earn a boost of around $2,382 over the typical earnings of music graduates.

More information about a degree in music from Liberty University

4
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In VA
9.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Virginia Tech if you wish to pursue a degree in music. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were roughly 21 music students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Virginia Tech

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Music Degrees Awarded
$34,741 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 70 music students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Those music students who get their degree from George Mason University receive $5,151 more than the average music student.

More information about a degree in music from George Mason University

6
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In VA
53 Music Degrees Awarded

Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 13th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 53 music students who graduated with this degree at Shenandoah in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Shenandoah University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Music Degrees Awarded
$28,989 Median Starting Salary

VCU is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richmond. This university ranks 8th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 39 music students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the music program earn about $28,989 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in music from Virginia Commonwealth University

8
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In VA
27.8% Growth in Graduates

William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were approximately 18 music students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from William & Mary

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,593 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Radford, Radford is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 20th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 21 music students who graduated with this degree at Radford in the most recent year we have data available. Those music students who get their degree from Radford University earn $10,003 more than the standard music graduate.

More information about a degree in music from Radford University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In VA

Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the city of Norfolk. This university ranks 16th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 12 music students who graduated with this degree at Old Dominion in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Old Dominion University

Best Music Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Music Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Georgia287453
Florida2821,204
North Carolina279488
Tennessee269803
South Carolina248203
Kentucky244278
Louisiana242315
Mississippi234181
Arkansas234175
Alabama233276
West Virginia20793

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Music has other similar majors worth exploring.

Music Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Music Performance251
General Music213
Music Pedagogy89
Other Music51
Music Technology18
Musicology & Ethnomusicology12
Music History10
Keyboard Instruments4
Music Theory & Composition2
Voice Performance2

View All Music Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Music

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts1,011
Fine & Studio Arts733
Drama & Theater Arts440
Film, Video & Photographic Arts286
General Visual & Performing Arts279
Other Visual Art104
Dance67
Arts & Media Management61
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry20

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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