by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 25,910 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,160 and had an average of $24,560 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,327 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major” ranking, we looked at 104 colleges that offer a degree in music. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their music program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major”.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend World Mission University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. World Mission University is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 5 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 104 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Juilliard School landed the #2 spot on the list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Manhattan School of Music. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The New England Conservatory of Music. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. The New England Conservatory of Music is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 6 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Rochester. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music degrees to 46 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Cleveland Institute of Music came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Cleveland Institute of Music is a small school located in Cleveland, Ohio that handed out 1 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, Catholic University of America did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #8. Shenandoah is a small school located in Winchester, Virginia that handed out 11 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Five Towns College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Five Towns College is a small private for-profit school situated in Dix Hills, New York. It awarded 1 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #10. The Graduate Center, CUNY is located in New York, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 doctorate’s music degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
University of Hartford came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Located in West Hartford, Connecticut, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Claremont Graduate University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Mobile did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #13. This small school is located in Mobile, Alabama, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
California Institute of the Arts ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. CalArts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s music degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Stony Brook University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. SUNY Stony Brook is a public institution located in Stony Brook, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Michigan State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Michigan State University is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Miami came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. University of Miami is a private not-for-profit institution located in Coral Gables, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #18, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. UC is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 52 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #19. UNT is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 47 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Rice University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Northern Colorado landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Located in Greeley, Colorado, this fairly large public school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, University of Missouri - Kansas City did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at University of Missouri - Kansas City
With a ranking of #23, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 doctorate’s music degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at Indiana University - Bloomington
University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Major list. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 40 doctorate’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
