Music is of the hottest doctor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #23 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 103 colleges and universities when compiling its 2022 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Music ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,349 doctor's degrees in music during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Choosing a Great Music School for Your Doctor's Degree
Your choice of school for getting your doctor's degree in music matters.
One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Music ranking is to help you make that choice.
A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for music, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.
This ranking is just one of the many we have created.
First of all, if you are interested in other degree levels, you may want to take a look at one of the rankings highlighted above.
Also, if you are interested in attending school in a specific part of the country, see our rankings by location.
On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for music.
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Featured Music Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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Most Popular Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Music in the United States
Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in music. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
17 Most Well Attended Schools for Music Students Working on Their Doctorate
Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in music has to take a look at Indiana University - Bloomington. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Indiana.
There were about 67 music students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year.
Doctorate recipients from the music program at Indiana University - Bloomington earn $11,535 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
University of North Texas is a popular choice for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in music. UNT is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Denton. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Texas.
There were roughly 57 music students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available.
Music doctor's degree recipients from University of North Texas earn a boost of around $9,035 above the average income of music graduates.
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a popular option for students interested in a doctor's degree in music. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Ohio.
There were about 47 music individuals who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available.
Arizona State University - Tempe is a popular option for individuals pursuing a doctor's degree in music. Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Arizona.
There were approximately 44 music individuals who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year.
After graduation, music doctorate recipients generally earn about $31,000 in their early careers.
Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in California.
There were roughly 38 music students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
Music doctor's degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of approximately $4,535 over the average income of music majors.
University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Rochester. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in New York.
There were roughly 36 music students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available.
Music doctor's degree recipients from University of Rochester receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,935 above the typical income of music majors.
UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Texas.
There were approximately 32 music individuals who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,400.
Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Colorado.
There were approximately 32 music students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent data year.
Music doctor's degree recipients from University of Colorado Boulder earn a boost of approximately $3,635 above the typical earnings of music majors.
Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Michigan.
There were approximately 32 music students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.
Louisiana State University is a fairly large public university located in the city of Baton Rouge. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Louisiana.
There were approximately 31 music individuals who graduated with this degree at Louisiana State University in the most recent year we have data available.
SUNY Stony Brook is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Stony Brook. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in New York.
There were about 30 music individuals who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent year we have data available.
After graduating, music doctorate recipients typically make an average of $29,900 in the first five years of their career.
Florida State is a very large public university located in the city of Tallahassee. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Florida.
There were roughly 28 music individuals who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent year we have data available.
After graduating, music doctorate recipients usually earn around $25,300 in the first five years of their career.
The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #7 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in New York.
There were roughly 27 music individuals who graduated with this degree at The Graduate Center in the most recent data year.
U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Coral Gables. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Florida.
There were about 26 music individuals who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year.
Students who graduate with their doctorate from the music program report average early career income of $18,300.
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Minnesota.
There were about 26 music students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in music in Massachusetts.
There were about 26 music students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the music program make about $30,900 in their early career salary.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Music award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest of our data about colleges.
college factual
Your choice of school for getting your doctor's degree in music matters.
One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Music ranking is to help you make that choice.
