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2024 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools

458 Colleges in the United States
15,362 Bachelor's Degrees
$26,068 Avg Early-Career Salary
Music is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #34 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 458 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 15,362 bachelor's degrees in music during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Music School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools The music bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for music students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Music Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Music in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor'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.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Music

1
81 Annual Graduates
$38,199 Median Starting Salary
$18,166 Median Student Debt

Northwestern University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the music major at Northwestern University earn $12,131 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Northwestern University

2
78 Annual Graduates
$17,245 Median Starting Salary
$20,976 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music needs to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program earn about $17,245 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Southern California

3
Juilliard crest
The Juilliard School
New York, NY
85 Annual Graduates
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat The Juilliard School if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Juilliard is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in music from The Juilliard School

4
55 Annual Graduates
$46,478 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in music needs to take a look at The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.

Music bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin receive an earnings boost of around $20,410 over the typical income of music graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from The University of Texas at Austin

5
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
22 Annual Graduates
$13,000 Median Student Debt

Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Emory University

6
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, TX
24 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Rice University

7
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
44 Annual Graduates
$26,788 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, music bachelor's recipients typically make about $26,788 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Vanderbilt University

8
104 Annual Graduates
$21,629 Median Starting Salary
$19,397 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $21,629.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

9
21 Annual Graduates

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Notre Dame

10
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
47 Annual Graduates
$23,570 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $23,570.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from New York University

11
21 Annual Graduates
$24,431 Median Student Debt

Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Carnegie Mellon University

12
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
1 Annual Graduates

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Duke University

13
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Dartmouth College

14
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
55 Annual Graduates
$35,201 Median Starting Salary
$26,750 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing.

Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from Michigan State University earn $9,133 more than the typical music graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Michigan State University

15
10 Annual Graduates

Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Columbia University in the City of New York

16
74 Annual Graduates
$19,508 Median Starting Salary
$23,119 Median Student Debt

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients typically earn around $19,508 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Los Angeles

17
28 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Wisconsin - Madison

18
33 Annual Graduates
$18,417 Median Student Debt

SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Southern Methodist University

19
17 Annual Graduates
$23,500 Median Student Debt

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Texas Christian University

20
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT
8 Annual Graduates

Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Yale University

21
12 Annual Graduates

WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Washington University in St Louis

22
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
96 Annual Graduates
$18,726 Median Starting Salary
$13,998 Median Student Debt

U Miami is a large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Coral Gables.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program state that they receive average early career income of $18,726.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Miami

23
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
100 Annual Graduates
$20,910 Median Starting Salary
$26,200 Median Student Debt

Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Oberlin.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn around $20,910 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Oberlin College

24
41 Annual Graduates
$24,625 Median Student Debt

UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

25
55 Annual Graduates
$13,282 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career wages of $13,282.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Johns Hopkins University

Rest of the Top Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
28
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
29
30
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
31
32

33

34
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
35
36
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
37
38
39
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
40
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
41

42

43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 458 different United States music schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
52 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
53 Lafayette College Easton, PA
54 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
55 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
56 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
57 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
58 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
59 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
60 Luther College Decorah, IA
61 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
62 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
63 Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland, OH
64 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
65 Tufts University Medford, MA
66 Drake University Des Moines, IA
67 University of Delaware Newark, DE
68 Texas State University San Marcos, TX

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Music students that almost earned our Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
69 University of Denver Denver, CO
70 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
71 San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, CA
71 Messiah University Mechanicsburg, PA
72 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
73 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
74 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
75 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
76 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
77 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
78 The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA
79 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
80 University of Redlands Redlands, CA
81 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
82 Baylor University Waco, TX
83 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK
84 University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK
85 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
86 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
87 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
88 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
89 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
90 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY
91 University of California - Davis Davis, CA

Music by Region

View the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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

Music Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Music 7,729
Music Performance 4,124
Other Music 778
Music Theory & Composition 655
Music Technology 637
Jazz Studies 379
Voice Performance 331
Stringed Instruments 180
Keyboard Instruments 164
Music Pedagogy 122

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 24,602
Design & Applied Arts 19,770
Drama & Theater Arts 13,117
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 11,759
General Visual & Performing Arts 3,794
Arts & Media Management 3,065
Dance 2,676
Other Visual Art 492
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 71
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 9

Notes and References

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