College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region

73 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
4,060 Music Degrees Awarded
$27,923 Avg Early-Career Salary
Music is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #43 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 73 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of music. Combined, these schools handed out 4,060 degrees in music to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of music school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Music School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Music Rankings by Degree Level

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

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 the Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Music in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Music

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Music Degrees Awarded
$29,755 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a degree in music. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 156 music students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, music degree recipients usually make around $29,755 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in music from Northwestern University

2
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
208 Music Degrees Awarded
38.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in music has to look into Michigan State University. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 208 music students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Music degree recipients from Michigan State University receive an earnings boost of around $14,755 over the typical earnings of music majors.

More information about a degree in music from Michigan State University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In IN
19.0% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Notre Dame if you want to pursue a degree in music. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were about 21 music students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from University of Notre Dame

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
199 Music Degrees Awarded
4.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in music. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 199 music students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, music degree recipients generally make an average of $20,849 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in music from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

5
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
107 Music Degrees Awarded
$20,910 Median Starting Salary

Located in the fringe town of Oberlin, Oberlin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 8th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 107 music students who graduated with this degree at Oberlin in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career earnings of $20,910.

More information about a degree in music from Oberlin College

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Music Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 69 music students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the music program at University of Wisconsin - Madison make $12,509 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in music from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
374 Music Degrees Awarded
$26,314 Median Starting Salary

IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the small city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were roughly 374 music students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program make around $26,314 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in music from Indiana University - Bloomington

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Music Degrees Awarded
$22,243 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 129 music students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,243.

More information about a degree in music from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Music Degrees Awarded
36.6% Growth in Graduates

Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Wheaton. This college ranks 11th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 41 music students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year. After graduating, music degree recipients generally make about $28,924 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in music from Wheaton College Illinois

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
253 Music Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

UC is a very large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 253 music students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn around $24,783 in their early career salary.

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Music students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
12 Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland, OH
13 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
14 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
15 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
16 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
17 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
18 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH

Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 726
Ohio 314 1,108
Illinois 304 1,091
Indiana 294 599
Wisconsin 273 356

View All Rankings >

Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Music Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Music Performance 1,635
General Music 1,398
Music Theory & Composition 167
Other Music 149
Music Pedagogy 122
Music Technology 119
Voice Performance 114
Jazz Studies 85
Stringed Instruments 82
Keyboard Instruments 65

View All Music Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 5,375
Fine & Studio Arts 4,583
Drama & Theater Arts 2,364
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,727
Arts & Media Management 602
General Visual & Performing Arts 413
Dance 358
Other Visual Art 108
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 32

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options