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2024 Best Music Schools in Illinois

18 Colleges in Illinois
1,138 Music Degrees Awarded
$26,572 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 18 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of music. Combined, these schools handed out 1,138 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 Illinois 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

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 Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Illinois

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.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Music

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

Northwestern University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing 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 approximately 156 music students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the music degree program at Northwestern University earn $3,183 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in music from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Music Degrees Awarded
$22,243 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in music needs to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the 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 roughly 129 music students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career earnings of $22,243.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Music Degrees Awarded
36.6% Growth in Graduates

Wheaton College Illinois is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in music. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Wheaton. A Best Colleges rank of #257 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Wheaton College Illinois is a great college overall.

There were approximately 41 music students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent year we have data available. Those music students who get their degree from Wheaton College Illinois make $2,352 more than the average music student.

More information about a degree in music from Wheaton College Illinois

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Music Degrees Awarded
42.3% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Roosevelt University if you want to pursue a degree in music. Located in the large city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 97 music students who graduated with this degree at Roosevelt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the music program earn about $24,688 for their early career.

More information about a degree in music from Roosevelt University

5
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Music Degrees Awarded
18.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 91 music students who graduated with this degree at DePaul 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 earnings of $20,851.

More information about a degree in music from DePaul University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Music Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 music students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn an average of $25,574 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in music from Illinois State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Music Degrees Awarded
$28,606 Median Starting Salary

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb. This university ranks 24th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 64 music students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the music major at Northern Illinois University get $2,034 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in music from Northern Illinois University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27th Most Popular In IL

Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #309 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 6 music students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Bradley University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In IL

Located in the city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 20th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 9 music students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Wesleyan in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Illinois Wesleyan University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
17th Most Popular In IL
30.8% Growth in Graduates

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 13 music students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from University of Illinois at Chicago

Best Music Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 726
Ohio 314 1,108
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
General Music 543
Music Performance 293
Voice Performance 70
Stringed Instruments 47
Jazz Studies 34
Music Technology 31
Other Music 29
Music Theory & Composition 25
Keyboard Instruments 18
Woodwind Instruments 14

View All Music Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,585
Design & Applied Arts 1,084
Drama & Theater Arts 857
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 538
Arts & Media Management 259
Other Visual Art 67
General Visual & Performing Arts 64
Dance 37
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 2

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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