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2024 Best Music Schools in Pennsylvania

19 Colleges in Pennsylvania
987 Music Degrees Awarded
$28,370 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in music is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #43 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 987 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 Pennsylvania Your choice of music school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Music School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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 Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Music in Pennsylvania

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the music degree levels they offer.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Music

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Music Degrees Awarded
16.0% Growth in Graduates

Carnegie Mellon University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in music. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were about 94 music students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, music degree recipients typically make around $22,609 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in music from Carnegie Mellon University

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
25th Most Popular In PA

It's difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a degree in music. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

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

More information about a degree in music from University of Pennsylvania

3
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Music Degrees Awarded
9.8% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Messiah University if you want to pursue a degree in music. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg. This university ranks 31st out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 61 music students who graduated with this degree at Messiah in the most recent data year. Those music students who get their degree from Messiah University make $31,046 more than the typical music student.

More information about a degree in music from Messiah University

4
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34th Most Popular In PA
20.0% Growth in Graduates

Lafayette College is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in music. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Easton. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lafayette is a great college overall.

There were approximately 5 music students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Lafayette College

5
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Music Degrees Awarded
$26,116 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #147 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 130 music students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music degree recipients usually earn an average of $26,116 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in music from Temple University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Music Degrees Awarded
$36,810 Median Starting Salary

WCUPA is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of West Chester. A Best Colleges rank of #241 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WCUPA is a great university overall.

There were about 90 music students who graduated with this degree at WCUPA in the most recent data year. Music degree recipients from West Chester University of Pennsylvania get an earnings boost of around $8,440 above the typical income of music graduates.

More information about a degree in music from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In PA
31 Music Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #79 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 31 music students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available.

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

8
Moravian crest
Moravian College
Bethlehem, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21st Most Popular In PA
$27,774 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Bethlehem, Moravian is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 36th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 11 music students who graduated with this degree at Moravian in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Moravian College

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$37,538 Median Starting Salary

SRU is a medium-sized public university located in the distant town of Slippery Rock. A Best Colleges rank of #546 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SRU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 music students who graduated with this degree at SRU in the most recent year we have data available. Music degree recipients from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania receive an earnings boost of approximately $9,168 over the average income of music majors.

More information about a degree in music from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$26,124 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Annville, LVC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 37th out of 109 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 25 music students who graduated with this degree at LVC 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 income of $26,124.

More information about a degree in music from Lebanon Valley College

Best Music Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Music Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 2,227
Maryland 279 372
New Jersey 273 586
District of Columbia 188 117
Delaware 175 43

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 441
Music Performance 368
Music Technology 68
Jazz Studies 18
Voice Performance 14
Keyboard Instruments 13
Other Music 13
Music Theory & Composition 12
Music Pedagogy 12
Music History 11

View All Music Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,282
Fine & Studio Arts 1,173
Drama & Theater Arts 762
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 589
Dance 290
Arts & Media Management 264
General Visual & Performing Arts 204
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 16
Other Visual Art 1

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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