by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 150 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 6,247 master's degrees in music to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
The music master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality music program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for music students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Music Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in music. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in music needs to check out Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career earnings of $21,290.
More information about a master’s in music from Northwestern University
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in music needs to look into New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the music program earn around $32,175 for their early career.
More information about a master’s in music from New York University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in music. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.
After graduating, music master's recipients generally earn an average of $16,971 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in music from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
It's hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a master's degree in music. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career income of $27,510.
More information about a master’s in music from University of Southern California
Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in music from Boston University
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.
Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,761.
More information about a master’s in music from Johns Hopkins UniversityJuilliard is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. Master's graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn an average of $14,101 for their early career. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $23,278. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. Music master's degree recipients from Michigan State University earn a boost of about $10,983 above the typical income of music majors. Located in the city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. Master's graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn an average of $18,056 in their early career salary.7
116
Annual Graduates$14,101
Median Starting Salary8
44
Annual Graduates$23,278
Median Starting Salary9
57
Annual Graduates$42,484
Median Starting Salary10
76
Annual Graduates$18,056
Median Starting Salary
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.
Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career income of $22,513.
More information about a master’s in music from Indiana University - BloomingtonLocated in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music from Texas Christian University SFCM is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco. Master's recipients from the music degree program at San Francisco Conservatory of Music make $3,524 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Coral Gables. Master's students who receive their degree from the music program earn about $25,623 in their early career salary. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg. Master's recipients from the music degree program at Messiah University earn $34,608 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.12
18
Annual Graduates13
104
Annual Graduates$35,025
Median Starting Salary14
54
Annual Graduates$25,623
Median Starting Salary15
36
Annual Graduates$66,109
Median Starting Salary
New School University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
Soon after graduation, music master's recipients typically make about $18,911 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in music from The New SchoolLocated in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. Master's students who receive their degree from the music program make around $15,520 in the first couple years of working. UC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Cincinnati. Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $25,713. Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a master’s in music from Syracuse University Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career income of $27,179.17
49
Annual Graduates$15,520
Median Starting Salary18
105
Annual Graduates$25,713
Median Starting Salary19
20
Annual Graduates20
50
Annual Graduates$27,179
Median Starting Salary
Located in the city of Boston, Berklee College of Music is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career income of $25,163.
More information about a master’s in music from Berklee College of MusicThe New England Conservatory of Music is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. Master's students who receive their degree from the music program make an average of $24,499 for their early career. Manhattan School of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $18,441. Ithaca is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Ithaca.More information about a master’s in music from Ithaca College Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population. Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $21,826.22
183
Annual Graduates$24,499
Median Starting Salary23
233
Annual Graduates$18,441
Median Starting Salary24
12
Annual Graduates25
50
Annual Graduates$21,826
Median Starting Salary
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Music Master's Degree Schools award.Rank College Location 31 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT 32 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC 33 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT 34 University of Denver Denver, CO 35 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH 36 DePaul University Chicago, IL 37 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA 38 University of Oregon Eugene, OR 39 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 40 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX 41 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI 42 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH 43 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 44 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD 45 Baylor University Waco, TX 46 Butler University Indianapolis, IN 47 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO 48 Roosevelt University Chicago, IL 49 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 50 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
View the Best Music Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Music Performance | 2,231 |
| General Music | 1,644 |
| Voice Performance | 356 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 344 |
| Stringed Instruments | 322 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 261 |
| Music Pedagogy | 215 |
| Jazz Studies | 192 |
| Other Music | 173 |
| Music Technology | 125 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,058 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,871 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,756 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,688 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,178 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 327 |
| Other Visual Art | 319 |
| Dance | 244 |
