Doctor’s Degrees in Music Theory & Composition
Education Levels of Music Composition Majors
During the most recent year for which data is available, 66 people earned their doctor's degree in music composition. This makes it the 199th most popular doctor's degree program in the country.
The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in music composition at each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 707 |
| Master’s Degree | 344 |
| Associate Degree | 89 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 66 |
| Basic Certificate | 14 |
| Graduate Certificate | 10 |
| Undergraduate Certificate | 6 |
Earnings of Music Composition Majors With Doctor’s Degrees
At this time, we do not have the data to estimate the median earnings for this class of people.
Student Debt
The data on debt ranges for music composition majors who have their doctor's degree is not available.
Student Diversity
More men than women pursue doctor's degrees in music composition. About 66.7% of graduates in this field are male.
| Gender | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Men | 44 |
| Women | 22 |
The racial-ethnic distribution of music composition doctor’s degree students is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 5 |
| Black or African American | 1 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1 |
| White | 33 |
| International Students | 20 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 6 |
Most Popular Music Composition Programs for Doctor’s Degrees
There are 32 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in music composition. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:
The most popular school in the United States for music composition students seekinga doctor's degree is Columbia University in the City of New York. Each year, around 30,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $64,526 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $53,576 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 6 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Columbia.
University of Rochester is the 2nd most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in music composition. Roughly 11,700 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $63,150 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $38,083 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from University of Rochester. About 25% of this group were women, and 38% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
The 2nd most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,228 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,224 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UC. Around 50% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
The 2nd most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Oregon. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,240 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $16,659 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UO.
The 2nd most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Florida State University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,640 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,684 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Florida State.
The 6th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Michigan State University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $16,930 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $20,808 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 4 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Michigan State.
The 7th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Miami. Each year, around 17,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $58,104 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $43,578 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from U Miami. About 25% of this group were women, and 25% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.
Case Western Reserve University comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. Each year, around 11,400 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $64,100 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $52,360 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Case Western.
The 7th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Johns Hopkins University. Roughly 28,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $62,840 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $62,840 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Johns Hopkins.
The 7th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Brandeis University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $64,348 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $61,458 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Brandeis.
University at Buffalo comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,070 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,310 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from University at Buffalo.
California Institute of the Arts comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $56,074 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $41,140 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from CalArts.
The 13th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of California - Santa Cruz. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,834 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,264 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UC Santa Cruz. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.
The Juilliard School comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $53,300 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $53,300 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Juilliard.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is the 13th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in music composition. Roughly 47,900 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $17,977 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $27,192 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from U-M.
University of Missouri - Kansas City is the 19th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in music composition. Each year, around 16,100 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,190 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,712 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UMKC.
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Related Majors
Below are some popular majors that are similar to music composition that offer doctor’s degrees.
| Major | Annual Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| General Music | 567 |
| Music Performance | 458 |
| Music Pedagogy | 61 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 52 |
| Musicology & Ethnomusicology | 35 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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