2023 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Music Bachelor's Degree School for You
With 3,457 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, music is the #35 most popular major in California.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Music Programs
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.
2023 Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for music majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 10 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best school in California for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
Music majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $11,758 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Read full report on Music at University of California - Berkeley
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great place for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Music at San Jose State University Report
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Mount Saint Mary’s University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in California. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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Out of the 42 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Irvine landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Music at University of California - Irvine
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Loyola Marymount University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, music majors at Loyola Marymount accumulate an average of around $20,237 in student debt.
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Cogswell College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of San Jose, Cogswell is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, music graduates from UC Davis carry an average student debtload of $15,969.
Full Music at University of California - Davis Report
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University of California - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Music at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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Sonoma State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree music programs. Located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Music at Sonoma State University Report
Request InformationBest Music Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Music Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 320 |
| Oregon | 299 |
| Nevada | 94 |
| Hawaii | 31 |
| Alaska | 12 |
More Music Rankings in California
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Music that might interest you.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Rankings in Majors Related to Music
One of 10 majors within the area of study, music has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Music
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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