2023 Best Music Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Music Doctor's Degree School for You
Music is the #43 most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Best Music Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 90 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
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 Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the music doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Music Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for music students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Michigan State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Brandeis University is a great place for music students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Full Music at Northwestern University Report
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With a ranking of #6, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Music at The University of Texas at Austin
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With a ranking of #7, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their doctor’s degree. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Fargo.
Read full report on Music at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
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University of California - Berkeley landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree music programs. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Music at University of California - Berkeley
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University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
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James Madison University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree music programs. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a very large student population.
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Rice University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Music at Rice University Report
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University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree music programs. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Music at University of Wisconsin - Madison
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University of California - Los Angeles ranked #13 on this year’s Best Music Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
Read full report on Music at University of California - Los Angeles
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
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 Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 15 | University of Rochester | Rochester, NY |
| 16 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 17 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 18 | Washington University in St Louis | Saint Louis, MO |
Music by Region
View the Best Music Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Music Rankings
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.
Majors Similar 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.