2023 Best Music Schools in California
Finding the Best Music 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.
The Best Music Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
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 Schools in California
Check out the music programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Music Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best school in California for music students. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Music at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
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The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in California. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Music at University of California - Berkeley
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Music Schools in California list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Full Music at Mount Saint Mary’s University Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Music Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
Full Music at San Jose State University Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Irvine is a great place for music students. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #6, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
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Cogswell College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of San Jose, Cogswell is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, music majors at Cogswell accumulate an average of around $35,410 in student debt.
Full Music at Cogswell College Report
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University of California - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Best Music Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from UCLA carry an average student debtload of $22,144.
Full Music at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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University of California - Davis came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at UC Davis take out is $17,500.
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Sonoma State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Music at Sonoma State University
Request InformationBest Music Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Music Colleges 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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