2023 Best Music Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Music Master'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 Master's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 260 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best master'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 Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Music Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Music
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for music students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Out of the 260 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Dartmouth College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college 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 Messiah University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means The Graduate Center, CUNY is a great place for music students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large 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 Kansas State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public college with a very large student population.
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Brandeis University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
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Michigan State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree music programs. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Nebraska - Lincoln did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their master’s degree. UNL is a very large public school located in the city of Lincoln.
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University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree music programs. UNK is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kearney.
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Sam Houston State University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree music programs. Located in the town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public school with a very large student population.
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University of California - Berkeley ranked #12 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public college with a very large student population.
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Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Texas A&M Kingsville is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kingsville.
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Colorado State University - Fort Collins came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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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 master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the suburb of Charlottesville.
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With a ranking of #17, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of El Paso, UTEP is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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James Madison University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree music programs. Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly 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 master’s degree. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
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Eastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #21 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. WCUPA is a large public school located in the suburb of West Chester.
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Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the town of Stillwater, OSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Texas Christian University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. TCU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Worth.
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Northwestern University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
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West Texas A&M University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
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Additional 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 Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 41 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 42 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 43 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 44 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 45 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 46 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 47 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 48 | Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans, LA |
| 49 | The University of Montana | Missoula, MT |
| 50 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 51 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 52 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
Music by Region
View the Best Music Master'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.
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