2023 Best Music Master's Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Music Master'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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Music Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in California to see which master'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 Master’s Degree Schools in California
Check out the music master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Music Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in California for music students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Music Master’s Degree 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.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.
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The excellent master’s degree programs at Azusa Pacific University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in California. Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for music students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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University of California - San Diego ranked #6 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.
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University of California - Davis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.
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University of California - Santa Barbara 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 #8 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their master’s degree. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
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University of Redlands landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree music programs. Located in the small city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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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