by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 20 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for music theory & composition students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 90 bachelor's degrees in music theory & composition to qualified students.
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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.
The music composition bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality music composition program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for music theory & composition students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition.
Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Northwestern University
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition has to look into University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Michigan State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Michigan State University
It is hard to beat University of Cincinnati - Main Campus if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. UC is a very large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the town of Oberlin, Oberlin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Oberlin College
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from DePaul University
Lawrence U is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Appleton.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Lawrence University
Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Western Michigan University
Explore the best music theory & composition schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
One of 17 majors within the Music area of study, Music Theory & Composition has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 910 |
| Music Performance | 777 |
| Other Music | 103 |
| Music Technology | 89 |
| Jazz Studies | 78 |
| Voice Performance | 72 |
| Music Pedagogy | 55 |
| Stringed Instruments | 25 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 19 |
| Music History | 18 |
