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2024 Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region

40 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,331 Music Degrees Awarded
$30,383 Avg Early-Career Salary
Music is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #43 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 40 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,331 degrees in music to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region The music program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Music rankings. We derive our Best Overall Music School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Music Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Music
Bachelor's Degrees in Music
Master's Degrees in Music
Doctor's Degrees in Music

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Music in the Plains States Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Music

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In MO

Washington University in St Louis is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in music. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 11 music students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Washington University in St Louis

2
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Music Degrees Awarded
$24,029 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in music needs to look into St Olaf College. Located in the town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.

There were about 47 music students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program make an average of $24,029 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in music from St Olaf College

3
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Music Degrees Awarded
18.9% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Luther College if you want to pursue a degree in music. Located in the town of Decorah, Luther is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 7th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 37 music students who graduated with this degree at Luther in the most recent year we have data available. Music degree recipients from Luther College get an earnings boost of about $7,340 above the typical income of music graduates.

More information about a degree in music from Luther College

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Music Degrees Awarded
2.3% Growth in Graduates

University of Iowa is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in music. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 86 music students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program make an average of $28,817 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in music from University of Iowa

5
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IA
54.2% Growth in Graduates

Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Des Moines. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.

There were approximately 24 music students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Drake University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Music Degrees Awarded
$28,941 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Kansas City, UMKC is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 12th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 91 music students who graduated with this degree at UMKC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, music degree recipients typically make around $28,941 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in music from University of Missouri - Kansas City

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
$19,500 Median Student Debt

UNI is a moderately-sized public university located in the small city of Cedar Falls. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were about 21 music students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from University of Northern Iowa

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Music Degrees Awarded
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 12 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Dakota.

There were roughly 36 music students who graduated with this degree at North Dakota State University in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the music degree program at North Dakota State University - Main Campus earn $8,721 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in music from North Dakota State University - Main Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Music Degrees Awarded
$27,439 Median Starting Salary

UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 66 music students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program report average early career wages of $27,439.

More information about a degree in music from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Music Degrees Awarded
$34,152 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 63 music students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available. Those music students who get their degree from University of Kansas receive $3,769 more than the average music student.

More information about a degree in music from University of Kansas

Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Minnesota284262
Missouri283359
Kansas266189
Iowa264227
Nebraska238129
North Dakota21076
South Dakota20433

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Music has other similar majors worth exploring.

Music Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Music973
Music Performance213
Music Theory & Composition32
Music Pedagogy30
Other Music19
Voice Performance17
Conducting16
Jazz Studies14
Keyboard Instruments8
Music Technology5

View All Music Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts2,451
Fine & Studio Arts1,776
Drama & Theater Arts879
Film, Video & Photographic Arts497
General Visual & Performing Arts364
Dance110
Arts & Media Management76
Other Visual Art27

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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