by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 402 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of general music. Combined, these schools handed out 7,729 bachelor's degrees in general music to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of general music for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for general music students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Music Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in general music. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general music. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Northwestern University
University of Southern California is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in general music. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Southern California
It's difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general music. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from The University of Texas at Austin
It's difficult to beat Emory University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general music. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Emory University
Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Vanderbilt University
U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Notre Dame
Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from New York University
Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Duke University
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 general music from Michigan State University
Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Hanover.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Dartmouth College
Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Southern Methodist University
Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Texas Christian University
Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Yale University
Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Washington University in St Louis
Located in the city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Miami
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of California - Berkeley
Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Boston University
Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Florida State University
Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from Brandeis University
Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general music from University of Pennsylvania
This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best General Music Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 402 different United States general music schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 52 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 53 | Drake University | Des Moines, IA |
| 54 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 55 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 56 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 57 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 58 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 58 | Messiah University | Mechanicsburg, PA |
| 59 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 60 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best General Music Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 62 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 63 | University of Redlands | Redlands, CA |
| 64 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 65 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 66 | Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 67 | University of Tulsa | Tulsa, OK |
| 68 | University of Oregon | Eugene, OR |
| 69 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| 70 | University of Missouri - Kansas City | Kansas City, MO |
| 71 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 72 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 73 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 74 | Catholic University of America | Washington, DC |
| 75 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 76 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 77 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 78 | University of Missouri - Columbia | Columbia, MO |
| 78 | University of Idaho | Moscow, ID |
| 79 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 80 | University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ |
View the Best General Music Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
General Music is one of 17 different types of Music programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Music Performance | 4,124 |
| Other Music | 778 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 655 |
| Music Technology | 637 |
| Jazz Studies | 379 |
| Voice Performance | 331 |
| Stringed Instruments | 180 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 164 |
| Music Pedagogy | 122 |
| Music History | 115 |
