by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 41 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,666 bachelor's degrees in music during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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.
Your choice of music for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality music program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 schools for 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 Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
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.
It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career earnings of $12,947.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Southern California
It's difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career earnings of $22,125.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Los Angeles
It is hard to beat San Francisco Conservatory of Music if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. SFCM is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from San Francisco Conservatory of Music earn a boost of approximately $4,678 above the average income of music majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Chapman University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Orange.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career income of $14,538.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Chapman University
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Santa Barbara
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Irvine
Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Redlands
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Davis earn a boost of approximately $2,392 over the typical earnings of music majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Davis
CSULB is a very large public university located in the city of Long Beach.
Soon after graduating, music bachelor's recipients usually make around $18,352 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from California State University - Long BeachExplore all the Best Music Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 226 | 205 |
| Oregon | 185 | 194 |
| Nevada | 129 | 57 |
| Hawaii | 112 | 12 |
| Alaska | 75 | 12 |
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 710 |
| Music Performance | 493 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 173 |
| Music Technology | 86 |
| Jazz Studies | 41 |
| Other Music | 41 |
| Voice Performance | 35 |
| Stringed Instruments | 30 |
| Musicology & Ethnomusicology | 18 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 17 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,997 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,722 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 2,456 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,591 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 416 |
| Dance | 300 |
| Arts & Media Management | 257 |
| Other Visual Art | 28 |
