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2025 Best Music Schools in Massachusetts

10 Colleges in Massachusetts
1,601 Music Degrees Awarded
$29,590 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in music, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #43 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Schools in Massachusetts ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,601 degrees in music annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Music School

Best Music Schools in Massachusetts Your choice of music school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for music schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Music Rankings by 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 Massachusetts list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Music in Massachusetts

The schools below may not offer all types of music degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Massachusetts Schools in Music

1
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
126 Music Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

Boston University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in music. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 126 music students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available. Those music students who get their degree from Boston University make $7,897 more than the typical music grad.

More information about a degree in music from Boston University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
823 Music Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in music needs to look into Berklee College of Music. Located in the large city of Boston, Berklee College of Music is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

There were about 823 music students who graduated with this degree at Berklee College of Music in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $19,482.

More information about a degree in music from Berklee College of Music

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Masters Degree Type
MBA in Music Business Program Name

Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.

More information about a degree in MBA in Music Business from Southern New Hampshire University
3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
218 Music Degrees Awarded
$24,499 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in music needs to take a look at The New England Conservatory of Music. The New England Conservatory of Music is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

There were about 218 music students who graduated with this degree at The New England Conservatory of Music in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career income of $24,499.

More information about a degree in music from The New England Conservatory of Music

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Music Degrees Awarded
12.2% Growth in Graduates

Northeastern University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in music. Northeastern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northeastern is a great university overall.

There were about 41 music students who graduated with this degree at Northeastern in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $21,978.

More information about a degree in music from Northeastern University

5
Williams crest
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30th Most Popular In MA
50.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 13th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 6 music students who graduated with this degree at Williams in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Williams College

6
Tufts crest
Tufts University
Medford, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In MA
11.5% Growth in Graduates

Tufts is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Medford. A Best Colleges rank of #39 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Tufts is a great university overall.

There were approximately 26 music students who graduated with this degree at Tufts in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in music from Tufts University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Music Degrees Awarded
20.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #60 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UMass Amherst is a great university overall.

There were about 69 music students who graduated with this degree at UMass Amherst in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn around $30,429 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in music from University of Massachusetts Amherst

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Music Degrees Awarded
26.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Lowell, UMass Lowell is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 17th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were roughly 57 music students who graduated with this degree at UMass Lowell in the most recent data year. Those music students who get their degree from University of Massachusetts - Lowell receive $5,721 more than the standard music graduate.

More information about a degree in music from University of Massachusetts - Lowell

9
Clark crest
Clark University
Worcester, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In MA

Clark is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Worcester. This university ranks 23rd out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 9 music students who graduated with this degree at Clark in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Clark University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15th Most Popular In MA

Located in the large suburb of Westfield, Westfield is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 29th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were about 5 music students who graduated with this degree at Westfield in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in music from Westfield State University

Best Music Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Music Colleges in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Connecticut 241 420
New Hampshire 210 46
Maine 202 55
Rhode Island 200 72
Vermont 194 63

View All Rankings >

Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Music Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Music Performance 506
General Music 308
Other Music 247
Music Theory & Composition 235
Stringed Instruments 54
Music Pedagogy 47
Jazz Studies 45
Keyboard Instruments 41
Voice Performance 35
Woodwind Instruments 28

View All Music Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Music

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 995
Design & Applied Arts 923
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 743
Drama & Theater Arts 586
Arts & Media Management 352
General Visual & Performing Arts 225
Dance 88
Other Visual Art 45
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 7

View All Music Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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