19
Colleges in the United States
458
Doctor's Degrees
If you pursue a doctor's degree in
music performance, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #53 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Performance Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 458 doctor's degrees in music performance during the <nil> academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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Featured Music Performance Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More
Your choice of music performance for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality music performance program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to music performance students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of music performance students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized music performance related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for music performance students working on their doctor'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 Performance Doctor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
ADVERTISEMENTS
Featured Music Performance Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More