by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 109 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Music Performance Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,066 master's degrees in music performance during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The music performance master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. 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:
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 for a Master's Degree 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 music performance students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Music Performance Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
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 master's degree in music performance. 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 a good choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in music performance. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in music performance from Northwestern University
Yale University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in music performance. Located in the medium-sized city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music performance from Yale University
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in music performance needs to take a look at University of Southern California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in music performance from University of Southern California
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in music performance needs to take a look at New York University. 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 master’s in music performance from New York University
Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music performance from Michigan State University
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a master’s in music performance from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in music performance from Carnegie Mellon University
U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.More information about a master’s in music performance from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in music performance from Boston University
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.More information about a master’s in music performance from Indiana University - Bloomington
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 master’s in music performance from Texas Christian University
Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music performance from Southern Methodist University
Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music performance from University of Miami
Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.More information about a master’s in music performance from Messiah University
Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music performance from University of Rochester
The New England Conservatory of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in music performance from The New England Conservatory of Music
Here are some additional great schools for Music Performance students that almost earned our Best Music Performance Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 18 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 19 | Berklee College of Music | Boston, MA |
| 20 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 21 | Manhattan School of Music | New York, NY |
| 22 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 23 | The New School | New York, NY |
| 24 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 25 | Cleveland Institute of Music | Cleveland, OH |
View the Best Music Performance Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Music Performance is one of 17 different types of Music programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 1,777 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 297 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 262 |
| Stringed Instruments | 249 |
| Voice Performance | 246 |
| Other Music | 192 |
| Jazz Studies | 183 |
| Music Pedagogy | 138 |
| Conducting | 111 |
| Music Technology | 67 |
