by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 20 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of music. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 858 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 the Plains States Region 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 hard to beat Luther College if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Luther is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Decorah.
Bachelor's recipients from the music major at Luther College get $14,659 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Luther College
St Olaf College is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Northfield.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $24,732.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from St Olaf College
University of Iowa is a great decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from University of Iowa get an earnings boost of around $8,413 over the typical earnings of music graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Iowa
University of Northern Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,175.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Northern Iowa
Mizzou is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia.
Bachelor's recipients from the music degree program at University of Missouri - Columbia earn $5,231 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Missouri - Columbia
Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program make about $25,803 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
UMKC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Kansas City.
After graduation, music bachelor's recipients generally make about $22,315 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Missouri - Kansas City
KU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lawrence.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Kansas
Located in the town of Grinnell, Grinnell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Grinnell College
WSU is a large public university located in the large city of Wichita.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Wichita State University
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 228 | 226 |
| Minnesota | 215 | 197 |
| Iowa | 197 | 177 |
| Kansas | 184 | 102 |
| Nebraska | 180 | 76 |
| North Dakota | 149 | 62 |
| South Dakota | 148 | 21 |
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 645 |
| Music Performance | 137 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 19 |
| Other Music | 17 |
| Music Pedagogy | 13 |
| Jazz Studies | 11 |
| Voice Performance | 6 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 5 |
| Music Technology | 4 |
| Music History | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,410 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 1,347 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 648 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 452 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 222 |
| Dance | 76 |
| Arts & Media Management | 44 |
| Other Visual Art | 4 |
