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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $0-$30k) in California

13 Ranked Colleges
82 Degrees Awarded
$25,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,117 people earned their degree in music theory and composition, making the major the 415th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 253 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 82 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 13 colleges that offered a degree in music theory and composition. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music theory and composition programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at UCLA

#2

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSB Music Theory & Composition Report

#3

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Southern California

#4

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Redlands. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit institution located in Redlands, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $21,763 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

#5

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of the Pacific. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Stockton, California that handed out 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $21,972 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of the Pacific.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Pacific

#6

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

PLNU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $25,073 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Point Loma Nazarene University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Point Loma Nazarene University Music Theory & Composition Report

#7

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Biola University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Mirada, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Biola also took the #9 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Biola University is $25,135 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Biola University Music Theory & Composition Report

#8

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

San Francisco Conservatory of Music ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Francisco Conservatory of Music is located in San Francisco, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

SFCM also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco Conservatory of Music is $29,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SFCM Music Theory & Composition Report

#9

Chapman University

Orange, California
#4 in overall quality

Chapman University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Chapman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 5 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Chapman did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman University is $33,219 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Chapman

#10

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#5 in overall quality

Pepperdine University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Pepperdine University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Malibu, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pepperdine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Pepperdine University is $31,185 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Pepperdine University Music Theory & Composition Report

#11

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#7 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California Institute of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

CalArts also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend CalArts is $43,576 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at CalArts

#12

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#12 in overall quality

Academy of Art University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also took the #12 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,390 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Academy of Art University.

Full Academy of Art University Music Theory & Composition Report

#13

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, California
#13 in overall quality

Los Angeles Film School ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles Film School is a private for-profit institution located in Hollywood, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

LA Film School did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for LA Film School is $30,421 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at LA Film School

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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