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2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

6 Ranked Colleges
47 Degrees Awarded
$39,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 master’s degree level specifically, there were 47 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 6 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music theory and composition. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music theory and composition programs and 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

The music composition school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 6 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #1 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music composition degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at USC

#2

Mills College

Oakland, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mills College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Mills not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Mills College are $36,263, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Mills College

#3

University of Redlands

Redlands, California

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Redlands landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Redlands is a small school located in Redlands, California that handed out 1 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Redlands are $22,852, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

#4

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco Conservatory of Music landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 8 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFCM, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Francisco Conservatory of Music are $49,050, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music

#5

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #5 spot on the list. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 21 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

CalArts also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of the Arts are $53,466, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at California Institute of the Arts

#6

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#5 in overall quality

Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Academy of Art University also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Academy of Art University

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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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