Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Music Theory & Composition

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

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 $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 $30-$48k” 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 6 colleges that offer a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Music Theory & Composition Schools

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 $30-$48k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 6 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $30-$48k) in California

#1

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at USC

#2

University of Redlands

Redlands, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Redlands. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Redlands is located in Redlands, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

University of Redlands also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Redlands are $22,852, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

#3

Mills College

Oakland, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 6 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Mills College landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Oakland, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified masters’s music composition 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 are $36,263, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Mills College Music Theory & Composition Report

#4

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco Conservatory of Music. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. SFCM is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 8 masters’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree music composition students whose families make $30-$48k list, SFCM has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SFCM are $49,050.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music

#5

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of the Arts. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Valencia, 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 21 students in 2019-2020.

CalArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CalArts 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 landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree music composition students whose families make $30-$48k list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. 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

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Performing Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You