2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major
32
Ranked Colleges
62
Degrees Awarded
$36,700
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major” ranking.
Music Theory & Composition is the 390th most popular major in the country with 1,194 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 62 music theory & composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major” ranking, we looked at 32 colleges that offer a degree in music theory & composition. That schools that top this list have a program in music theory & composition in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major”.
Top 32 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The New England Conservatory of Music. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major. The New England Conservatory of Music is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 12 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at The New England Conservatory of Music
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Juilliard School. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music composition students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at The Juilliard School
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Five Towns College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Five Towns College is located in Dix Hills, New York and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 doctorate’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Five Towns College Music Theory & Composition Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of the Arts. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major. California Institute of the Arts is a small school located in Valencia, California that handed out 2 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at California Institute of the Arts
Out of the 32 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandeis University landed the #5 spot on the list. Brandeis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Brandeis
University of Rochester did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking, coming in at #6. Rochester, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of Rochester Music Theory & Composition Report
Rice University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music composition students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Rice University
University of Oregon landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. This large school is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Oregon
Case Western Reserve University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Cleveland, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Case Western
With a ranking of #10, University of Miami did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Coral Gables, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Miami
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s music composition students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Columbia University in the City of New York
With a ranking of #12, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 6 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Music Theory & Composition Report
Florida State University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 Florida State University Music Theory & Composition Report
The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. The Graduate Center, CUNY is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full The Graduate Center Music Theory & Composition Report
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking, coming in at #15. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at UC Santa Cruz
University at Buffalo ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. University at Buffalo is located in Buffalo, New York and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University at Buffalo Music Theory & Composition Report
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking, coming in at #17. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music composition students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Michigan State
With a ranking of #18, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Johns Hopkins Music Theory & Composition Report
University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Kansas City, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Missouri - Kansas City Music Theory & Composition Report
With a ranking of #20, Boston University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 Boston University Music Theory & Composition Report
With a ranking of #21, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #22, University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Columbia, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s music composition degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad 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 University of South Carolina - Columbia Music Theory & Composition Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UW Seattle Music Theory & Composition Report
Cleveland Institute of Music ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. This small school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Cleveland Institute of Music
Catholic University of America came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. CUA is a small school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 2 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Catholic University of America
Cornell University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major list. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 0 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Cornell Music Theory & Composition Report
Manhattan School of Music landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Manhattan School of Music is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 2 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Manhattan School of Music
Stanford University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Stanford University
Northwestern University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 1 doctorate’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Northwestern
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at BYU
University of Southern California landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at USC
Kent State University at Kent came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Music Composition Major ranking. Located in Kent, Ohio, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s music composition students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Kent State University at Kent
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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.
