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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in the Far Western US Region

10 Ranked Colleges
35 Degrees Awarded
$39,400 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Music Theory & Composition is the 390th most popular major in the country with 1,194 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 331 music theory & composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 35 music theory & composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $62,396 and $49,784 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in music theory & composition. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their music theory & composition program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region”.

Top 10 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in the Far Western US Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of the Arts. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region. Located in Valencia, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified masters’s music composition students in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at CalArts

2
SFCM crest
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, California

Out of the 10 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco Conservatory of Music landed the #2 spot on the list. SFCM is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 5 masters’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.

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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at SFCM

3
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region list. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 12 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Academy of Art University Music Theory & Composition Report

4
5
University of Redlands crest
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Redlands. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 1 masters’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 University of Southern California

7
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of Oregon is a large public school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 3 masters’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 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%.

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

8
CWU crest
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, Washington

With a ranking of #8, Central Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region list. CWU is located in Ellensburg, Washington and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CWU Music Theory & Composition Report

9

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UW Seattle is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 1 masters’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.

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.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at UW Seattle

10

University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full UC Santa Cruz Music Theory & Composition Report

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Notes and References

References

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