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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California

7 Ranked Colleges
29 Degrees Awarded
$40,700 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2021-2022, 1,194 people earned their degree in music theory & composition, making the major the 390th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 297 music theory & composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 29 music theory & composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California” ranking, we looked at 7 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.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree music composition students.

Top 7 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of the Arts. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California list. CalArts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 9 masters’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full CalArts Music Theory & Composition Report

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

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco Conservatory of Music landed the #2 spot on the list. SFCM is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at SFCM

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

Out of the 7 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #3 spot on the list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 12 masters’s music composition degrees in 2021-2022.

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 Academy of Art University

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 California. Located in Redlands, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified masters’s music composition students in 2021-2022.

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 full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

6
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California ranking. 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 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 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 University of Southern California

7

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Composition Major in California list. 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.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at UC Santa Cruz

Notes and References

References

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