by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for music theory & composition students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 198 bachelor's degrees in music theory & composition to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
The music composition bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality music composition program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for music theory & composition students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition.
It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Southern California
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition needs to look into University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of California - Los Angeles
It is difficult to beat University of Oregon if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. UO is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Eugene.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Oregon
It's hard to beat San Francisco Conservatory of Music if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. SFCM is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Chapman University
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the small city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Redlands
Located in the large suburb of Valencia, CalArts is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from California Institute of the Arts
Located in the large suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Biola University
WWU is a large public university located in the city of Bellingham.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Western Washington University
Explore the best music theory & composition schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 643 | 154 |
| Washington | 521 | 21 |
| Oregon | 343 | 15 |
One of 17 majors within the Music area of study, Music Theory & Composition has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 974 |
| Music Performance | 611 |
| Music Technology | 100 |
| Jazz Studies | 54 |
| Other Music | 52 |
| Voice Performance | 45 |
| Stringed Instruments | 32 |
| Musicology & Ethnomusicology | 25 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 21 |
| Music Pedagogy | 9 |
