by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 173 bachelor's degrees in music theory & composition during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * 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.
Your choice of music theory & composition for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
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 following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition.
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition needs to check out University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Southern California
University of California - Los Angeles is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of California - Los Angeles
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition has to check out San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFCM is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from San Francisco Conservatory of Music
It's difficult to beat Chapman University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Chapman University
UCSB is a very large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of California - Santa Barbara
University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Redlands.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Redlands
CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Valencia.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from California Institute of the Arts
Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of La Mirada.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Biola University
Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from California Baptist University
Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Academy of Art University
Explore all the Best Music Theory & Composition Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 521 | 21 |
| Oregon | 343 | 15 |
Music Theory & Composition is one of 17 different types of Music programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 710 |
| Music Performance | 493 |
| Music Technology | 86 |
| Jazz Studies | 41 |
| Other Music | 41 |
| Voice Performance | 35 |
| Stringed Instruments | 30 |
| Musicology & Ethnomusicology | 18 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 17 |
| Music Pedagogy | 7 |
