2025 Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Great Lakes Region
20
Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
163
Music Composition Degrees Awarded
Music Theory & Composition is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #390 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 163 degrees in music theory & composition annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
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Featured Music Theory & Composition Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Music Theory & Composition School
Your choice of music theory & composition school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for music theory & composition schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Music Theory & Composition Rankings by Degree Level
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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision.
If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
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.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
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Featured Music Theory & Composition Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More
Best Schools for Music Theory & Composition in the Great Lakes Region
The schools below may not offer all types of music composition degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Music Composition
Any student who is interested in music theory & composition has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were approximately 7 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Northwestern University
Every student who is interested in music theory & composition has to check out University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were about 21 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Masters
Degree Type
MBA in Music Business
Program Name
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
More information about a degree in MBA in Music Business from Southern New Hampshire University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In MI
Michigan State University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in music theory & composition. Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 11 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Michigan State University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In OH
It is hard to beat University of Cincinnati - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in music theory & composition. Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.
There were about 22 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IL
UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 1 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
