2025 Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois
5
Colleges in Illinois
32
Music Composition Degrees Awarded
A degree in
music theory & composition is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #390 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 32 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. We derive our Best Overall Music Theory & Composition School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
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
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Read more about 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 Illinois
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music composition degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Illinois Schools in Music Composition
Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in music theory & composition. Located in the small 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
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In IL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great decision for students interested in a degree in music theory & composition. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were about 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
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
It is hard to beat DePaul University if you wish to pursue a degree in music theory & composition. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. This university ranks 7th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 5 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from DePaul University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In IL
Every student pursuing a degree in music theory & composition has to check out Wheaton College Illinois. Located in the suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 13th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were approximately 1 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Wheaton College Illinois in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Wheaton College Illinois
Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chicago. This college ranks 9th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 2 music theory & composition students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in music theory & composition from Columbia College Chicago
