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2025 Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region

6 Colleges in the New England Region
558 Master's Degrees
$26,840 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your master's degree in music, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #36 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 558 master's degrees in music to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Music School for Your Master's Degree

Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region The music master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality music program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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 for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

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 schools for music students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the New England Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Music in the New England Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in music.

10 Top New England Region Schools for a Master's in Music

1
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, CT

It is hard to beat Yale University if you want to pursue a master's degree in music. Located in the city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, music master's recipients typically make around $21,250 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in music from Yale University

1
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
56 Annual Graduates

Boston University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in music. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in music from Boston University

2

Berklee College of Music is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a master's degree in music. Located in the city of Boston, Berklee College of Music is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn around $25,163 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a master’s in music from Berklee College of Music

3

The New England Conservatory of Music is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a master's degree in music. The New England Conservatory of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.

Soon after graduation, music master's recipients generally make around $24,499 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in music from The New England Conservatory of Music

3
Dartmouth crest
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
4 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Dartmouth College if you wish to pursue a master's degree in music. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the town of Hanover.More information about a master’s in music from Dartmouth College

4
UHart crest
University of Hartford
West Hartford, CT

It's hard to beat University of Hartford if you want to pursue a master's degree in music. UHart is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of West Hartford.

Those music students who get their master's degree from University of Hartford receive $2,198 more than the standard music grad.

More information about a master’s in music from University of Hartford

4
3 Annual Graduates

Brandeis University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in music. Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in music from Brandeis University

5

Located in the small city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a very large student population.

Those music students who get their master's degree from University of Massachusetts Amherst receive $3,589 more than the standard music grad.

More information about a master’s in music from University of Massachusetts Amherst

6
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Lowell, UMass Lowell is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music from University of Massachusetts - Lowell

7
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in music from Brown University

Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the New England Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Massachusetts 222 381
Connecticut 153 188
Rhode Island 127 6
New Hampshire 108 7
Vermont 91 7
Maine 90 7

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Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Music Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Music Performance 191
General Music 62
Stringed Instruments 61
Music Theory & Composition 46
Keyboard Instruments 41
Voice Performance 38
Music Pedagogy 29
Jazz Studies 27
Woodwind Instruments 20
Brass Instruments 15

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 286
Arts & Media Management 153
Design & Applied Arts 125
Drama & Theater Arts 113
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 72
General Visual & Performing Arts 59
Other Visual Art 31
Dance 7

Notes and References

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