2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
47
Ranked Colleges
1,004
Degrees Awarded
$25,796
Avg Salary
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 25,860 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States. In , music graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $27,123 and had an average of $27,532 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 3,842 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,923 and $29,360 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,004 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,182 and $43,142 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 47 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their music program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree music students.
Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cleveland Institute of Music. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland Institute of Music is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 40 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Music at Cleveland Institute of Music
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Roosevelt University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Roosevelt University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 29 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Roosevelt University
Out of the 47 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 69 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at BGSU
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Indiana University - Bloomington. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 139 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Music Report
Out of the 47 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 116 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UC Music Report
With a ranking of #6, Butler University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Butler is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Indianapolis, Indiana. It awarded 9 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music at Butler
Carthage College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and it awarded 11 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Carthage College
Eastern Illinois University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 14 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Eastern Illinois University Music Report
With a ranking of #9, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 13 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Columbia College Chicago
Andrews University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Berrien Springs, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s music degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Andrews University Music Report
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 62 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 99%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Northwestern University
Michigan State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 50 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Read more about Music at Michigan State University
DePaul University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. DePaul is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 37 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full DePaul University Music Report
With a ranking of #14, North Park University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. North Park University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full North Park Music Report
Illinois State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Illinois State University
Northern Illinois University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 24 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Northern Illinois University Music Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 69 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full U-M Music Report
With a ranking of #18, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 17 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Western Illinois University
With a ranking of #19, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Northeastern Illinois University
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 24 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at WMU
With a ranking of #21, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Youngstown State University ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 3 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Youngstown State University Music Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 44 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at UIUC
Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Athens, Ohio, and it awarded 37 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at OHIO Athens
Ball State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 17 masters’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Ball State University Music Report
