by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 58 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,138 bachelor's degrees in music during the 2022-2023 academic year.
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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 for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. 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 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 ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 colleges for music students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US 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 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.
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.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for music students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
After graduating, music bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $12,947 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Southern California
It is hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduation, music bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $22,125 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Los Angeles
It's difficult to beat University of Washington - Seattle Campus if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Oregon is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. UO is a very large public university located in the city of Eugene.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Oregon
SFCM is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
Bachelor's recipients from the music degree program at San Francisco Conservatory of Music earn $3,572 more than the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Orange.
Soon after graduating, music bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $14,538 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Chapman University
Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Santa Barbara
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - Irvine
Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the small city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Redlands
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, music bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $24,630 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of California - DavisThese are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | California State University - Long Beach | Long Beach, CA |
| 13 | Central Washington University | Ellensburg, WA |
| 14 | Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA |
| 15 | California Institute of the Arts | Valencia, CA |
| 16 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 17 | Biola University | La Mirada, CA |
| 18 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 19 | University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA |
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 262 | 1,679 |
| Washington | 226 | 205 |
| Oregon | 185 | 194 |
| Nevada | 129 | 57 |
| Hawaii | 112 | 12 |
| Alaska | 75 | 12 |
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 974 |
| Music Performance | 611 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 198 |
| Music Technology | 100 |
| Jazz Studies | 54 |
| Other Music | 52 |
| Voice Performance | 45 |
| Stringed Instruments | 32 |
| Musicology & Ethnomusicology | 25 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 21 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 4,865 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 3,146 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 3,102 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,964 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 448 |
| Dance | 384 |
| Arts & Media Management | 266 |
| Other Visual Art | 66 |
