by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 60 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,500 bachelor's degrees in music during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
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.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full 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.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat New York University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program earn around $24,398 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from New York University
It is hard to beat University of Rochester if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Soon after graduating, music bachelor's recipients generally earn about $14,310 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Rochester
Carnegie Mellon University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Carnegie Mellon University
Johns Hopkins University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program earn around $16,479 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Johns Hopkins University
Ithaca is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small suburb of Ithaca.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program earn about $23,119 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Ithaca College
New School University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
After graduation, music bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $12,109 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from The New School
Located in the large city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career wages of $23,856.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Catholic University of America
Juilliard is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in music from The Juilliard School
Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $19,507 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Temple University
Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program make about $18,574 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Syracuse University
Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York get an earnings boost of about $8,147 over the typical income of music graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Columbia University in the City of New York
Manhattan School of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Manhattan School of Music
These 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 Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ |
| 14 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 15 | The College of New Jersey | Ewing, NJ |
| 16 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY |
| 17 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 18 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 19 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 20 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 275 | 1,120 |
| Pennsylvania | 274 | 632 |
| Maryland | 207 | 209 |
| New Jersey | 193 | 433 |
| Delaware | 130 | 17 |
| District of Columbia | 126 | 87 |
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 1,047 |
| Music Performance | 711 |
| Music Technology | 181 |
| Jazz Studies | 119 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 95 |
| Voice Performance | 85 |
| Stringed Instruments | 73 |
| Music History | 59 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 45 |
| Woodwind Instruments | 26 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Design & Applied Arts | 4,200 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,951 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 2,902 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,571 |
| Dance | 779 |
| Arts & Media Management | 674 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 481 |
| Other Visual Art | 212 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 7 |
