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Doctor's Degree in Music Theory & Composition

Doctor’s Degrees in Music Theory & Composition

66 Yearly Graduations
33% Women
15% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
A doctor's degree in music composition is offered at 32 colleges in the United States. This degree is more popular with male students, and about 15% of recent graduates were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group. Also, 30.3% of music composition graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Music Composition Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 66 people earned their doctor's degree in music composition. This earns it the #199 spot on the list of the most popular doctor's degree programs in the nation.

The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in music composition at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 344
Doctor’s Degree 66
Graduate Certificate 10

Earnings of Music Composition Majors With Doctor’s Degrees

We are unable to calculate the median earnings for music composition majors with their doctor's degree due to lack of data.

Student Debt

The data on debt ranges for music composition majors who have their doctor's degree is not available.

Student Diversity

More men than women pursue doctor's degrees in music composition. About 66.7% of graduates in this field are male.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 44
Women 22
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The racial-ethnic distribution of music composition doctor’s degree students is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 5
Black or African American 1
Hispanic or Latino 1
White 33
International Students 20
Other Races/Ethnicities 6
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There are 32 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in music composition. Learn more about the most popular 20 below:

6 Yearly Graduations
33% Women

Columbia University in the City of New York tops the list of the most popular school in the U.S. for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree. Roughly 30,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $64,526 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $53,576 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 6 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Columbia.

#2

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
5 Yearly Graduations

The 2nd most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Florida State University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $4,640 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,684 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Florida State.

#2

University of Rochester

Rochester, New York
5 Yearly Graduations
25% Women
38% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

University of Rochester is the 2nd most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in music composition. Each year, around 11,700 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $63,150 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $38,083 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from University of Rochester. About 25% of this group were women, and 38% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

5 Yearly Graduations
100% Women
50% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

The 2nd most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,228 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $13,224 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UC. Around 50% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.

#2

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
5 Yearly Graduations

The 2nd most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Oregon. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $12,240 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $16,659 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 5 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UO.

#6

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
4 Yearly Graduations
100% Women

The 6th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Michigan State University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $16,930 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $20,808 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 4 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Michigan State.

#7

University of Miami

Coral Gables, Florida
3 Yearly Graduations
25% Women
25% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

The 7th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of Miami. Roughly 17,800 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $58,104 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $43,578 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from U Miami. About 25% of this group were women, and 25% were students from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group.

#7

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
3 Yearly Graduations
20% Women

The 7th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Johns Hopkins University. Each year, around 28,800 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $62,840 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $62,840 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Johns Hopkins.

#7

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts
3 Yearly Graduations

The 7th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is Brandeis University. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $64,348 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $61,458 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Brandeis.

#7

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York
3 Yearly Graduations

University at Buffalo comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $7,070 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,310 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from University at Buffalo.

3 Yearly Graduations
40% Women

Case Western Reserve University comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. Roughly 11,400 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $64,100 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $52,360 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 3 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Case Western.

#13

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
2 Yearly Graduations
100% Women

The 13th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is University of California - Santa Cruz. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,834 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $12,264 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UC Santa Cruz. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.

#13

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
2 Yearly Graduations
100% Women

California Institute of the Arts comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $56,074 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $41,140 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from CalArts.

#13

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan
2 Yearly Graduations
33% Women

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is the 13th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in music composition. Each year, around 47,900 students seeking various degrees attend the university. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $17,977 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $27,192 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from U-M.

#13

The Juilliard School

New York, New York
2 Yearly Graduations

The Juilliard School comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in music composition. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $53,300 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $53,300 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 2 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from Juilliard.

#19

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
1 Yearly Graduations
50% Women

University of Missouri - Kansas City is the 19th most popular school in the nation for students seeking a doctor's degree in music composition. Roughly 16,100 attend the school each year. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $11,190 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $11,712 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from UMKC.

#19

The Graduate Center, CUNY

New York, New York
1 Yearly Graduations
100% Women

The 19th most popular school in the country for music composition majors who are seeking their doctor's degree is The Graduate Center, CUNY. The average in-state tuition for full-time undergraduates is $6,930 per year, while in-state graduate students, on average, pay $9,930 per year. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1 people received their doctor's degree in music composition from The Graduate Center. Around 100% of these students were from an underrepresented racial-ethnic group, and 100% were women.

Below are some popular majors that are similar to music composition that offer doctor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
General Music 567
Music Performance 458
Music Pedagogy 61
Keyboard Instruments 52
Musicology & Ethnomusicology 35

References

*The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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