Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Music Master's Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Music Master's Degree Schools in California

26 Colleges
$27,036 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Music Master's Degree School for You

With 629 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, music is the #40 most popular major in California.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Music Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 26 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for music majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 10 Best Music Master's Degree Schools

Our analysis found University of California - Berkeley to be the best school for music students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

The excellent master’s degree programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in California. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Music at University of California - Irvine

Out of the 26 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Azusa Pacific University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Music at Azusa Pacific University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Music at University of California - Los Angeles

With a ranking of #6, University of California - San Diego did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their master’s degree. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

Read More…

University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #8 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Music at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

University of Southern California ranked #9 on this year’s Best Music Master’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read More…

#10

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA

University of Redlands landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree music programs. Located in the city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Music at University of Redlands

Best Music Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Music Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 63
Oregon 74
Nevada 33
Hawaii 8
Alaska 0

One of 9 majors within the area of study, music has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 3,224
Design & Applied Arts 1,979
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,704
Drama & Theater Arts 1,699
Arts & Media Management 1,184

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S.