A program that focuses on the study of the principles of sound manipulation as applied to the creation of music, and the techniques of creating and arranging music. Includes instruction in aural theory, melody, counterpoint, complex harmony, modulation, chromatics, improvisation, progressions, musical writing, instrumentation, orchestration, electronic and computer applications, studies of specific musical styles, and development of original creative ability.
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| Rank | School Name | Students | % of Total | Total On-Campus Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full Sail University | 124 | 2% | $24,639 |
| 2 | Berklee College of Music | 68 | 5% | $65,144 |
| 3 | DePaul University | 64 | 1% | $57,678 |
| 4 | New York University | 49 | 0% | $73,566 |
| 5 | California Institute of the Arts | 42 | 11% | $71,135 |
| 6 | Western Connecticut State University | 24 | 2% | $27,481 |
| 7 | SUNY at Purchase College | 18 | 2% | $26,982 |
| 8 | Vermont College of Fine Arts | 17 | 10% | N/A |
| 9 | Johns Hopkins University | 17 | 0% | $71,901 |
| 10 | Manhattan School of Music | 15 | 5% | $68,685 |
| 11 | Lewis & Clark College | 15 | 2% | $66,526 |
| 12 | University of Miami | 14 | 0% | $68,460 |
| 13 | San Francisco Conservatory of Music | 14 | 9% | $66,900 |
| 14 | Academy of Art University | 13 | 1% | $44,226 |
| 15 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 13 | 0% | $27,476 |
| 16 | Michigan State University | 13 | 0% | $28,862 |
| 17 | The New England Conservatory of Music | 12 | 5% | $67,650 |
| 18 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 12 | 0% | $24,915 |
| 19 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 11 | 0% | $30,298 |
| 20 | University of Southern California | 10 | 0% | $74,825 |
| 21 | University of Rochester | 10 | 0% | $72,721 |
| 22 | The New School | 10 | 0% | $71,361 |
| 23 | University of Georgia | 10 | 0% | $26,688 |
| 24 | Butler University | 10 | 1% | $59,660 |
| 25 | Northwest Vista College | 9 | 0% | $4,311 |
| 26 | The Juilliard School | 9 | 3% | $65,610 |
| 27 | Boston University | 9 | 0% | $72,618 |
| 28 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | 9 | 0% | $24,116 |
| 29 | Florida State University | 9 | 0% | $22,168 |
| 30 | Ithaca College | 8 | 1% | $62,757 |
| 31 | Western Michigan University | 8 | 0% | $26,009 |
| 32 | Amarillo College | 8 | 0% | $3,826 |
| 33 | Brigham Young University-Provo | 7 | 0% | $18,776 |
| 34 | University of Oregon | 7 | 0% | $27,366 |
| 35 | Musicians Institute | 7 | 2% | $42,255 |
| 36 | Carnegie Mellon University | 7 | 0% | $72,283 |
| 37 | Oberlin College | 7 | 1% | $74,636 |
| 38 | University of North Texas | 6 | 0% | $24,712 |
| 39 | Los Angeles College of Music | 6 | 15% | $25,204 |
| 40 | CUNY Brooklyn College | 6 | 0% | $8,604 |
| 41 | Portland State University | 5 | 0% | $26,085 |
| 42 | Cedar Valley College | 5 | 0% | $3,770 |
| 43 | Baldwin Wallace University | 5 | 1% | $47,528 |
| 44 | Rider University | 5 | 0% | $62,140 |
| 45 | Columbia College Chicago | 5 | 0% | $45,644 |
| 46 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 5 | 0% | $36,659 |
| 47 | Temple University | 5 | 0% | $33,004 |
| 48 | Northwestern University | 5 | 0% | $74,649 |
| 49 | DigiPen Institute of Technology | 4 | 2% | $46,220 |
| 50 | Sinclair Community College | 4 | 0% | $3,830 |
| 51 | Los Angeles Film School | 4 | 0% | N/A |
| 52 | Bennington College | 4 | 2% | $73,270 |
| 53 | Central Michigan University | 4 | 0% | $24,889 |
| 54 | Mills College | 4 | 1% | $47,784 |
| 55 | Western Washington University | 4 | 0% | $24,077 |
| 56 | Lawrence University | 4 | 1% | $60,141 |
| 57 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 4 | 1% | $39,484 |
| 58 | Longy School of Music of Bard College | 3 | 3% | $43,365 |
| 59 | Shenandoah University | 3 | 0% | $47,000 |
| 60 | SUNY at Fredonia | 3 | 0% | $23,902 |
| 61 | Biola University | 3 | 0% | $56,956 |
| 62 | Rice University | 3 | 0% | $65,150 |
| 63 | The University of the Arts | 3 | 1% | $67,741 |
| 64 | Baylor University | 3 | 0% | $62,527 |
| 65 | The College of Idaho | 3 | 1% | $43,349 |
| 66 | University of Idaho | 3 | 0% | $21,350 |
| 67 | Belmont University | 3 | 0% | $52,760 |
| 68 | Houghton College | 3 | 1% | $45,626 |
| 69 | Youngstown State University | 3 | 0% | $22,851 |
| 70 | Madonna University | 3 | 0% | $35,670 |
| 71 | SUNY College at Potsdam | 3 | 0% | $24,914 |
| 72 | Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico | 2 | 3% | $5,170 |
| 73 | Catholic University of America | 2 | 0% | $64,560 |
| 74 | The College of Wooster | 2 | 0% | $64,000 |
| 75 | Keene State College | 2 | 0% | $27,988 |
| 76 | University of St Thomas | 2 | 0% | $47,646 |
| 77 | Campbell University | 2 | 0% | $49,640 |
| 78 | Liberty University | 2 | 0% | $40,075 |
| 79 | East Carolina University | 2 | 0% | $21,672 |
| 80 | Stetson University | 2 | 0% | $63,282 |
| 81 | University of Central Oklahoma | 2 | 0% | $24,091 |
| 82 | Lynn University | 2 | 0% | $56,823 |
| 83 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 2 | 0% | $30,102 |
| 84 | Trinity University | 2 | 0% | $58,840 |
| 85 | Southern Methodist University | 2 | 0% | $74,737 |
| 86 | Nazareth College | 2 | 0% | $50,235 |
| 87 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 2 | 0% | $61,020 |
| 88 | Wheaton College | 2 | 0% | $49,300 |
| 89 | University of the Pacific | 2 | 0% | $66,971 |
| 90 | Syracuse University | 2 | 0% | $70,636 |
| 91 | Loyola University New Orleans | 2 | 0% | $56,564 |
| 92 | Oklahoma City University | 2 | 0% | $44,172 |
| 93 | University of West Georgia | 2 | 0% | $24,396 |
| 94 | Arizona State University-Tempe | 2 | 0% | $28,048 |
| 95 | Oral Roberts University | 2 | 0% | $42,660 |
| 96 | Converse College | 2 | 1% | $34,230 |
| 97 | University of Denver | 2 | 0% | $67,656 |
| 98 | College of the Ozarks | 2 | 1% | $30,220 |
| 99 | Mississippi College | 1 | 0% | $34,005 |
| 100 | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | 1 | 0% | $38,578 |
This list indicates the number of students that completed the Music Theory and Composition program at the schools above.
It is not necessarily an indicator of academic rigor or quality of education.
Note that some schools do not have enough data to be ranked, and these schools will not appear in our lists.