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 | Johns Hopkins University | 17 | 0% | $71,901 |
| 9 | Vermont College of Fine Arts | 17 | 10% | N/A |
| 10 | Lewis & Clark College | 15 | 2% | $66,526 |
| 11 | Manhattan School of Music | 15 | 5% | $68,685 |
| 12 | San Francisco Conservatory of Music | 14 | 9% | $66,900 |
| 13 | University of Miami | 14 | 0% | $68,460 |
| 14 | Michigan State University | 13 | 0% | $28,862 |
| 15 | Academy of Art University | 13 | 1% | $44,226 |
| 16 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 13 | 0% | $27,476 |
| 17 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 12 | 0% | $24,915 |
| 18 | The New England Conservatory of Music | 12 | 5% | $67,650 |
| 19 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 11 | 0% | $30,298 |
| 20 | Butler University | 10 | 1% | $59,660 |
| 21 | University of Rochester | 10 | 0% | $72,721 |
| 22 | University of Southern California | 10 | 0% | $74,825 |
| 23 | University of Georgia | 10 | 0% | $26,688 |
| 24 | The New School | 10 | 0% | $71,361 |
| 25 | Florida State University | 9 | 0% | $22,168 |
| 26 | Boston University | 9 | 0% | $72,618 |
| 27 | University of Missouri-Kansas City | 9 | 0% | $24,116 |
| 28 | Northwest Vista College | 9 | 0% | $4,311 |
| 29 | The Juilliard School | 9 | 3% | $65,610 |
| 30 | Amarillo College | 8 | 0% | $3,826 |
| 31 | Ithaca College | 8 | 1% | $62,757 |
| 32 | Western Michigan University | 8 | 0% | $26,009 |
| 33 | Brigham Young University-Provo | 7 | 0% | $18,776 |
| 34 | Oberlin College | 7 | 1% | $74,636 |
| 35 | University of Oregon | 7 | 0% | $27,366 |
| 36 | Carnegie Mellon University | 7 | 0% | $72,283 |
| 37 | Musicians Institute | 7 | 2% | $42,255 |
| 38 | CUNY Brooklyn College | 6 | 0% | $8,604 |
| 39 | University of North Texas | 6 | 0% | $24,712 |
| 40 | Los Angeles College of Music | 6 | 15% | $25,204 |
| 41 | Portland State University | 5 | 0% | $26,085 |
| 42 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 5 | 0% | $36,659 |
| 43 | Temple University | 5 | 0% | $33,004 |
| 44 | Cedar Valley College | 5 | 0% | $3,770 |
| 45 | Columbia College Chicago | 5 | 0% | $45,644 |
| 46 | Baldwin Wallace University | 5 | 1% | $47,528 |
| 47 | Rider University | 5 | 0% | $62,140 |
| 48 | Northwestern University | 5 | 0% | $74,649 |
| 49 | Bennington College | 4 | 2% | $73,270 |
| 50 | Sinclair Community College | 4 | 0% | $3,830 |
| 51 | Mills College | 4 | 1% | $47,784 |
| 52 | Central Michigan University | 4 | 0% | $24,889 |
| 53 | Lawrence University | 4 | 1% | $60,141 |
| 54 | Trevecca Nazarene University | 4 | 1% | $39,484 |
| 55 | Western Washington University | 4 | 0% | $24,077 |
| 56 | DigiPen Institute of Technology | 4 | 2% | $46,220 |
| 57 | Los Angeles Film School | 4 | 0% | N/A |
| 58 | Youngstown State University | 3 | 0% | $22,851 |
| 59 | University of Idaho | 3 | 0% | $21,350 |
| 60 | Shenandoah University | 3 | 0% | $47,000 |
| 61 | Biola University | 3 | 0% | $56,956 |
| 62 | Houghton College | 3 | 1% | $45,626 |
| 63 | The College of Idaho | 3 | 1% | $43,349 |
| 64 | Belmont University | 3 | 0% | $52,760 |
| 65 | Rice University | 3 | 0% | $65,150 |
| 66 | Baylor University | 3 | 0% | $62,527 |
| 67 | Madonna University | 3 | 0% | $35,670 |
| 68 | Longy School of Music of Bard College | 3 | 3% | $43,365 |
| 69 | SUNY at Fredonia | 3 | 0% | $23,902 |
| 70 | SUNY College at Potsdam | 3 | 0% | $24,914 |
| 71 | The University of the Arts | 3 | 1% | $67,741 |
| 72 | Arizona State University-Tempe | 2 | 0% | $28,048 |
| 73 | College of the Ozarks | 2 | 1% | $30,220 |
| 74 | Stetson University | 2 | 0% | $63,282 |
| 75 | University of West Georgia | 2 | 0% | $24,396 |
| 76 | University of Central Oklahoma | 2 | 0% | $24,091 |
| 77 | Lynn University | 2 | 0% | $56,823 |
| 78 | Nazareth College | 2 | 0% | $50,235 |
| 79 | University of Denver | 2 | 0% | $67,656 |
| 80 | Converse College | 2 | 1% | $34,230 |
| 81 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 2 | 0% | $30,102 |
| 82 | Syracuse University | 2 | 0% | $70,636 |
| 83 | University of the Pacific | 2 | 0% | $66,971 |
| 84 | Wheaton College | 2 | 0% | $49,300 |
| 85 | Illinois Wesleyan University | 2 | 0% | $61,020 |
| 86 | Southern Methodist University | 2 | 0% | $74,737 |
| 87 | Trinity University | 2 | 0% | $58,840 |
| 88 | Loyola University New Orleans | 2 | 0% | $56,564 |
| 89 | East Carolina University | 2 | 0% | $21,672 |
| 90 | Oral Roberts University | 2 | 0% | $42,660 |
| 91 | Oklahoma City University | 2 | 0% | $44,172 |
| 92 | Catholic University of America | 2 | 0% | $64,560 |
| 93 | Liberty University | 2 | 0% | $40,075 |
| 94 | Keene State College | 2 | 0% | $27,988 |
| 95 | Campbell University | 2 | 0% | $49,640 |
| 96 | The College of Wooster | 2 | 0% | $64,000 |
| 97 | Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico | 2 | 3% | $5,170 |
| 98 | University of St Thomas | 2 | 0% | $47,646 |
| 99 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 1 | 0% | $27,367 |
| 100 | Kent State University at Kent | 1 | 0% | $25,886 |
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.