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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

24 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
1,478 Master's Degrees
$32,707 Avg Early-Career Salary
Music is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #36 most popular master's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 24 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,478 master's degrees in music to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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Choosing a Great Music School for Your Master's Degree

Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region The music master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality music program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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 for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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 schools for music students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Music Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Music in the Middle Atlantic Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for music students seeking a a master's degree.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for a Master's in Music

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in music has to take a look at New York University. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career income of $32,175.

More information about a master’s in music from New York University

2

It's hard to beat Johns Hopkins University if you want to pursue a master's degree in music. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.

Soon after graduation, music master's recipients generally earn around $30,761 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in music from Johns Hopkins University

3
Juilliard crest
The Juilliard School
New York, NY

It is difficult to beat The Juilliard School if you want to pursue a master's degree in music. Juilliard is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career wages of $14,101.

More information about a master’s in music from The Juilliard School

4

It's difficult to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in music. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

After graduating, music master's recipients usually earn an average of $23,278 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in music from Carnegie Mellon University

5

Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $18,056.

More information about a master’s in music from University of Rochester

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6
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA

Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.

Music master's degree recipients from Messiah University earn a boost of approximately $33,402 over the average earnings of music graduates.

More information about a master’s in music from Messiah University

7
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY

New School University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the music program earn around $18,911 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in music from The New School

8
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
20 Annual Graduates

Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Syracuse.More information about a master’s in music from Syracuse University

9

Manhattan School of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

After graduation, music master's recipients typically make about $18,441 in their early careers.

More information about a master’s in music from Manhattan School of Music

10
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
12 Annual Graduates

Ithaca is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Ithaca.More information about a master’s in music from Ithaca College

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Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 261 811
Pennsylvania 248 225
Maryland 193 132
New Jersey 188 95
District of Columbia 154 12
Delaware 109 26
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Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Music Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Music Performance 523
General Music 168
Voice Performance 151
Music Theory & Composition 135
Keyboard Instruments 124
Stringed Instruments 91
Jazz Studies 82
Other Music 50
Woodwind Instruments 32
Conducting 31
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Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 918
Design & Applied Arts 648
Drama & Theater Arts 419
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 413
Arts & Media Management 307
Other Visual Art 249
Dance 69
General Visual & Performing Arts 42

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Notes and References

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