2025 Best Music Theory & Composition Doctor's Degree Schools in New York

a doctor's degree in music theory & composition is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #198 out of 862 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Theory & Composition Doctor's Degree Schools in New York ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 20 doctor's degrees in music theory & composition to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on music theory & composition students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of music theory & composition students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized music theory & composition related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for music theory & composition students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Music Theory & Composition Schools

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

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Music Theory & Composition in New York

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in music theory & composition.

Top New York Schools for a Doctorate in Music Composition

1

University of Rochester
Rochester, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

8 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in music theory & composition has to look into University of Rochester. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Rochester.More information about a doctorate in music theory & composition from University of Rochester

2

Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

3 Annual Graduates

Columbia University in the City of New York is a great choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in music theory & composition. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in music theory & composition from Columbia University in the City of New York

Best Music Theory & Composition Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Maryland	190	3
District of Columbia	143	0

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Rankings in Majors Related to Music Composition

Music Theory & Composition is one of 17 different types of Music programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Music Composition

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Music Performance	52
General Music	32
Keyboard Instruments	11
Stringed Instruments	5
Musicology & Ethnomusicology	4
Conducting	4
Music History	1
Jazz Studies	1
Brass Instruments	1
Woodwind Instruments	1

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.