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2025 Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

5 Colleges in Illinois
24 Bachelor's Degrees
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in music theory & composition, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #311 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 24 bachelor's degrees in music theory & composition during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Music Theory & Composition School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois The music composition bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality music composition program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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 ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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 bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

The music composition school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Music Theory & Composition in Illinois

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

Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Music Composition

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition needs to check out Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Northwestern University

2
3 Annual Graduates

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

DePaul University is a great choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from DePaul University

4
4 Annual Graduates

Wheaton College Illinois is a great choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in music theory & composition. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Wheaton.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Wheaton College Illinois

5
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music theory & composition from Columbia College Chicago

Best Music Theory & Composition Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 629 19
Ohio 612 36
Indiana 535 9
Wisconsin 435 5

View All Rankings >

One of 17 majors within the Music area of study, Music Theory & Composition has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Music 238
Music Performance 157
Voice Performance 25
Stringed Instruments 25
Jazz Studies 24
Music Technology 24
Other Music 20
Keyboard Instruments 9
Music Pedagogy 6
Woodwind Instruments 4

Notes and References

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