Best Colleges for Jazz

INTRODUCTION

If you think life as a modal jazz musician, band composer, or jazz music executive sounds interesting, then a degree in jazz may just be for you. You could even become the next Miles Davis!

POPULARITY

Jazz is the 316th most popular degree in America, with 316 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #317 Sports Communication.

The degree is offered at a total of 61 colleges across the nation, and is the 244th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 9% of the Top 100 Best Colleges in America.

It is also worth noting that practically 5/9ths of colleges offering jazz are public making it a pretty accessible field.

The mid east produces the most jazz graduates, largely led by The New School, while it’s the Conference USA that leads conference totals. As far as states, New York ranks highest, with particular help from The New School and University of Rochester.

All that being said, no individual school produces more jazz graduates than University of Arkansas at Monticello, which graduated 62 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study jazz). More students studied jazz as a percentage of total students at Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico than any other college.

Good luck on your college search. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Jazz list. Some of our picks may surprise you!