### SUMMARY

 A degree in Jazz is a valuable choice and ordinarily an essential first step for undergrads aspiring to pursue a career as a modal jazz musician, a band composer, or a jazz music executive. Interestingly, nationally, jazz is a very rare major coming in at the 316th most popular area of study. Last year, there were 316 jazz graduates. In-state tuition for jazz at private universities is, on average, 4.3 times more pricey than their public counterparts.

 With only 61 colleges having programs for jazz you might have limited options as to the institutions you can choose from. If you are looking to surround yourself with other jazz undergrads, look at schools in New York which have more undergraduates admitted to jazz than any other state. More generally, the top region to pursue jazz is in the Mid East region with [The New School](/colleges/the-new-school), [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college), and [Temple University](/colleges/temple-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection of the best conference to major in jazz is the Conference USA with [University of North Texas](/colleges/university-of-north-texas) representing the conference. From our extensive list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our belief is that the best college for jazz is [University of Rochester](/colleges/university-of-rochester).

 The overall 'best' school does not mean it is the 'best' school for every student. There might be tons more factors to think about when choosing institution. External stuff such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food might change one's decision on where to go to college. At authority.org, we have evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are interested in which jazz school is home to the top college campus, the answer is [Michigan State University](/colleges/michigan-state-university). If, for example, you are primarily interested in which university boasts the best campus, we have a whole page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, student reviews, professor reviews, and more so we can compare all U.S. majors in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can find our comprehensive list for the colleges with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbspand our selection for the university with the best student life for jazz is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami). Curious why? Keep reading to learn more about Authority's top recommendations. Many of our picks might surprise you.

 If price is a major deciding factor in your decisions, you might be cautious about [Oberlin College](/colleges/oberlin-college). [Oberlin College](/colleges/oberlin-college)&nbspappears to be our most expensive university for jazz, at least for out of state students. We do have an entire list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspschools that might put the expense of [Oberlin College](/colleges/oberlin-college)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you might care to know that jazz is the 92nd most expensive degree in the US, with an average expense of $40,200. On a broader scale, the most expensive state for jazz in the nation is Ohio with costs at the main school, Oberlin College, of $55,976. To zoom out even further, the most expensive region of the country for jazz is unfortunately unavailable due to missing data.

 Our cheapest region for jazz is the Southwest region which is represented by [University of North Texas](/colleges/university-of-north-texas) with a cost of $18,423. In better news, the most affordable school for jazz is [Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico](/colleges/conservatory-of-music-of-puerto-rico). Our entire list of the most affordable colleges can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can anticipate paying in the neighborhood of $11,400 for a degree in jazz. The price inflates by a lot to an average of $24,300 for an out-of-state public-school undergrad. As such, you might be interested in our choice for the university constituting the best value for jazz: [University of Rochester](/colleges/university-of-rochester). On this page you can find our comprehensive list on the schools we see as being the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspoverall. Do know, this idea is based on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when in-state tuition is considered, but we do not know where you live (and are not trying to collect that kind of data).

 Earnings for jazz majors vary a lot, but within two-years of finishing the degree graduates will typically earn in the neighborhood of $52,800. While there is a lot of variation in earnings; highest paid earners can rake in up to $104,800. Even straight out of college, the minimum earning jobs within the jazz field earn $26,900, which is an alright wage. The top earning grads from jazz graduated from [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](/colleges/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign)&nbspand if you want to find the schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The overall diversity of jazz sits solid, coming in the 63rd percentile of all majors. The university with the most composite diversity for jazz is [The New School](/colleges/the-new-school)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list for the schools with the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of Jazz sits only in the 64th percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, ranking in the 75th percentile. White collegians compose the largest proportion, 51%, of those studying jazz. Additionally, 86% of undergraduates seeking a jazz degree are men.

 The median rating for jazz professors is 3.8 stars, which is 5% less than the average across every major; this is a subpar score. If you are interested in the most popular jazz professor in the country, look no further than Bill Scism at [Berklee College of Music](/colleges/berklee-college-of-music). This might be shocking, but the best rated jazz professors according to students are found at [Berklee College of Music](/colleges/berklee-college-of-music). As we including data beyond simply rankings it becomes clear that the school with the best professors for jazz is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami). You will find more detail on our ever evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the best professors in the U.S.

 Finally, the hardest university to get into for jazz is [California Institute of the Arts](/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have an extensive page of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). With that said, here at Authority we hope you believe that considering university with context primarily derived from superlatives could be said to be the root of many of higher education's fundamental problems. We at Authority hope you read our more nuanced pages on different topics and explore a couple of our helpful background pages on important details to look out for as you continue your university search.



 ### 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](/rankings/best-colleges-for-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](/rankings/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](/colleges/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](/colleges/the-new-school) and [University of Rochester](/colleges/university-of-rochester).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more jazz graduates than [University of Arkansas at Monticello](/colleges/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](/colleges/conservatory-of-music-of-puerto-rico) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Jazz is the 92nd most expensive major in the US, with a median cost of $40,159 for the top 50 programs (just ahead of #93, [Entrepreneurship](rankings/best-colleges-for-entrepreneurship), with a median cost of $40,106).

 The Far West has the most expensive schools with top of the line jazz programs predominantly led by [California Institute of the Arts](/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts) with an annual cost of $50,850. Ohio is the most expensive state for jazz led by [Oberlin College](/colleges/oberlin-college).

 Public schools with solid programs generally charge 76.98% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 50.86% less than your average private school. So, if you're hoping to attend a state school, make sure you're eligible for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most expensive top 25 college for jazz is [Oberlin College](/colleges/oberlin-college), which is the 36th most expensive college in the United States. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico](/colleges/conservatory-of-music-of-puerto-rico). It costs just $3,000 per year, and it's its jazz program is ranked #16. Another more affordable choice would be #12, [SUNY at Purchase College](/colleges/suny-at-purchase-college) in Westchester County, NY with a cost of $7,070 for in-state students and $16,980 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Enrolling in college is a serious investment for most. It is critical to have confidence you are well positioned to payback your investment. We intend for the following job placement and earnings facts to support you in making a well informed decision when electing your major.

 In year one out of college, Jazz students make $27,647 a year on average (bottom 12%). With experience in their occupations, they normally take home anywhere between $26,915 and $104,763, but average about $52,758. For context, that's 37% greater than the United States average.

 The most popular job title for a Jazz graduate is CDL Driver, which by and large earn roughly $36,000; next are Engineer and Software Engineer, which commonly earn about $59,000 and $65,000 respectively.

 The best paid region for Jazz graduates is The Plains. The highest grossing state for Jazz alumni is AR. The most well paid conference for Jazz graduates is American Rivers Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Jazz: Median Professor Rating: 3.8 / 5, which is below average.

 Instructors again and again play a colossal role in shaping your college experience, regardless of your major. An amazing professor can provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Contrarily, an unpleasant professor can drive unwanted frustration or even worse... fail you!

 Professors of Jazz have a median student rating of 3.8 out of 5, which puts these professors in the bottom 21 percent in the US grounded in overall professor effectivness. For context a 3.8 rating is 5% lower than the national median professor rating for all subjects. Professors of Jazz just surpassed those from ["Music Therapy"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-music-therapy), whereas ["Applied Mathematics"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-applied-mathematics)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Jazz.

 Now for some statistics about Jazz professors. Colleges located in large suburbs tend to have the best Jazz professors. The North Eastern Athletic Conference has the highest rated Jazz professors. The Mid East region has the highest rated Jazz professors. Public colleges tend to have higher rated Jazz professors than private universities. Finally, Pennsylvania has the highest rated Jazz professors in the United States.

 Bill Scism, professor at [Berklee College of Music](/colleges/berklee-college-of-music)&nbspin Boston, MA is the most popular Jazz professor in the US. Dan Wall, professor at [Oberlin College](/colleges/oberlin-college)&nbspin Oberlin, OH is the highest rated Jazz professor in America, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which institutions have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College can be a vastly constructive time in one's life; it's an opportunity for individual growth and evolution. Students continue to discover what they want to do with their lives and forge the indispensable skills to become a halcyon adult. But growth goes far beyond a classroom environment - the conversations one has with his schoolmates, the funny story gained from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different way of thinking. As such, attending a diverse college greatly improves what one gains from the time in college.

 Jazz is a more racially diverse focus than average\*. 51% of the United States' Jazz majors are white students, followed by students of other races\*\*(24%), latino students (15%), and black students (8%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Michigan State University](/colleges/michigan-state-university)&nbspin East Lansing, MI.

 Additionally, Jazz is the the 13th most male dominated subject, with 86% of students identify as men. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [The New School](/colleges/the-new-school) in New York, NY.

 Another important type of diversity is financial diversity. Jazz is more fiscally diverse than 64% of majors. 28% of its majors come from homes with $110,000 plus annual incomes, 16% are from families with $48,000 to $75,000 annual incomes, and 25% grew up in low income households. [Elmhurst College](/colleges/elmhurst-college) is the most economically diverse institution in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall NY is the most diverse state for Jazz. The Mid East is the most diverse region, and the is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 2%
* Black: 8%
* Latino: 15%
* White: 51%
* Other: 24%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 86%
* Female: 14%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 25%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 16%
* Over 110k: 28%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 71%
* Out of State: 20%
* International: 9%


2023 Jazz Professors

There are about 1,141 students enrolled in Jazz in the USA.

PROFESSORS