### SUMMARY

 Studying Music Therapy is not only a valuable choice, but generally a needed first step for scholars wanting to enter a career as a music therapist, a rehab specialist, or a music curriculum designer. In fact, nationally, music therapy is a very rare major coming in at the 287th most popular degree. Last academic year alone, there were 471 music therapy degrees conferred. In-state tuition for music therapy at private colleges is, on average, 3.5 times more expensive than their public peers.

 With just 62 colleges having programs for music therapy there could be a more finite list of the institutions that will have an option for you. If you are hoping to surround yourself with other music therapy undergraduates, consider looking at institutions in Pennsylvania which have the most undergrads admitted to music therapy annually. less precisely, the top region to major in music therapy is in the Mid East region with [Montclair State University](/colleges/montclair-state-university), [Marywood University](/colleges/marywood-university), and [Temple University](/colleges/temple-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the best conference to study music therapy is the Atlantic Coast Conference with [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university), [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami), and [University of Louisville](/colleges/university-of-louisville) representing the conference. Based on our comprehensive list of the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best college for music therapy is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami).

 The objectively best school does not mean it is the 'best' school for you. There might be many more facets to weigh when deciding on school. Things such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food could definitely alter one's inclinations on where to go to school. At authority.org, we've evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which music therapy university has the best college campus, the winner is [Arizona State University-Tempe](/colleges/arizona-state-university-tempe). If, for example, you are mostly interested in which college has the top campus, we have a whole page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through student reviews, professor reviews, government databases, and more so we can compare every major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our well researched list for the schools with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and from that list, our pick for the college with the best student life for music therapy is [University of Georgia](/colleges/university-of-georgia). Are you curious why? Keep scrolling to learn more about our top selections. Many of our decisions will probably shock you.

 If expense is a significant deciding factor in your choice of where you attend school, you might consider avoiding [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami). [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami)&nbspis our most expensive school for music therapy, at least for out of state students. We do have a page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that could put the price tag at [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami)&nbspinto perspective. For more context, you may want to know that music therapy is the 223rd most expensive program in America, with an average expense of $29,000. On a broader scale, the most costly state for music therapy on our list is California demonstrated with a cost of $48,904 at the main college in the state University of the Pacific. To zoom out even further, the most costly region of the U.S. for music therapy is the Far West region which is best demonstrated with [University of the Pacific](/colleges/university-of-the-pacific) with a cost of $48,904, [Pacific University](/colleges/pacific-university) with a cost of $45,344, and [Seattle Pacific University](/colleges/seattle-pacific-university) with a cost of $44,604.

 Our cheapest region for music therapy is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Utah State University](/colleges/utah-state-university) with a cost of $21,087. More optimistically, the most affordable school for music therapy is [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university). Authority's full list of the most affordable universities can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can anticipate paying in the neighborhood of $10,600 for a degree in music therapy. The price increases dramatically to an average of $22,100 for an out-of-state public-school student. Our choice for the school representing the best value for music therapy: [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami). On this page you can find our comprehensive list about the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. Bear in mind, this idea is based on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but we do not know where you live (and are not trying to collect that kind of data).

 Earnings for music therapy majors differ a lot, but within two-years of finishing the degree graduates will often make in the neighborhood of $53,100. There can be a lot of variation in pay; highest paid earners can make up to $104,700. Straight out of university, the minimum earning jobs within the music therapy field earn $27,100, which could be worse. The top earning grads for music therapy attended [University of the Pacific](/colleges/university-of-the-pacific)&nbspand if you are looking for schools with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The overall diversity of music therapy lies in the bottom, being in only the 8th percentile of majors nationally. The college with the highest composite diversity for music therapy is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list of the schools which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Music Therapy major only stands in the 87th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even less in the 11th percentile. White undergraduates compose the largest share at 79% of those studying music therapy. Additionally, 84% of scholars seeking a music therapy degree are women.

 We have insufficient professors data for music therapy to make the conclusions we normally would have made in this sentence. If we including data other than just rankings it becomes clear that the college with the overall best professors for music therapy is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami). One can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with some of the finest professors in the country.

 Finally, the most difficult college to get into for music therapy is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami). While we do not necessarily see the value in it, we have a general list for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). Although, we hope you believe that looking at college with a lens mainly shaped by superlatives might cause problems. We at Authority hope you read our other pages on individual schools and read a couple of our helpful background pages on beneficial details to consider as your school search develops.



 ### POPULARITY

 Music therapy is the 287th most popular degree in America, with 471 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #288 [Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling](/rankings/best-colleges-for-substance-abuse-and-addiction-counseling), and narrowly lost to #286 [Social Science Teacher Education](/rankings/best-colleges-for-social-science-teacher-education).

 The degree is offered at a total of 62 colleges across the nation, and is the 237th most widely offered degree. It is only offered at 2% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that hardly less than two out of every five colleges offering music therapy are public making it a relatively inaccessible field.

 The mid east produces the most music therapy graduates, largely led by [Montclair State University](/colleges/montclair-state-university), while it’s the Atlantic Coast Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, Pennsylvania ranks highest, with particular help from [Immaculata University](/colleges/immaculata-university) and [Marywood University](/colleges/marywood-university).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more music therapy graduates than [Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis](/colleges/indiana-university-purdue-university-indianapolis), which graduated 43 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 music therapy). More students studied music therapy as a percentage of total students at [Immaculata University](/colleges/immaculata-university) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Music therapy is the 223rd most expensive major in the nation, with a median cost of $28,992 among the top 50 programs.

 The Far West has the most expensive colleges with top 50 music therapy programs predominantly led by [University of the Pacific](/colleges/university-of-the-pacific) with an annual cost of $48,904. California is the most expensive state for music therapy also led by [University of the Pacific](/colleges/university-of-the-pacific).

 Public schools with good programs generally charge 71.08% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 39.97% 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 high-priced option in the top 25 is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami), which is the 121st most expensive college in America. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania](/colleges/slippery-rock-university-of-pennsylvania). It costs just $11,574 per year and is ranked 28th for its music therapy program. If you’re looking for a higher ranked, but still affordable college, [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university)  could be for you, ranked #14 with an in-state cost of just $4,022. Another more affordable choice would be #21, [Maryville University of Saint Louis](/colleges/maryville-university-of-saint-louis) in St. Louis County, MO with a cost of $26,070 for in-state students and $26,070 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 Going to college is a massive investment for most students. It's critical to be confident you justify your spend. We hope the following career and income stats help you make an informed decision when choosing your focus.

 Right out of college, Music Therapy graduates make $61,154 per annum on average, making them the 44th highest earning graduates. Later on in their vocations, they can take in as high as $104,681 to as little as $27,073, but average close to $53,073. For context, that is 37% more than the U.S. average.

 The most popular job title for a Music Therapy graduate is CDL Driver, which ordinarily earn near $36,000; next are Engineer and Software Engineer, which by and large make approximately $59,000 and $65,000 respectively.

 The Great Lakes has the highest earning Music Therapy graduates. The highest earning state for Music Therapy graduates is MI. The most well paid conference for Music Therapy graduates is Patriot League.



### STUDENTS

 College can be an exceedingly consequential period in one's life; it is a time for personal progress and maturation. Scholars try to ascertain who they can be and build many of the rudimentary skills to be a thriving adult. But learning isn't entirely confined to a classroom environment - the conversations one has with her schoolmates, the wild anecdote gained from a tenured instructor, the exposure to a different approach. As such, a diverse student body vastly improves what you gain from your time in college.

 Music Therapy is a less racially diverse subject than average\*. 79% of America's Music Therapy majors are white students, followed by latino students (8%), students of other races\*\*(6%), and asian students (4%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [University of Miami](/colleges/university-of-miami) located in Coral Gables, FL.

 Furthermore, Music Therapy skews very female, more so 88% of subjects. Faintly over 5 in 6 students majoring in Music Therapy identify as women. [Drury University](/colleges/drury-university) in Springfield, MO has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another critical type of diversity is income diversity. Music Therapy ranks in the top 13% of focuses for financial diversity. 27% of its majors come from families bringing in more than $110,000 a year, 17% are from households with $48,000 to $75,000 annual incomes, and 25% grew up in families that earn below $30,000 a year. [Drury University](/colleges/drury-university) has the most economically diverse students in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall OR is the most diverse state for Music Therapy. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the Northwest Conference 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: 4%
* Black: 3%
* Latino: 8%
* White: 79%
* Other: 6%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 16%
* Female: 84%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 25%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 17%
* 75k - 110k: 16%
* Over 110k: 27%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 74%
* Out of State: 23%
* International: 2%


2023 Music Therapy Salary

There are about 1,637 students enrolled in Music Therapy in the USA.

SALARY