Top Ranked Colleges for Music

Berklee College of Music

• Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the nation's best-known and most reputable music schools. Berklee offers only music programs, and has a vast list of majors that focus mainly on performance and composition, with other degrees available in engineering, education, production and songwriting, among many others. Berklee also provides music business and management programs. It boasts a 22.8 percent international student body, making it incredibly diverse.

  Berklee College of Music
  1140 Boylston St.
  Boston, MA 02215
  617-266-1400
  berklee.edu

The Juilliard School

• New York City's The Juilliard School is another institution that enjoys an impressive worldwide reputation. Juilliard is a conservatory, meaning it primarily offers students training in performance and the fine musical arts. It offers extensive instrument and voice training, as well as dance and drama instruction across many genres and styles. According to Juilliard's website, prospective students must acquire advanced training before their applications will be considered, and only 8 percent of qualifying applicants are accepted to the school.

  The Juilliard School
  60 Lincoln Center Plaza
  New York, NY 10023
  212-799-5000
  juilliard.edu

Harvard University

• Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a four-year private institution with an expansive music department. According to Education-Portal.com, "U.S. News & World Report" listed Harvard as the number one overall school in the United States in 2010, making its music program the highest-ranked in the country. Harvard's Department of Music offers an undergraduate degree in music, and several graduate degrees in music theory, composition, performance, ethnomusicology and historical musicology.

  Harvard University Department of Music
  Music Building
  North Yard
  Harvard University
  Cambridge, MA 02138
  617-495-2791
  fas.harvard.edu/~musicdpt

Princeton University

• Education-Portal.com also lists Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey as one of the nation's top-ranking institutions with a music program. Princeton tied with Harvard University for top slot on the "U.S. News & World Report" 2010 list of best schools. Princeton's undergraduate music degree focuses on music performance, while the program offers graduate degrees in musicology and composition.

  Department of Music
  Princeton University
  Administrative Office 310
  Woolworth Center of Musical Studies
  Princeton, NJ 08544
  609-258-4241
  princeton.edu/music