| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, Virginia |
| 2 | Virginia Wesleyan University | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
| 3 | Full Sail University | Winter Park, Florida |
| 4 | The Baptist College of Florida | Graceville, Florida |
| 5 | Academy of Art University | San Francisco, California |
This is a ranking of the best online music schools for learning composition and production in the U.S.
These programs includes online musical theory and composition programs, and online music production programs.
This ranking is designed for students. We use the data from the National Center for Education Statistics and academic influence in determining our college rankings. This article is designed for online students to be informed of college and degree options for getting an online bachelor's in music.
These schools offer a variety of online bachelor's degrees in Music Composition and/or Music Production.
All of these bachelor's degrees are taken fully online. You're encouraged to find the online music school that is right for you and aligns with your musical ambitions, whether it be creating or recording music (or both) for yourself or others.
Figuring out if you want to compose or want to learn to record is the first important step in determining your program.
The Best Online Music Schools for Composition and Production
Ranking Methodology
This ranking was created using Successful Student's ranking algorithm. This algorithm uses the following data points to calculate a school's ranking placement:
- Acceptance rate
- Graduation rate
- Cost of undergraduate tuition
- Percentage of first time undergraduates awarded aid
- Percentage of students who are fully online
- Academic influence
Liberty University
School of Music
Lynchburg, Virginia
Liberty University offers the Online Bachelor of Science in Commercial Music degree. Liberty is one of the largest universities in America, in terms of the number of students. Liberty offers many undergraduate and graduate degrees fully online.
This Online B.S. in Commercial Music degree teaches students:
- musicianship
- performance
- music production
- technology
Students learn how to write songs, record music, and score films.
This online program is 120 credit hours, and can be completed in three and a half years.
Courses include:
- Commercial Musicianship I
- Commercial Music Production and Audio
- Survey of Commercial Music Literature
- Innovative Commercial Music Ensemble
Liberty also offers these online Music programs:
- Online Certificate in Commercial Music
- Online Bachelor of Science in Worship Studies
- Online Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).
Get InformationVirginia Wesleyan University
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Wesleyan University offers the Online Bachelor of Arts in Digital Music degree.
This degree teaches students how to create music by learning how to be a musician, and learning the tools of digital music production and sound recording. This program teaches piano skills, music history, and how to record music digitally.
Credit requirements: 120 hours total, with 39 major credit hours
Selection of courses
- Introduction to Music Technology
- Popular Music History and Analysis
- Sound Recording
- Basic Musicianship I
Virginia Wesleyan doesn't require SAT, ACT, or GMAT for admission. Accreditation is by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Full Sail offers the Online Bachelor of Science in Music Production degree. This online music degree teaches students how to make and record music. This program teaches students how to be a musician by focusing on music theory and performance.
Students also learn how to record music as an audio recording engineer, learning to use the latest audio engineering workstations. Students learn music theory, how to compose music, and how to record music.
This is an ideal degree for the hopeful songwriter and recording artist.
The Online Bachelor of Science in Music Production degree can be finished in 29 months. Full Sail offers financial aid opportunities to qualifying students.
Courses include:
- Recording Principles
- Audio Workstations
- History of Recorded Music
- Topics in Music Theory
Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
The Baptist College of Florida
Graceville, Florida
The Baptist College of Florida offers the Online Bachelor of Arts in Music degree.
This online bachelor's degree teaches music for ministry, music careers of various sorts, and prepares graduates for entering graduate degree programs in music.
Students will take classes and learn music in these categories:
- Music Theory
- Conducting
- Music History
- Applied Music
- Ensembles
The Online Bachelor of Arts in Music degree is 120 credit hours.
Selection of courses:
- Music History: Antiquity through Baroque
- Elementary Harmony
- Advanced Choral Conducting and Literature
- Applied Principal - Guitar, Organ, Piano, Voice, Instrumental
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California
Academy of Art University offers the Online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Scoring and Composition degree. This degree teaches musicians how to score and compose music for film, television, video games, and other visual arts. Students learn skills for composing music such as music theory, musical arrangements, and how to harmonize.
This online bachelor's also teaches students how to use the latest and industry standard recording and music production tools.
This is a degree for students who want to learn how to match music to what's occurring on the screen, adding emotional valence to the visual experience on the screen.
The Online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Scoring and Composition degree is ideal for the student who wants to learn how to score films, video games, documentaries, and television shows.
Selection of courses:
- Soundtrack Industry Overview
- Music Theory & Basic Notation
- History of the Recording Industry
- Music Production 1
Musician Salary Information
Musicians and singers hourly wage is $39.14 per hour. Musicians are expected to grow by 1% to the year 2032, adding 2,800 new musicians. Salary and growth data gathered from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What is learned in online Music Composition school?
Online students enrolled in Music Composition programs learn how to compose music, which means that students will learn music theory, how to read music, scoring (for things like cinematic arts), and how to create new pieces of music for various purposes (such as commercial music, choral or worship).
What is learned in online Music Production school?
Music Production programs teach students how to create and record music. This can include students creating and recording their own music, or recording other people's music. Music production means using the tools and skills to record, mix, and master music, which can be applied to self-recording, recording others, and recording for commercial businesses. Students will learn the techniques for becoming sound engineers and learn how to use recording studios.
A Music Production degree is an attractive option to songwriters who want to learn how to record their own music, such as the online Bachelor of Science in Commercial Music degree at Liberty University, or the Online Bachelor of Science in Music Production degree at Full Sail University.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I go to school for music?
The answer to this question depends on your ability to teach yourself music, or do you need professional instruction? The question implies that you don't already know that you can teach yourself music, and as a consequence are considering music school. Music schools can teach students things that they didn't know that they needed to learn. This is one of the main benefits of music school. The formal education of music school will cover bases of musical instruction that doesn't have blind spots.
What do you learn in music school?
Music school teaches students how to play music by learning how to play an instrument, or by learning to sing. This requires learning the theory of music. To learn the theory of music, students will learn scales such as the major and minor scales, chordal structures and how to build chords, what the 12 keys are, harmony between notes, octaves, and rhythm. Students taking a Scoring and Composition degree will learn how to make music that's appropriate for film, television, documentaries, and even video games.
Is a music degree hard?
A music degree can be hard, but if you have a love of music it can be a labor of love. What can be challenging is the abstract nature of the theory of music. But some people have an aptitude for thinking abstractly and understanding music theory. The difficulty in music depends a lot on your aptitudes, patience, and willingness to learn.
Music from any instrument can be played simply or as complicated as any other instrument. What makes a music degree most difficult is the inability to think abstractly and not grasp the theory of music. Once the theory of music is understood, even in a small degree, your understanding can grow in time and with practice.
Do music majors have to take math?
Music often requires rhythm, which is more of a counting kind of math, than complicated mathematical formulas. Math isn't usually required in the scope of the major courses for a music degree. If the school requires it, math may be a general course of study within the basic course requirements of getting a bachelor's degree.
What is the best college to study music?
The best on-campus college to study music is The Juilliard School in New York City. The best college to study sacred music is Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The best online college for studying commercial music online is Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.