Are you ready to take one of the most adventurous, demanding, and intimate music programs in the U.S.? If so, we have designed a list of the Best Schools for Jazz Programs 2018-2019 that will be helpful to make your dream come true.

Jazz programs are designed to prepare students for careers as professional jazz musicians and for advanced study in jazz. In the United States, there are more than 120 colleges and universities where students can major in jazz studies.

In the list, there are several top-ranked schools or universities for Jazz which offers rigorous conservatory training combined with performance and network opportunities in jazz. Get started by reviewing our list and choose the best. Good Luck!!!

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private research university in Los Angeles, California. It has one of the first free-standing jazz studies departments in the nation. The Jazz Studies minor is for students who already play jazz and want to continue to expand their musical experience. It provides the practical knowledge needed to protect your rights, maximize your opportunities, and understand the dollars and cents of the music business.

Founded In: 1880
Ranking:  1st
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 50,210 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 213-740-2311
Website: https://music.usc.edu/departments/jazz/

Columbia University Center for Jazz Studies

Columbia University in the City of New York offers 2 Jazz/jazz Studies Degree programs. It’s a large private university in a large city. The Center’s faculty offer at least four major courses per year on jazz, attracting about 500 students, and support jazz studies special concentration. The curriculum in jazz studies guides students in developing a firm grounding in the traditions and aesthetic motives of jazz music, viewed through the perspectives of music history and ethnomusicology as well as literary theory and cultural studies.

Founded In: 1999
Ranking: 2nd
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 53,000 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 212-854-1754
Website: https://jazz.columbia.edu/

Northwestern University

The Northwestern University is a private research university based in Illinois, United States.  The jazz studies program currently offers the bachelor of music and master of music degrees. In addition to the excellent instruction at the Bienen School of Music, students have ready access to a wide array of challenging coursework in other fields, something that can be found only at a major research university. Students with exceptionally strong interests in music and another field have the opportunity to earn two separate bachelor’s degrees in five years.

Founded In: 1851
Ranking: 3rd
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 49,047 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact:  +1 847-491-3741
Website: https://www.music.northwestern.edu/

University of Miami Frost School of Music

The University of Miami is a private research university in Florida, United States. The Department of Studio Music and Jazz invites you to study instrumental and vocal jazz at the highly-acclaimed Frost School of Music. The highly acclaimed Frost School of Music houses stunning concert and recital halls, world-class recording studios and labs, a technology center, a premier music library, as well as an array of fully-equipped rehearsal spaces. Through this unique, first-of-its-kind program, students develop skills in interpretation of styles, musicianship, arranging, conducting, sight-reading, ear-training, keyboard, and large and small ensemble singing.

Founded In: 1925
Ranking: 4th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 45,724 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 305-284-2211
Website: https://jazz.frost.miami.edu/

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University is a private nonprofit research university based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Students in the jazz program participate in the Jazz Ensemble, lead by Grammy-award-winning saxophonist Eric DeFade.  Their Big Band provides students access to America’s greatest musical contribution. These ensembles explore a variety of jazz genres, from traditional Swing to current trends in Jazz Fusion and Jazz Chamber Music. Performances both on campus and in Pittsburgh community. The ensemble focuses on jazz standards in a variety of styles and performs several times during the program.

Founded In: 1900
Ranking: 5th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 50,665 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 412-268-2000
Website: http://music.cmu.edu/pages/pre-college-jazz-studies-program-description

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation

The University of Michigan is the state’s oldest private research university. It has a Department of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation that offers rigorous training in mainstream jazz as well as the systematic exploration of more open, eclectic forms of improvisation, all taught by a world-class faculty. It also offers coursework that explores the broader aspects of creative development through consciousness-based curricula that is at the forefront of jazz education. All jazz classes are taught by a resident, highly-esteemed faculty, representing a wide range of backgrounds–from sidemen and apprentices of jazz luminaries to performers and scholars dedicated to the art of improvisation.

Founded In: 1817
Ranking: 6th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: In-state 13,856 USD, Out-of-state 43,476 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 734-764-1817
Website: http://smtd.umich.edu/departments/jazz-and-contemporary-improvisation/

University of Washington-Seattle School of Music

The University of Washington is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. The School of Music program provides a foundation in the significant historical figures, works, styles, and movements of jazz, coupled with an encouragement toward pushing boundaries and extending the art form. Admission to the Bachelor of Music is intended for specially qualified students who wish to emphasize professional training in performance or composition within a four ‐ year program.

Founded In: 1861
Ranking: 7th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: In-state 11,839 USD, Out-of-state 34,143 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 206-543-2100
Website: https://music.washington.edu/ensembles/jazz

The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university and the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. It has a Butler School of Music that provides coursework and training to approximately 350 undergraduate music majors, 300 graduate music students and over 2,500 non-music majors. The Jazz Studies Program offers a unique and comprehensive curriculum for the serious jazz musician. The collective teaching experience and artistic range of the UT Jazz Faculty offers students expertise in every facet of jazz study.

Founded In: 1883
Ranking: 8th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: In-state 9,806 USD, Out-of-state 34,676 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 512-471-3434
Website: https://music.utexas.edu/

Oberlin College

Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. Jazz studies courses cover a wide range of topics, including jazz aural skills, jazz keyboard, jazz theory, basic arranging and composing techniques, improvisation, and the history of jazz. Students have opportunities to perform in the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble and to form small ensembles with their peers. They frequently write for those small groups and present their work for feedback and guidance at the popular weekly Jazz Forum. The jazz composition curriculum closely follows the jazz performance course of study.

Founded In: 1833
Ranking: 9th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 50,582 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 440-775-8121
Website: https://www.oberlin.edu/conservatory/divisions/jazz-studies

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Music

The University Of Illinois School of Music offers degrees in both instrumental and vocal performance: Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Artist Diploma, and Doctor of Musical Arts. The Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance prepares students for careers in Instrumental or Vocal Jazz Performance. This major offers comprehensive coursework in jazz solo and ensemble literature and emphasizes public performances and technique.

Founded In: 1867
Ranking: 10th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: In-state 15,054 USD, Out-of-state 30,214 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 217-333-1000
Website: https://music.illinois.edu/area/jazz-performance