Karl Kroeger (b. 1932) is an American composer, musicologist, and music editor,  and has been a professor of music at several universities.

Kroeger was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He studied at the University of Louisville under Claude Almand and George Perle. After receiving a Masters of Music at Louiville, Kroeger went to study at the University of Illinois where his main teacher was Gordon Binkerd.

Kroeger was head of the American Music Collection at the New York Public Library from 1962-1964. From 1964-67 he was Ford Foundation composer in residence to the public schools of Eugene, OR.  In 1967 Kroeger joined the faculty of Ohio University. He then began doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which he transferred to Brown University where he completed his Ph.D.