by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Music is the 43rd most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,160 and had an average of $24,560 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,896 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,339 and $23,625 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 636 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,204 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 32 colleges that offered a degree in music. To top this list, a school must have a successful music program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region master’s degree music students.
Out of the 32 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school awarded 75 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s. Rice University is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Out of the 32 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #4 spot on the list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 47 masters’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 32 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 33 masters’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Music at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s. Located in Lubbock, Texas, this large public school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Southern Methodist University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Arizona came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. University of Arizona is a public institution located in Tucson, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #8, Baylor University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. Baylor is located in Waco, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Oklahoma City University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. This small school is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and it awarded 26 masters’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #11, Texas Christian University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Central Oklahoma landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school awarded 22 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2020-2021.
University of Houston did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #13. University of Houston is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 21 masters’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Texas State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. The University of Texas at El Paso is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Nacogdoches, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified masters’s music students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #16, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. Arlington, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s music degrees to 16 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at The University of Texas at Arlington
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified masters’s music students in 2020-2021.
West Texas A&M University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. West Texas A&M University is a public institution located in Canyon, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, Sam Houston State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. SHSU is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 10 masters’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Northern Arizona University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 10 masters’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #23. Texas A&M University - Commerce is located in Commerce, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #25. UTSA is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 masters’s music degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southwest Region for a Master’s list. NMSU Main Campus is a public institution located in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
