by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 111 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,652 bachelor's degrees in music during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of music for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality music program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for music students working on their bachelor's degree.
The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in music needs to look into Emory University. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Emory University
Vanderbilt University is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in music. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from Vanderbilt University earn a boost of around $2,213 over the average earnings of music majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Vanderbilt University
Duke University is a great decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Duke University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in music has to check out University of Miami. Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career wages of $18,726.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Miami
Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from Florida State University get an earnings boost of around $2,005 over the average income of music majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Florida State University
Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Florida
Belmont is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career earnings of $19,843.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Belmont University
UofSC is a very large public university located in the city of Columbia.
Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from University of South Carolina - Columbia receive $8,303 more than the standard music student.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of South Carolina - Columbia
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Georgia
UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career income of $25,813.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
JMU is a very large public university located in the small city of Harrisonburg.
Bachelor's recipients from the music program at James Madison University make $7,924 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from James Madison University
Tulane is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Orleans.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Tulane University of Louisiana
UK is a very large public university located in the city of Lexington.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Kentucky
Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Virginia Tech
Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the music program at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville make $6,273 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleHere are some additional great schools for Music students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 18 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN |
| 19 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 20 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Winston Salem, NC |
| 21 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 22 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA |
| 23 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 24 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV |
| 25 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 225 | 771 |
| Georgia | 224 | 317 |
| Tennessee | 220 | 630 |
| North Carolina | 213 | 385 |
| Virginia | 213 | 453 |
| South Carolina | 195 | 160 |
| Kentucky | 187 | 208 |
| Alabama | 184 | 238 |
| Louisiana | 171 | 210 |
| Mississippi | 169 | 96 |
| Arkansas | 167 | 123 |
| West Virginia | 147 | 61 |
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 1,845 |
| Music Performance | 986 |
| Music Technology | 318 |
| Other Music | 246 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 54 |
| Jazz Studies | 50 |
| Voice Performance | 39 |
| Music History | 37 |
| Musicology & Ethnomusicology | 17 |
| Music Pedagogy | 17 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 5,527 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 3,988 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 2,754 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,280 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 1,389 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,351 |
| Dance | 492 |
| Other Visual Art | 75 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 26 |
