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2024 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee

12 Colleges in Tennessee
630 Bachelor's Degrees
$26,928 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in music, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #34 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 12 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of music. Combined, these schools handed out 630 bachelor's degrees in music to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Music School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee The music bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for music students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Music Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Tennessee.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Music in Tennessee

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for music students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Tennessee Schools for a Bachelor's in Music

1
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
44 Annual Graduates
$26,788 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Vanderbilt University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the music program earn an average of $26,788 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Vanderbilt University

2
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
98 Annual Graduates
$19,843 Median Starting Salary
$25,988 Median Student Debt

Belmont University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients typically earn around $19,843 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Belmont University

3
37 Annual Graduates
$30,848 Median Starting Salary
$23,453 Median Student Debt

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the city of Knoxville.

Bachelor's recipients from the music degree program at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville make $3,920 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

4
137 Annual Graduates
$29,416 Median Starting Salary
$22,608 Median Student Debt

Middle Tennessee State University is a great decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the music program at Middle Tennessee State University earn $2,488 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Middle Tennessee State University

5
Lee University crest
Lee University
Cleveland, TN
27 Annual Graduates
$28,791 Median Starting Salary
$28,000 Median Student Debt

Lee University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cleveland.

After graduating, music bachelor's recipients usually make about $28,791 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from Lee University

6
Lipscomb crest
Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Lipscomb University

7
61 Annual Graduates
$26,397 Median Starting Salary
$22,060 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Memphis, UofM is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career wages of $26,397.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Memphis

8
12 Annual Graduates

TNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Trevecca Nazarene University

9

Located in the remote town of Martin, UT Martin is a public university with a medium-sized student population.

Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee - Martin earn $5,013 more than the typical music grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from The University of Tennessee - Martin

9
14 Annual Graduates

UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.More information about a bachelor’s in music from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Best Music Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Music Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 771
Georgia 224 317
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

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Music has other similar majors worth exploring.

Music Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Music 296
Other Music 131
Music Technology 87
Music Performance 51
Music Theory & Composition 16
Musicology & Ethnomusicology 14
Stringed Instruments 10
Woodwind Instruments 9
Brass Instruments 7
Keyboard Instruments 4

Related Major Annual Graduates
Arts & Media Management 587
Fine & Studio Arts 416
Design & Applied Arts 208
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 204
Drama & Theater Arts 193
General Visual & Performing Arts 39
Dance 9

Notes and References

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