2023 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Music Bachelor's Degree School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, music was ranked #43 in the country. In fact 25,910 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 118 schools in the Southeast Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Music Programs
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.
2023 Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school in the Southeast Region for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
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Out of the 118 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Emory University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Virginia Tech helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at James Madison University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in the Southeast Region . JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $297, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Virginia - Main Campus helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Vanderbilt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.
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With a ranking of #7, Harding University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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University of Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. UF is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Arkansas did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public college with a very large student population.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #10 on this year’s Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
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University of Georgia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public school with a very large student population.
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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville ranked #12 on this year’s Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. UT Knoxville is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Knoxville.
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Tulane University of Louisiana did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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Auburn University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at Auburn take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $17,009.
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University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, UofSC is a public school with a very large student population.
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The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree music programs. UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public school located in the city of Chattanooga.
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Tennessee Technological University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree music programs. Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.
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Request InformationHonorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 19 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 20 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR |
| 21 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL |
| 22 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 23 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 472 |
| Virginia | 632 |
| North Carolina | 511 |
| Florida | 1,223 |
| Tennessee | 804 |
| Kentucky | 284 |
| South Carolina | 204 |
| Louisiana | 315 |
| Arkansas | 184 |
| Alabama | 276 |
| Mississippi | 182 |
| West Virginia | 93 |
More Music Rankings in the Southeast Region
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Music that might interest you.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Music Related Rankings by Major
Music is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.