2023 Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Music 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 126 schools in the Southeast Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
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 Schools in the Southeast Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for music majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Music Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Duke University the best school in the Southeast Region for music students. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.
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Out of the 126 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 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 city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, music graduates from Virginia Tech take out $27,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Music at Virginia Tech Report
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The excellent programs at Valencia College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the large city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, music graduates from Valencia College take out $10,953 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 126 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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James Madison University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. JMU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at JMU take out is $21,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $297, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Music at James Madison University Report
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Vanderbilt University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.
After completing their degree, music graduates from Vanderbilt carry an average student debtload of $19,500.
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Harding University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #9, University of Florida did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. UF is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Gainesville.
Music majors at UF take out an average of $16,608 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Arkansas did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from UARK carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
Full Music at University of Arkansas Report
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John Tyler Community College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.
On average, music graduates from UNC Chapel Hill take out $18,408 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #13 on the list. UT Knoxville is a fairly large public school located in the city of Knoxville.
After completing their degree, music graduates from UT Knoxville carry an average student debtload of $26,000.
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With a ranking of #14, Auburn University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Tulane University of Louisiana ranked #15 on this year’s Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UT Chattanooga is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.
Full Music at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Report
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Tennessee Technological University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Tennessee Tech University is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.
Music majors at Tennessee Tech University take out an average of $18,950 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Music at Tennessee Technological University Report
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University of Kentucky ranked #18 on this year’s Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from UK carry an average student debtload of $17,319.
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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 Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 20 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 21 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 22 | University of Central Arkansas | Conway, AR |
| 23 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 24 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 25 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music colleges 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.
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