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Best Music Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Music Schools in Tennessee

16 Colleges
$27,086 Avg Salary
$23,758 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Music School for You

Music is the #19 most popular major in Tennessee with 804 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Music Schools in Tennessee ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Tennessee to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Music Schools in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Music Colleges.

Top 10 Best Music Schools

#1

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Our analysis found Vanderbilt University to be the best school for music students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Music majors at Vanderbilt take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Music at Vanderbilt University

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a great place for music students. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Music majors at UT Knoxville take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Music at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Music Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Music at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

Out of the 16 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Tennessee Technological University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that music majors at Tennessee Tech University take out is $18,950.

Read More…

#5

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Belmont University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Music Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that music majors at Belmont take out is $25,575. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $799.

Full Music at Belmont University Report

With a ranking of #6, Middle Tennessee State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, music graduates from Middle Tennessee State University take out $21,375 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $231.

Read full report on Music at Middle Tennessee State University

#7

Freed-Hardeman University

Henderson, TN

Freed-Hardeman University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. Located in the distant town of Henderson, FHU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Music at Freed-Hardeman University

Trevecca Nazarene University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools in Tennessee ranking. TNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

Full Music at Trevecca Nazarene University Report

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #9 on the list. UT Martin is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Martin.

While working on their degree, music majors at UT Martin accumulate an average of around $20,538 in student debt.

Read More…

#10

Lee University

Cleveland, TN

Lee University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #10 on the list. Lee University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Cleveland.

On average, music graduates from Lee University take out $27,625 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Music at Lee University

Best Music Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 472
Virginia 632
North Carolina 511
Florida 1,223
Kentucky 284
South Carolina 204
Louisiana 315
Arkansas 184
Alabama 276
Mississippi 182
West Virginia 93

One of 10 majors within the area of study, music has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Music

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 16 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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