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2025 Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

21 Colleges in the Southwest Region
616 Master's Degrees
$31,725 Avg Early-Career Salary
Music is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #36 most popular master's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 21 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 616 master's degrees in music during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Music School for Your Master's Degree

Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of music for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

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 schools for music students working on their master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Music Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Music in the Southwest Region

Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for music students seeking a a master's degree.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Music

1
17 Annual Graduates

Texas Christian University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in music. TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.More information about a master’s in music from Texas Christian University

2

It's difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a master's degree in music. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.

After graduating, music master's recipients usually earn an average of $27,179 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in music from The University of Texas at Austin

3

Southern Methodist University is a great option for individuals pursuing a master's degree in music. SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.

Students who graduate with their master's from the music program report average early career income of $29,456.

More information about a master’s in music from Southern Methodist University

4
20 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Sam Houston State University if you wish to pursue a master's degree in music. SHSU is a very large public university located in the distant town of Huntsville.More information about a master’s in music from Sam Houston State University

5
21 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in music from Baylor University

6

Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the music program make around $29,235 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a master’s in music from Texas Tech University

7

UNT is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Denton.

Master's recipients from the music program at University of North Texas make $2,621 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in music from University of North Texas

8

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, music master's recipients typically make an average of $28,187 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in music from Arizona State University - Tempe

9

University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the large city of Tucson.

Master's recipients from the music major at University of Arizona earn $11,296 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a master’s in music from University of Arizona

10
18 Annual Graduates

UH is a very large public university located in the city of Houston.More information about a master’s in music from University of Houston

Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 235 434
Arizona 180 88
Oklahoma 153 93
New Mexico 114 21

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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 274
Music Performance 166
Stringed Instruments 43
Voice Performance 35
Jazz Studies 21
Keyboard Instruments 19
Music Theory & Composition 14
Woodwind Instruments 13
Conducting 12
Music Pedagogy 10

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 208
Drama & Theater Arts 111
Design & Applied Arts 105
Dance 37
Arts & Media Management 31
General Visual & Performing Arts 17
Other Visual Art 9
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 4

Notes and References

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