College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

88 Colleges in the Southeast Region
3,748 Bachelor's Degrees
$28,207 Avg Early-Career Salary
Music is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #34 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 88 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,748 bachelor's degrees in music to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Music School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region Your choice of music for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality music program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor'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

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 the Southeast Region.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Music in the Southeast Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

17 Top Southeast Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Music

1
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
44 Annual Graduates

Vanderbilt University is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Vanderbilt University

2
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
94 Annual Graduates
$24,016 Median Starting Salary
$73,170 Median Student Debt

Belmont University is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in music. Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.

Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $24,016 in their early careers.

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

3
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music needs to check out University of Miami. U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Coral Gables.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career income of $15,492.

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

4
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

Florida State University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, music bachelor's recipients usually earn around $19,429 in their early careers.

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

5
53 Annual Graduates
$38,657 Median Starting Salary
$40,988 Median Student Debt

UofSC is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from University of South Carolina - Columbia receive $10,450 more than the average music grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of South Carolina - Columbia

6
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA

Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the music program at Emory University make $5,223 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

7

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.

Bachelor's recipients from the music major at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $4,673 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

8
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
79 Annual Graduates
$36,106 Median Starting Salary
$32,617 Median Student Debt

JMU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from James Madison University receive $7,899 more than the average music graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from James Madison University

9
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients generally earn about $22,559 in the first five years of their career.

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

10

Located in the midsize city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients generally make about $15,289 at the beginning of their careers.

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

11
23 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Virginia - Main Campus

12
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
93 Annual Graduates
$28,003 Median Starting Salary
$62,446 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, music bachelor's recipients generally make around $28,003 in their early careers.

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

13

UK is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Lexington.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the music program make an average of $17,040 for their early career.

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

14
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
21 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Virginia Tech

15

GMU is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fairfax.

Music bachelor's degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of about $6,404 above the typical earnings of music majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in music from George Mason University

16
Furman crest
Furman University
Greenville, SC
28 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Greenville, Furman is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Furman University

17

Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public university with a very large student population.

Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville make $3,681 more than the standard music student.

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

Rest of the Top Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Music students in the Southeast Region that almost earned our Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
26 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
27 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
28 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
29 University of Mississippi University, MS
18 Shenandoah University Winchester, VA
19 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
20 Elon University Elon, NC
21 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC
22 Auburn University Auburn, AL

Best Music Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 771
Georgia 224 317
Tennessee 220 630
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 >

Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Music Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Music 1,899
Music Performance 996
Music Technology 339
Other Music 255
Music Theory & Composition 51
Voice Performance 45
Music History 42
Jazz Studies 36
Music Pedagogy 24
Keyboard Instruments 20

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 5,469
Design & Applied Arts 3,963
Drama & Theater Arts 2,736
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 2,555
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,579
Arts & Media Management 1,293
Dance 496
Other Visual Art 79
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 20

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options