College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

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

21 Colleges in the Southwest Region
611 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. Combined, these schools handed out 611 master's degrees in music to qualified students.

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 school'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 complete 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

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Music Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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

Explore 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
18 Annual Graduates

Texas Christian University is one of the best 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 want to pursue a master's degree in music. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.

Soon after graduation, music master's recipients generally earn around $27,179 in their early careers.

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

3

Southern Methodist University is a good decision for students pursuing a master's degree in music. SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.

Students who graduate with their master's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages 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 want to pursue a master's degree in music. SHSU is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Huntsville.More information about a master’s in music from Sam Houston State University

5
29 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly 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 very large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the music program make an average of $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 fairly large public university located in the city of Denton.

Master's recipients from the music program at University of North Texas earn $2,621 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

8

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

Soon after graduation, music master's recipients generally earn around $28,187 in their early careers.

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

9

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

Master's recipients from the music degree program at University of Arizona make $11,296 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

10
28 Annual Graduates

UH is a fairly 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 schools 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

View All Rankings >

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 313
Music Performance 170
Stringed Instruments 28
Jazz Studies 17
Keyboard Instruments 16
Voice Performance 14
Music Pedagogy 12
Conducting 11
Music Theory & Composition 9
Woodwind Instruments 9

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 209
Drama & Theater Arts 123
Design & Applied Arts 93
Dance 42
Arts & Media Management 34
General Visual & Performing Arts 23
Other Visual Art 11
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 2

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options