by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 32 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for music students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,560 bachelor's degrees in music during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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.
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:
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 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.
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.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music.
Texas Tech University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Texas Tech is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lubbock.
Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University earn $12,475 more than the typical music student.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Texas Tech University
It's hard to beat Texas Christian University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from Texas Christian University
It is hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin get an earnings boost of around $2,133 over the average income of music graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from The University of Texas at Austin
University of North Texas is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career wages of $31,450.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of North Texas
Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, music bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $23,159 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Southern Methodist University
Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public university with a very large student population.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from University of Houston receive an earnings boost of about $15,368 over the typical income of music graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Houston
Located in the small city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those music students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas State University receive $13,727 more than the typical music grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Texas State University
ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program state that they receive average early career wages of $15,721.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Arizona State University - Tempe
Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the music program at Sam Houston State University get $22,495 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Sam Houston State University
Baylor is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Waco.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the music program report average early career earnings of $10,210.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Baylor UniversityExplore the best music schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 245 | 1,252 |
| Arizona | 200 | 136 |
| Oklahoma | 190 | 244 |
| New Mexico | 133 | 45 |
Music is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 1,084 |
| Music Performance | 315 |
| Jazz Studies | 50 |
| Music Technology | 28 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 26 |
| Voice Performance | 18 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 12 |
| Stringed Instruments | 12 |
| Music History | 7 |
| Brass Instruments | 3 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 2,098 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,338 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,041 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 679 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 676 |
| Dance | 313 |
| Arts & Media Management | 97 |
| Other Visual Art | 5 |
