The Music Industry concentration develops your music performance, commerce, and entrepreneurship skills empowering you to foster a career that embraces today’s ever-changing marketplace. Your “Music†foundation in the degree is established by our world-class faculty that engages you in Classical or Jazz private lessons, studio classes, large and small ensembles, recital presentation, and classes in music history, music theory, and ear training. The “Industry†in the degree is represented by coursework specifically designed for the 21st-century musician-entrepreneur, a 200-hour internship guided by Grammy Award winner Dr. Cedric Dent, and music industry seminars with guests representing various segments in our multi-billion-dollar marketplace.
Additionally, students select a Minor allowing the freedom to further their professional interests in Entrepreneurship, Recording Industry, or any Minor field they choose. This degree balances “Music†and “Industry†experiences to nurture the modern performing-artist-professional in a collaborative, artistic environment conveniently located 45 minutes down the road from Nashville, Music City, USA.
Careers
Every student has a unique voice and specialized interests that help them find the job and career path they want to pursue. In the multi-billion-dollar Music Industry, there are many opportunities to make a living in and around Music. Students immediately begin preparing to launch their career through a course entitled Foundations in Music Industry and Music Industry Seminars that introduce them to leading career professionals, all in their first year on campus.
In addition to a freely chosen 15-18 credit Minor, each student's individualized experience develops through upper-division coursework. These courses cater to topics of study the student chooses, including a Music Industry Professional course that develops their vision for a unique career path and an Internship in the Music Industry to get their foot in the door. Career services and internship/job databases support students while in school and after graduation. In addition to the MTSU on-campus community of 20,000+ students, our proximity to Nashville means almost endless opportunity. Here, you can see and hear world-class art and performances, attend trade shows such as Summer NAMM, and access professional internships with world-class performance organizations and companies.
In Middle Tennessee, there are positions to fill and customers waiting for your new product, service, or idea. As musicians, artists, and professionals, each student finds a career path best suited for them. With this specialization in music entrepreneurship, a Music Industry degree student has opportunities to pursue a multitude of careers, including:
A&R/talent agent
Artistic director
Composer/arranger/orchestrator
Conductor
Contemporary and baroque performer
Copyright specialist
Development officer
Editor/publisher
Entertainment manager
Film music director/editor
Film/studio/session musician
Instrument repair and sales
Marketing and advertising
Music critic/journalist
Music librarian
Music product sales and development
Musicologist
Non-profit management
Expected July, November 2025
Start date
January 2025
College of Liberal Arts
Middle Tenneessee State University,
1301 East Main Street,
MURFREESBORO,
Tennessee,
37132, United States
Students must have official high school or university transcripts and it must be mailed directly from your high school or university to MTSU.
English proficiency scores: IELTS score of 5.5 or above; TOEFL iBT score of 61 or above (Computer-based 173 or above or paper-based 500 or above; TOEFL Essential at 6.5 level; Duolingo English Test with a score of 85 or above; iTEP score of 3.5 or above; The ELS completion certificate of level 110.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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