A little education is a good thing, and even though you don't need a degree to be a rock star it'll help you have a plan B: non-musical jobs that require a college degree often don't care what your major was. There are also a few music fields, like public school education, where a degree is a requirement. On this page are schools that grant at least a 2-year degree in music.
Many schools offer guitar instruction, but not all schools provide a performance major in guitar. Schools without a guitar major may still be of interest, as guitarists often choose to major in other concentrations, such as percussion, voice, theory, or composition.
Schools are marked * if a classical guitar instruction is available, ** if a plectrum/jazz guitar is available, and *** if both are available.
If you're interested in schools within a specific geographical area, we also have a listing of schools by state.
| **Abilene Christian University (Abilene TX) |
BA and BM degrees. |
| ***Adelphi University (Garden City NY) |
BS in music. |
| **Adrian College (Adrian, MI) |
BM, BME and BA degrees. Also offers BA in Arts Management - Music. |
| Alabama A&M University (Normal AL) |
BS and M.Ed degrees. |
| **Alabama State University (Montgomery AL) |
BA and BME degrees. |
| Albany State University (Albany GA) |
BA, BME and MME degrees. |
| Albertson College of Idaho (Caldwell ID) |
BA with several concentration (none are guitar); also offers Business & Arts major. |
| *Albion College (Albion, MI) |
BA degree with majors in music, music performance, or music education. |
| Alcorn State University (Alcorn State MS) |
BM degree. |
| Alfred University (Alfred NY) |
BA in performing arts with music minor |
| **Allegheny College (Meadville PA) |
BA degree. |
| Alma College (Alma MI) |
BA, BM, and BME degrees. |
| Alverno College (Milwaukee WI) |
BA degree. |
| American Conservatory of Music (Hammond IN) |
Grants AM, BM, MM, and DMA. This was a well-respected conservatory, but a series of events led the state of Illinois (they were originally in Chicago) to strip their degree-granting ability; the school moved to Indiana and are now acredited through an agency in Switzerland. Caveat emptor. |
| *American University (Washington DC) |
BA degree. |
| ***Amherst College (Amherst MA) |
BA degree. |
| *Anderson University (Anderson IN) |
BM and MME degrees. Jazz guitar courses also available, but guitar as a performance major is classical. |
| Andrews University (Berrien Springs MI) |
BA, BM, MA, MM degrees. Also BA degree with double major in music and business. |
| Angelo State University (San Angelo TX) |
BA and BM degrees. |
| *Anna Maria College (Paxton MA) |
BM degree. |
| *Antillean Adventist University (Mayaguez PR) |
BA degree. |
| Antioch College (Yellow Springs OH) |
BA degree. |
| ***Appalachian State University (Boone NC) |
BM, MM degrees. Also offers a BS in music industry studies. |
| **Aquinas College (Grand Rapids MI) |
AA, BM, MM degrees. |
| Arcadia University (Glenside PA) |
Offers music as a minor subject |
| *Arizona State University (Tempe AZ) |
BA, BM, MA, MM, and DMA degrees. |
| *Arkansas State University (Jonesboro AR) |
BA, BM, MM degrees. |
Arkansas Tech University (Russellville AR) |
BA degrees. |
*Armstrong Atlantic State University (Savannah GA) |
BA and BME degrees. |
| Asbury College (Wilmore KY) |
BA, BS degrees. |
| *Ashland University (Ashland OH) |
BA, BM degrees. |
| Assumption College (Worcester MA) |
BA with music minor; music as a special major possible by arrangement. |
| Auburn University (Auburn AL) |
Offers BA, BME degrees; also M.Ed, MS and PhD degrees in music education. |
| Auburn University Montgomery (Montgomery AL) |
Music minor. |
| Augusta State University (Augusta GA) |
BA and BM degrees. |
| *Augustana College (Rock Island IL) |
BA degrees. |
| Augustana College (Souix Falls SD) |
BA degrees. |
| *Austin Peay State University (Clarksville TN) |
BA, BS, MM degrees. |
| Avila University (Kansas City MO) |
BA degrees. |
| ***Azusa Pacific University (Azusa CA) |
BA, BM, MM degrees. |
| Baker University (Baldwin City KS) |
BA and BME degrees. |
| *Baldwin-Wallace College (Berea OH) |
BA, BM and BME degrees. |
| *Ball State University (Muncie IN) |
BM, MM, and DA degrees. |
| Barclay College (Haviland KS) |
BA and BS degrees in music ministry. |
| *Barnard College (New York NY) |
BA degrees; also offers special majors in music. |
| *Barry University (Miami Shores FL) |
BM degrees. |
| Barton College (Wilson NC) |
Offers BA in Audio Recording Technology |
| Baruch College (New York NY) |
Offers BA in music, BA and BBA in the Management of Musical Enterprises. |
| *Bates College (Lewiston ME) |
BA degrees. |
| Baylor University (Waco TX) |
BA, BM, BME, and MM degrees. |
| *Bellhaven College (Jackson MS) |
BA degrees. |
| ***Bellarmine University (Louisville KY) |
BA degrees. |
| ***Belmont University (Nashville TN) |
BA, BM, MM degrees. |
| Bemidji State University (Bemidji MN) |
BA, BS degrees. |
| Benedict College (Columbia SC) |
Offers BS degree in music education. |
| *Benedictine College (Atchison KS) |
BA, BM degrees. |
| Bennett College (Greensboro NC) |
BA and BFA degrees in music or arts management. |
| Berea College (Berea KY) |
BA degrees. |
| **Berklee College of Music (Boston MA) |
Offers degrees (B.M.), diplomas, and certificates. An online school offers some courses by distance learning. |
| Berry College (Mount Berry GA) |
BA and BM degrees. |
| Bethany College (Bethany WV) |
BA degrees. |
| Bethel College (Mishawaka IN) |
BA degrees. |
| Bethel College (McKenzie TN) |
BA degrees. |
| *Bethel College (North Newton KS) |
BA degrees. |
| *Bethel University (St Paul MN) |
BA, BM, BME degrees. |
| Bethune-Cookman College (Daytona Beach FL) |
BA degrees. |
| *Biola University (La Mirada CA) |
BA, BS, BM degrees. |
| *Birmingham-Southern College (Birmingham AL) |
BA, BM, BME, MM degrees. |
| Black Hills State University (Spearfish SD) |
BA, BS, BSEd. degrees. |
| Blackburn College (Carlinville IL) |
BA degrees. |
| *Bloomsburg University (Bloomsburg PA) |
BA degrees. |
| Blue Mountain College (Blue Mountain MS) |
BA degrees. |
| *Blufton University (Blufton OH) |
BA degrees. |
| *Boise State University (Boise ID) |
BA, BM, MM degrees. |
| *Boston College (Newton MA) |
BA degrees. |
| *Boston Conservatory (Boston MA) |
BM, MM degrees, graduate performance diplomas. |
| Boston University (Boston MA) |
BM, MA degrees; PhD in musicology. |
| ***Bowdoin College (Brunswick ME) |
BA degrees. |
| **Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green OH) |
BA, BM, MM, DMA degrees; graduate performance diplomas. |
| *Bradley University (Peoria IL) |
BA, BS, BM degrees. |
| ***Brandeis University (Waltham MA) |
BA, MA, MFA and PhD degrees. |
| Brenau University (Gainesville GA) |
BA, BM degrees. |
| *Brevard College (Brevard NC) |
BA, BM degrees. |
| Brewton-Parker College (Mount Vernon GA) |
BA, BM degrees. |
| *Briar Cliff University (Souix City IA) |
BA degrees. |
| Jacksonville State University (Jacksonville AL) |
BA degree in music education with some guitar classes |
| ***Manhattan School of Music (New York NY) |
Offers BM and MM degrees in jazz or classical guitar, DMA degree in classical guitar. |
| **Musician's Institute (Hollywood CA) |
AA, BM degrees in guitar performance |
| **University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa AL) |
BM, jazz guitar program |
| *University of Alabama at Birmingham (Birmingham AL) |
BA and MA degrees, classical guitar program |
***University of Alabama at Huntsville (Huntsville AL) |
BA degree, classical and jazz guitar programs |
| *University of Alaska Anchorage (Anchorage AK) |
BA and BM degrees. |
| University of Alaska at Fairbanks (Fairbanks AK) |
BA, BM, and MA degrees. |
| ***University of Southern California (Los Angeles CA) |
BM, MM, and DMA degrees in classical and studio/jazz guitar. |
