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Middle Tennessee State University just extended its winning streak: for the 11th straight year, Billboard named MTSU\u2019s Department of Recording Industry one of the best music business schools in the world. It\u2019s an accolade that mirrors what Nashville already knows \u2014 some of the industry\u2019s sharpest young creators and future power players are being shaped just down I-24 in Murfreesboro. And with the university\u2019s newly renamed Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment signaling an era of even deeper industry connection, MTSU is doubling down on its role as a training ground for the next generation of music leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur faculty and staff work hard to make our students\u2019 college journey both inspiring and realistic, preparing them for what they will experience in their future entertainment careers,\u201d Department of Recording Industry chair Michelle Conceison says. \u201cOur music business, audio production, and commercial songwriting students are favored by internship providers and employers across the industry because they arrive on the job knowledgeable in their field and ready to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n
The university\u2019s reputation for excellence is amplified by MTSU\u2019s decision to rename its College of Media and Entertainment in honor of Scott Borchetta, trailblazer and founder of Big Machine Label Group.<\/p>\n
Borchetta\u2019s influence \u2014 from discovering superstar talent to reshaping artist development \u2014 reflects the school\u2019s deep ties to the modern music business. His name on the college marks a future defined by opportunity, mentorship, and innovation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am humbled and profoundly grateful to have MTSU\u2019s College of Media and Entertainment bear my name,\u201d Borchetta shared with Billboard. \u201cThe opportunity that this school affords to its students didn\u2019t exist for me through college education in the 1980s, so it is an honor to now be part of building those bridges for young minds\u2026 The Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment represents the next generation of innovators and creators, whose bold ideas will transform the media landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more than five decades, the Recording Industry Department has been celebrated for its hands-on learning approach, cutting-edge facilities, real-world-professionals-turned-professors, and alumni who shape the sound of today\u2019s charts. From audio production to music business, students are trained with practical experience that places them at the forefront of an ever-evolving industry.<\/p>\n
Since awarding its first degree in 1974, MTSU\u2019s Recording Industry Department has produced more than 7,500 industry-ready graduates \u2014 songwriters, producers, engineers, managers, musicians, and executives who are embedded at every level of the business.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have one of the most unique programs because we prepare students for all the parts of the music industry across all genres,\u201d Conceison says. \u201cIf you\u2019re at a music industry event, somewhere in that room, there\u2019s someone from MTSU working there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Students have collaborated with Bruce Springsteen, C\u00e9line Dion, Keith Urban, Jimmy Kimmel, Kane Brown, and many more. Alumni names stretch across genres and roles: country hitmaker Chris Young, producer and writer Tay Keith, Christian artists Brandon Heath and Lecrae, Lady A\u2019s Hillary Scott, rapper Daisha McBride, boygenius member Julien Baker, Grammy-winning songwriter Josh Kear, and dozens of award-recognized engineers including Brandon Bell, Jason Hall, Jimmy Mansfield, and Connor Back.<\/p>\n
Murfreesboro native and Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum country singer Chris Young attended MTSU before landing his 11 No. 1 hits. He\u2019s such a believer in the Department of Recording Industry that he established a scholarship with the school nearly a decade ago to help other Music City dreamers chase their goals.<\/p>\n
“The recording industry program and the music program, both at MTSU, were fantastic,\u201d Young told Forbes. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the impact that it\u2019s made personally and on other songwriters, artists, musicians, performers and producers. They just do an incredible thing at that school.\u201d<\/p>\n
The influence continues to ripple outward. Alumni have written hits for Alan Jackson, George Strait, Kacey Musgraves, Lady Gaga, Usher, Wiz Khalifa, and more; others manage rising stars, run labels, or produce chart-topping projects. The pipeline from Murfreesboro to Music Row is steady \u2014 and increasingly indispensable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are turning out the most highly valued employees in the music business, and people know when they see MTSU on your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 that you will be well-trained, well-educated, and a dependable industry member,\u201d Conceison says. \u201cWe graduate top performers across the music industry, across genres, at a fraction of the tuition cost of other elite programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n