About Our Program

In 1947, The University of North Texas became first university in the nation to offer a degree program in jazz. Today, the North Texas jazz program, housed within the largest music school in the nation, retains its role as leader in jazz education. It has earned an international reputation for excellence in both the music education field and the professional jazz industry. The UNT One O'Clock Lab Band is the centerpiece of the program, which offers bachelor and master of music degrees in jazz studies. Ten faculty, each renowned and respected in the field, instruct nearly 400 majors in areas of applied instrumental performance, vocal jazz and composition/arranging. Roughly 75 majors are recipients of endowed jazz scholarships. America's Best Graduate Schools has been published annually by U.S. News & World Report since 1987. They began ranking graduate jazz programs in 1994 and the UNT Jazz Studies program was ranked number one in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. After 1997, the publication stopped ranking graduate programs in music.

Visit links in the lefthand sidebar navigation to learn more about degrees offered, admissions, auditions, and more.