Overview
Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, SUNY Oneonta’s Music Industry degree will prepare you for a career in a variety of fields in the music, media and entertainment industries, including management, marketing, promotion, merchandising, publishing, production and performance.
What You’ll Learn
The curriculum includes specialized music industry studies in the recording industry, entertainment industry, business affairs, intellectual property law, music products, and music theory, performance and history/literature. You can also take business courses on topics such as business law, marketing, management and accounting.
Department
Program Type
Area of Study
Delivery Mode
Special Talent Application
Auditions are not a requirement for acceptance into the Music Industry program. However, prospective music industry majors who wish to have their talent considered during the admissions process may submit a special talent application as a supplement to the regular application.
Billboard Magazine Recognition
SUNY Oneonta is one of 42 colleges and universities in the United States, England and Spain featured in Billboard magazine’s 2024 list of “Top Music Business Schools,” which recognizes programs whose graduates ""will be solidly positioned to pursue careers in an increasingly complex music industry." Billboard has included Oneonta on the list for the fifth consecutive year.
Customize Your Program
Build additional skills with a related minor or microcredential. Our Audio Arts Production minor includes Pro Tools certification. We also offer several stackable microcredentials – short clusters of courses that help you build specialized, relevant skills for employment. Choose from:
Meet Our Students and Faculty
Hear from current students and faculty and get a glimpse of what’s it like to be a Music Industry major at Oneonta!
Career Opportunities
From artist management to YouTube personality, there are all kinds of things you can do with a Music Industry degree from SUNY Oneonta! Here’s a sampling of alumni careers.
Requirements
See the list of required courses and a sample plan of study for your next four years.
Music Industry Facilities
Music Industry majors gain hands-on experience with recording hardware and software used by professional recording studios all over the world including:
- Four studios for recording and post-production
- A fiber optics system that allows simultaneous recording from multiple spaces in the Fine Arts Center
- Two digital keyboard/MIDI/theory labs equipped with sequencing and recording capabilities
- A large library of sampled sounds. Software includes Pro Tools, Reason, Live, Garageband and Practica Musica
Hands-On Learning
A Music Industry Internship/Field Experience is required for all students enrolled in the Music Industry B.A. program. Recent grads have done internships at sites all over the country, including Paradigm Records, The Royalty Network, Pearl Drum Corporation, Zenbu Media, ObliqSound, Wonderlous Music, Chung King Studios and more! You’ll also get plenty of hands-on experience through music ensembles, music lessons, music clubs and faculty-led trips.
The NAMM Show
The Music Department has a long-running tradition of taking students to Los Angeles every winter for The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show—the largest music products show in the world. Students get special access to see the latest products, attend demonstrations and panel discussions, and network with professionals in the field.
Get Involved
Join one of our many music-related student clubs and meet friends who share your talent and passion for music! Options include:
Red Dragon Records
Through the Music Industry Club (MIC), students get experience in every aspect of putting on a concert, from booking to promotion to sound reinforcement. Each year, the Music Industry Club selects a SUNY Oneonta student band or artist to record on SUNY Oneonta’s Red Dragon Records label and carries out the process from start to finish.
Featured Article
Meet Gideon Dean
Gideon Dean talks about his experiences as a DJ at the student-run radio station, WONY, and a yearlong mentorship program offered by the Country Music Association.
Alumni Stories
Inside Fine Arts
Take a quick tour of the Fine Arts Center, home to the Music, Art and Theatre departments and facilities.
Contact Admissions
108 Ravine Parkway
Oneonta, NY 13820
United States