School of Music

The School of Music at SFA is a NASM accredited institution committed to providing graduate and undergraduate curricula with a wide variety of musical experiences, designed to prepare students to confidently begin or continue careers in Music Education, Performance, Sound Recording Technology, and Composition. Its goal is to graduate highly competent musicians, accomplished performers, sensitive artists and articulate musical leaders who clearly understand the value and role of music as part of our cultural heritage and welfare. To this end, the School of Music is also committed to attracting and retaining students and faculty of the highest quality, and dedicated to the creation of an academic climate in which both may work and interact with broad creative freedom. Furthermore, the School of Music is committed to broadening the musical experience and knowledge of the general student at the University and is dedicated to serving the University, community, and region by enriching the quality of life through the presentation of numerous concerts, recitals, and other musical programs.

Stephen F. Austin State University

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began more than century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’s oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA provides the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school.

Nestled within a the piney woods, the main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, 14 residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through our six gardens. With the inclusion of our off-campus Todd Agricultural Research Center, DeWitt School of Nursing Complex and aviation program hangars, SFA is spread across 1,210 acres of land in Nacogdoches County.

The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Small class sizes, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1, ensure students receive personalized attention from faculty members who act as mentors.

SFA ensures its academic offerings remain in line with shifting industry expectations. This effort has led to the creation of several new programs in the last five years, including mechanical and electrical engineering degrees and a new music industry program featuring state-of-the-art technology. The university offers career preparation through its Career Center to help students with their job search before they even graduate.

Our commitment to academic excellence has garnered multiple distinctions, including being named No. 1 regional public school in Texas and No. 18 in the Regional Universities West category in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. SFA also was invited to become a member of the FirstGen Forward Network due to the extensive work done to improve experiences for first-generation students, which make up 42% of our student body.

The Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education designated SFA as a Higher Access, Medium Earnings institution due to its work to advance opportunity in a rural service area. Because of SFA, East Texas students benefit from greater access to a college education and above-average wages upon completion of their degrees, according to the designation. 

Learning doesn’t stop when Lumberjacks walk the graduation stage, so we established the Center for Professional and Continuing Education in 2024 to offer upskilling and continuing education to the public.

SFA also continues to make substantial upgrades to campus infrastructure and technology to uphold its promise of encouraging academic innovation. The most recent additions include the Pineywoods Dining Hall, which is the UT System’s first mass timber building, and a recording studio, sound stage, audio and video editing rooms, and an art gallery as part of the Griffith Fine Arts Building expansion.

SFA continues to modernize with the UT System-funded $40 million Greg Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship and the $85 million forestry and agriculture buildings currently under construction. The ACE building will offer simulated learning environments and innovation labs tailored to cutting-edge entrepreneurial education across all majors.

Our athletic teams compete in intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division I level in the Southland Conference. In addition, SFA hosts live performances, cultural programs and special events take place throughout the year. 

University of Texas System

For more than 140 years, The University of Texas System has improved the lives of Texans — and people all over the world — through education, health care and research. With an enrollment of more than 260,000 students at academic and health institutions across the state, as well as an operating budget of $33.3 billion, the UT System is one of the largest public university systems in the nation and the world.

UT institutions are powerful drivers of economic and social mobility in Texas, producing more than 66,000 graduates annually, including more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees and about 56% of the state’s medical degrees. Almost half of all undergraduate degrees are awarded to students who qualified for a Pell grant based on financial need while enrolled at a UT institution. 

90 percent of graduates who earned their degrees from UT institutions secure jobs in Texas within a year after graduating — providing a skilled workforce and fueling the state’s economy. In fact, UT graduates who entered the Texas workforce between 2002 and 2022 had cumulative earnings through 2023 of more than $400 billion. 

The UT System also is one of the largest employers in Texas, with more than 160,000 faculty, health care professionals, researchers, support staff and student workers. 

Creating a healthier Texas is a fundamental mission of UT institutions. Collectively, UT-owned and -affiliated hospitals and clinics accounted for nearly 11.7 million outpatient visits and more than 2 million hospital days in the last year reported.

In addition to world-class patient care, researchers at UT institutions are on the frontlines of discovery and innovation. The UT System’s nearly $4.8 billion research enterprise is among the nation’s most innovative, ranking No. 1 in Texas, No. 2 in the U.S. for total research expenditures, and No. 3 for federal research expenditures.

With the Texas population expected to grow dramatically in the years to come, the UT System will continue to lead in driving prosperity, innovation and health for the people of the Lone Star State.

https://www.utsystem.edu/about