Songwriting, BA/BS

Why Major in Songwriting?

songwriting student There is no better place to pursue a songwriting degree in Nashville than Belmont University. Students from across the U.S. and abroad come to explore music composition programs and commercial song development in the heart of Music City.

As a Songwriting (SNG) major within the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business, you’ll benefit from a curriculum that blends creativity with career readiness. Our program encourages learners to develop leadership with integrity and Christ‑informed character, preparing you to navigate the music industry with purpose.

You’ll train with faculty who have received industry recognition—including Grammys, CMAs, Dove Awards and more. Belmont's professional songwriting degree program is located on Music Row at 34 Music Square East, home to the historic Quonset Hut and Columbia Studio A, where artists like Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline recorded.

Request Information

Ready to Apply?

Start Your Application

From Classroom to Chart-Topper

At Belmont, you're not just studying songwriting — you're living it, right in the heart of Music City. Located steps from legendary Music Row, our program gives you direct access to industry professionals, chart-topping alumni and songwriting legends. With immersive, hands-on learning at its core, the songwriting program helps you refine your voice, grow your catalog and collaborate in real-world settings from your first semester.

Through Belmont’s strong industry connections and Belmont USA opportunities in cities like New York, Los Angeles and beyond, your reach as a songwriter goes far beyond Nashville. Whether you're writing your next hit or co-writing with future stars, you'll be doing it alongside major players such as Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Group, ASCAP, BMI and Warner Music Group — just to name a few.

Arden Snead performing in the Gallery of Iconic Guitars

Watch Now

Belmont Tracks: Arden Snead

Arden Snead is a songwriting major who was glued to music even as a baby. She learned to play guitar at a young age, and songwriting soon followed after. Arden takes most of her inspiration from her family and the stories of others— she believes that the most truth is found in the things that take time. Her primary genres are country and singer-songwriter, and she has been known to pick the banjo on occasion.

Watch More Belmont Tracks

What You'll Learn

As a songwriting major, you'll explore the many paths your music can take — across genres, platforms and audiences. You'll stretch your creativity and experiment with new styles and settings to uncover where your writing shines, while building confidence through performance and collaboration.

Highlights include:

Getting out of your comfort zone to see the multitude of places and genres your writing can exist.
Collaborating to co-write songs and discover how that generates different and exciting outcomes.
Improving your skills of recording your own songs.
Interacting with music business professionals continuously throughout our program. Discover which sectors your music fits into, and collaborate with instead of being intimidated by the industry.
Performing: There are a multitude of opportunities to perform original songs on small and large stages.

Program Details

Course Requirements

The songwriting major leads to either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science. It requires 128 hours of coursework.

BELL Core requirements: 53 hours
Major requirements: 43 hours
Minor requirements: 18 hours
General Electives: 14 hours

See All Program Requirements

Courses you'll take:

SNG 2100. Seminars, Workshops, Showcases: Program-specific sessions intended to demonstrate practical application or explore philosophical and current issues related to the music and entertainment industries.
SNG 2110. Commercial Songwriting I: This is the practical application and technique of the working songwriter. Students will study fundamentals of melody, lyrics, “hooks,” points of view and song logic. Students will also cover solo writing as well as the concept of collaboration.
SNG 2120. Commercial Songwriting II: This course is an advanced study of songwriting on demand, cataloging creative works and developing professional habits as related to the business of songwriting.
SNG 3110. Songwriting Practicum: The development of an individual’s unique songwriting “voice” is encouraged while demo production occurs and the study of the songwriting business continues. Groups will be genre specific - pop, country, show tunes, hip-hop, Christian, jazz, etc. Internships at song-publishing companies on Music Row are encouraged.
SNG 3120. Lyric Writing: A study of lyric writing. Historical masters of composition and lyric writing will be analyzed. Students will learn title/concept development and write lyrics based on selected readings.
SNG 4015. Songwriting Senior Capstone: This course is a culminating experience in the major, which also addresses the goals for the Senior Capstone as defined in the course description for BEL 4015. These goals include reflection on the students’ whole educational experiences and on their transition from the university setting to post-graduation.

Our location in the heart of Music City provides unmatched opportunities for industry engagement. Students in upper-level classes have written songs for Sony Records Nashville, Universal Music Publishing, Big Machine Records, Warner Chappell Music, TV shows like “Nashville,” Curb Publishing, Warner Brothers Records Los Angeles and other companies.

Studying songwriting at Belmont’s Curb College offers an incredible collaboration between Songwriting, Audio Engineering and Motion Pictures majors for the production of music videos.

Your studies are enhanced by classes in commercial songwriting, audio engineering, music business and the choice of dozens of minors.

Study Abroad opportunities are plentiful with songwriting courses taught in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Germany.

Songwriting Portfolio

All applicants must answer three short-answer questions explaining why they would like to be a part of the Belmont Songwriting community, talking about their career goals and musical inspirations. Next, they will upload a video where they perform two original songs alongside two (2) PDFs of the lyrics to each song. Video should be no longer than seven (7) minutes

Submission Instructions:

Go to our Acceptd landing page and walk through the steps to submit your portfolio.

Submission Requirements:

Complete the online submission page in its entirety. Capture a video of yourself singing two of your original compositions. If someone else is accompanying you, you must make an on-camera introduction of each song and its instrumentalists and/or performers. All songs must be written solely by you. Valid submissions must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. (CST) on the due date to be considered in that round.

Portfolio Due Dates:

November 1 (Decisions by December 1)
January 15 (Decisions by February 15)
March 1 (Decisions by April 1)
April 15 — first-time applicants only (Decisions by April 28)
July 1 – transfers only (Decisions by August 1)

Where to submit your portfolio:

To submit a songwriting portfolio, please visit our Acceptd Belmont University Songwriting Major landing page to begin the process!

Please reach out to kate.cacopardo@belmont.edu with any questions!

Outcomes & Alumni Success

Singer singing into microphone on stage Belmont’s songwriting program equips students with the creative tools, industry knowledge and hands-on experience needed to launch successful careers. With an emphasis on co-writing, performance and mentorship, students graduate ready to navigate the ever-evolving music industry. From their first semester, they’re building a catalog, recording demos, connecting with professionals and performing original work — all within walking distance of Nashville’s Music Row.

Our songwriting alumni have gone on to sign publishing deals, release original music and write for major artists across genres. They’ve landed cuts with chart-topping performers, placed songs in film and television, and built careers as independent artists, producers and collaborators. Whether they stay in Nashville or take their talents worldwide, Belmont songwriters are shaping the sound of today’s music industry.

We're committed to your success

Curb College's Professional Development team helps students and graduates grow their skills and networks, preparing them to enter the entertainment industry. To support this, our team offers one-on-one meetings, weekly workshops led by industry experts, off-campus networking events, and hundreds of internships each semester. We serve as ambassadors and connectors for Curb College students and graduates through active involvement in the entertainment world.

It's no wonder that 98% percent of Curb College graduates are employed, pursuing continuing education, or enlisted in the military within 6 months of graduation and 89% of employed graduates are in positions that align with their short or long term career goals.

Learn more about Career & Professional Development

Alumni Testimonials

Emily Weisband

Class of 2015

Songwriting

Sony Songwriter, Warner Brothers Artist, Grammy Award winner

“[I] have every person on staff in the Songwriting program...to thank for even having a degree....They were just all so supportive and encouraging of everything that I was doing outside of the classroom and the actual music industry, and if it weren't for them lifting me up in that area the whole way through, I wouldn't be the writer that I am.”

Alumni Testimonials

Anna Vaus

Class of 2018

Songwriting

Big Machine Songwriter, Independent Artist

“Studying songwriting at Belmont was awesome because it just gave me the opportunity to connect with a lot of different people and people on Music Row, and that was thanks to my professors....”

Alumni Testimonials

Jake Wesley Rogers

Class of 2018

Songwriting

Sony Songwriter, Warner Brothers Artist

“For my career, it's changed my whole life. It put me in front of the publishing company I’m with now and everything has changed because of this program.”

Career Possibilities

The Songwriting major equips students with the essential knowledge and skills needed to pursue a professional career as a songwriter in today’s entertainment industry. An emphasis on critical thinking and collaboration encourages individuality and creativity as you develop skills in lyric writing, musical composition and demo production. This practical knowledge gained through this program prepares students for all aspects of the songwriting and publishing industry.

The following is mere snapshot of some of the jobs student pursue upon graduation.

A contract position with a music publishing company, typically a one year, exclusive contract with a series of 1–3 year options. Staff songwriters are hired to write songs that will be promoted to recording artists, used in film or television and other commercial uses. Belmont Songwriting graduates have signed publishing contacts with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, This Music/Warner Chappell Music, Sea Gayle Music and others.

Within a music publishing company, the creative director works directly with the staff songwriters on direction in song creation. The creative director also meets with record producers and industry executives to pitch songs for recording and other commercial applications.

Perform live on tour with recording artists on U.S. and international tours.

Perform on recording sessions in studios in Nashville, Los Angeles, Miami or New York.

Belmont Songwriting major graduates have built many successful companies, including MadeIn Network (Kevin Grosh/Keith Johnson) and Evamore (Channing Moreland).

Learn from Industry Veterans

Our songwriting faculty are accomplished writers, performers and industry professionals who bring real-world experience into the classroom. From hitmakers and producers to artists and engineers, they’ve worked across genres and stages — and they’re passionate about helping you find your voice. Through storytelling, collaboration and one-on-one mentorship, they’ll guide you as you grow as both a songwriter and an artist.