KINGSVILLE, Texas — The music department at Texas A&M University Kingsville has earned the designation School of Music and it took two years to make it happen.
A "School of Music" is usually a larger, more comprehensive unit than a "Department of Music."
The designation will also help music students boost their resumes and the university expects this will now make things more competitive.
A "School of Music" is usually thought of as a larger entity that has more internal structure and is divided up into areas of teaching, performance, and ensembles.
In the State of Texas, the largest programs are schools of music, like the University of Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor and West Texas A&M.
Becoming a school of music allows the program to grow and expand its offerings and elevates the reputation of an already stellar music program.
"To have that school designation on their degree, it makes the value of everything go up. That will attract future students," said Dr. Scott Jones, Director of Bands.
"It's really prestigious, and it give more value to the degree. A lot more weight than just having a degree in music," said Isaac Gutierrez, School of Music Senior.
These students are already very accomplished. They've won national and international competitions.
The new designation will now give students the opportunity to compete in more exclusive competitions.
There's even a program where they can study abroad at the Paris Conservatory.
University administration says they're excited to see what the future holds.
"It's like we're in Disney World and we just stepping into the theme park. It's a really exciting time to be here," said Dr. Jones.
This news all comes after the music students have moved into their new sixty three million dollar state of the art music facility.
