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14 college courses in Nashville you won’t find in every catalog

Where else can you study Dolly Parton, tea, and concert management in the same city?

McWhorter Hall on Belmont's Campus in the spring.

Back to school might be on your books. | Photo by @explore.nashville

College courses aren’t all lectures and lab reports — especially in Nashville. With the fall semester around the corner, we’ve rounded up classes that go beyond the basics and might make you wish you could dust off your backpack.

🎤 Music and media

  • The Professional Musician (Belmont) | Guides music majors through career planning, professional documents, guest lectures, and audition prep
  • Dolly Parton: Songteller (Belmont) | Explores how Parton’s songs, storytelling, and career shaped her identity and influenced the broader music, film, and cultural landscape
  • History of Country Music (MTSU) | Covers the origins and cultural impact of country music from its early roots to today
  • Exploring the Cinematic Soundtrack (Vanderbilt) | Studies how music shapes the narrative and emotional impact of films
  • Beethoven & Beatles (Fisk) | Examines connections between classical and popular music by comparing the works of Beethoven with the Beatles
  • Concert Management (Trevecca Nazarene) | Covers the ins and outs of concert promotion, including contracts, riders, venues, audience projections, and finance
  • Comics and Graphic Novels (Fisk) | An up-close look at comics and graphic novels as literary and cultural storytelling forms

🍽️ Food and beverage

  • Dining Room Service (Nashville State) | Introduces the fundamentals of table service, including guest relations, order-taking, point-of-sale systems, and dining room prep
  • Wine Appreciation (MTSU) | Introduces viticulture, tasting techniques, and sensory evaluation of wines
  • Science of Meat (TSU) | Examines the science behind meat production, processing, and quality assessment
  • A Global History of Tea (Vanderbilt) | Follows the journey of tea through global trade, culture, and social rituals

🏅 Sports and recreation

  • Athlete Marketing and Branding (Belmont) | Provides strategies for creating and managing personal brands for athletes, from storytelling to sponsorship and fan engagement
  • Jogging (Lipscomb) | Teaches proper walking, jogging, running, and stretching to improve overall fitness
  • Camp Counseling (Lipscomb) | Covers the philosophy and objectives of organized camping, including an overnight trip in the spring
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