Nashville, TN (population: 605,197) has eight media schools within its city limits. Belmont University, the highest ranked school in the city with a media program, has a total student population of 5,424. It is the 1511th highest ranked school in the USA and the 24th highest in the state of Tennessee (#1 is Vanderbilt University).
Media students from Nashville schools who go on to become interactive media designers, media designers, reporters, news reporters, etc. have a good chance at finding employment. Also, Graphic designers make on average $47,820 per year and there are about 200,870 of them employed in the US today.
Nashville lies in Davidson county, which is one of the 26 counties in Tennessee. Overall, the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin area has 719,830 total employed workers according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, with a 0.7% unemployment rate, $19.13/hr average worker wage, and a $39,790 average annual salary.
Of the 8 media schools in Nashville, none have a student population over 10k. After taking into account tuition, living expenses, and financial aid, The Art Institute of Tennessee-Nashville comes out as the most expensive ($30,998/yr) for media students, with Nashville State Technical Community College as the lowest, reported at only $6,750/yr.
| Name | State | Population | # of Schools | Avg School Rank | Total Programs | Distance from Nashville |
| Franklin | TN | 61,515 | 6 | 35.3023 | 121 | 16.9 miles |
| Gallatin | TN | - | 1 | 14.7314 | 31 | 24.0 miles |
| Lebanon | TN | - | 6 | 33.1353 | 162 | 27.4 miles |
| Murfreesboro | TN | 109,230 | 4 | 32.6865 | 176 | 31.1 miles |
| Dickson | TN | - | 1 | 26.7533 | 18 | 34.6 miles |
| Clarksville | TN | 121,429 | 6 | 21.4206 | 150 | 41.7 miles |
| Shelbyville | TN | - | 2 | 24.186 | 25 | 50.8 miles |
| Bowling Green | KY | 56,941 | 5 | 29.5084 | 365 | 58.5 miles |
| Tullahoma | TN | - | 1 | 18.8406 | 13 | 64.4 miles |
| Athens | AL | - | 7 | 24.5606 | 224 | 95.2 miles |