Because New Orleans brought the world Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Connick, Jr., it is only natural that a jazz studies program would begin in this jazz-rich city. Loyola was the first to do so, establishing the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies degree in 1975. The College of Music gives students the opportunity to study the development of jazz and participate in its continued growth, while still focusing on traditional musical and academic studies. The jazz studies program is professionally oriented and designed for brass, woodwind, and rhythm section instrumentalists. Loyola is fortunate in having a professional faculty jazz ensemble.
All members have extensive backgrounds and continue to be active in the jazz and commercial fields.
Guest artists of international reputation perform with students and conduct master classes during the annual Loyola University Jazz Ensemble Festival. Among the many graduates of the Loyola jazz studies program are Ellis Marsalis, Antonio Garcia, and Rick Margitza.