The graduate curricula provide advanced preparation for professional work as a teacher and/or performer. Students must successfully complete placement examinations in music theory and music history/literature (or the review courses MUS 500a, b) and a performance audition (if required for the student’s specialization). Certificate degrees are designed to appeal to teachers seeking additional professional training and career opportunities. Many students choose to pursue a certificate alongside an MM, with certain courses counting toward both degrees.

Music Education

Required courses in music (4 hours): MUS 501, 502

Required courses in music education (12 hours): MUS 520, 525, 530, 535, and 560
Instrumentalists must also complete MUS 415
Vocalists must complete MUS 519a

Electives in Music Education and Pedagogy (6 hours): Students may substitute up to four semester hours of graduate courses in education if, prior to electing these courses, they submit a written request to the Director of Music Education and obtain approval.

General Music Electives (6 hours): At least one elective in music theory, music history, and ensemble/applied instruction. Students completing the recital with supporting paper must complete a minimum of four semester hours of private applied instruction (MUS 540 or 541) in addition to MUS 591.

Thesis or Graduate Recital with Supporting Paper (4 hours): MUS 599 or MUS 591

These scholarly projects come at the end of graduate study and demonstrate the graduate student's ability to produce an original research document of merit. Most degree candidates complete a thesis, but students desiring to perform a recital and write a supporting paper instead of the thesis may do so with approval from the Director of Music Education, the applied instructor, and the audition committee.

Career Outlook

A master’s degree in music education is uniquely suited for careers in post secondary education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), demand for professors is high in educational and musical disciplines where career opportunities can be more lucrative than teaching the master’s degree program itself. In addition to teaching, music education graduates find work as music historians, music directors, performers and composers.