Master of Music in Music Education

Professionals interested in improving their teaching and advancing their careers in music education at the early childhood, elementary school, middle school, or high school level can earn a master’s degree in music education.

Students encounter a simulating curriculum that is relevant to their career aspirations, taught by faculty who are on the cutting edge of best-practice pedagogy, research, scholarship, and creative activity. Music education faculty members play active leadership roles in international, national and state organizations devoted to improving preK-12th grade music instruction. They also regularly publish their work in premier research and practitioner journals, and remain actively engaged with music teachers through presentations, clinics, and guest teaching and conducting.

The Master’s Degree in Music Education may be completed either 1) on campus full-time; or 2) part-time while teaching school with evening, summer, and online courses; or, 3) completely online with asynchronous course work (school music teachers only). Graduate assistantships for full time on-campus study may be available, awarded competitively.

MM on Campus

The Master of Music in Music Education is a practice-oriented degree. Students who hold a BA or BM in music may pursue teacher certification simultaneously while working on the degree. Students without music teacher certification may be admitted with pre-/co-requisite requirements designated of up to 9 hours in education and/or music education coursework. Students pursuing an MM in Music Education are exempt from taking the music theory/history diagnostic exams prior to enrolling for classes.

This degree requires 32 credit hours. At least 15 hours must be taken in music education, and 16 must be numbered 8000 or above (a course may be counted in both categories: i.e., Mus Ed 8150 can count toward both).

Music Education Coursework (15 - 18 credit hours)

Required Courses (3 credit hours each):

Mus Educ 8150: Foundations of Music Education
Mus Educ 8151: Measurement and Research in Music Education
Mus Educ 8152: Psychology of Music Instruction and Performance
Mus Educ 8141: Advanced Techniques in Music Education - General Music

Mus Educ 8142: Curriculum Materials in Music Education - General

Additional music education course(s) as determined by student and advisor, from among those listed below, and depending on course availability (3 credits each, unless noted otherwise):

Mus Educ 8100: Seminar in Music Education
Mus Educ 8160: Current Issues in Music Education
Problems, Research, or Independent Study (variable credit; maximum 6 credits)

Music Coursework (10 -15 credit hours)

Music Theory and History: 3 courses, at least one course from each area
Applied Music, Music Techniques, or Conducting: 2 credits from at least one of these areas

Electives (2 - 6 credit hours)

May be in Music, and/or Education (e.g., Educational Psychology or Sociology, TESOL, Reading, Early Childhood), and/or in a related area with advisor approval.

Written comprehensive examinations are administered by the music education faculty, comprising take-home projects and essays based on the synthesis the coursework completed in Music Education, and application of the coursework completed in Music to their current or future classrooms.

Students who aspire to pursue a doctorate in music education in the future may wish to complete a formal research project as part of the degree program, in lieu of the comprehensive examinations. If so, the degree program should include one course in statistics and completion of a publishable research project (4 credit hours total) including an oral examination/defense.

Questions? Contact Dr. Wendy Sims (simsw@missouri.edu)

To apply visit: https://gradschool.missouri.edu/admissions/apply/

MM Online

The fully online Master of Music Education in Music Education degree is designed for music teachers who work in private, public, and charter, and international schools, as well as community settings. Courses are carefully designed for maximum student impact with practical coursework to improve your teaching.

Coursework is 100% online, asynchronous, based on the regular semester timeframe. Fall and Spring care approximately 16-week semesters, and the Summer has two 4-week semesters. Students can take one to two courses during the Fall and Spring and up to three in the Summer. The typical program length is 3 years.

Course work requires 32 credits, distributed as follows:

Music education (15 credits; 3 each)

MUS_EDUC 8151 Measurement and Research in Music Education
MUS_EDUC 8140 Advanced Techniques in Music Education – General
MUS_EDUC 8152 Psychology of Music Instruction and Performance
MUS_EDUC 8150 Foundations of Music Education
MUS_EDUC 8160 Current Issues in Music Education

Music theory and history (9 credits; 3 each)

MUS_THRY 7250 Analysis of Musical Styles Popular Music
MUS_THRY 7232 Rhythmic Analysis of Tonal Music
MUS_H_LI 7317 Historical Studies in Jazz and Popular Music

Teaching practicums (4 credits; 2 each)

MUS_GENL 8085 Problems in Music (Section Designated Teaching Practicum 1)
MUS_GENL 8085 Problems in Music (Section Designated Teaching Practicum 2)

Research-to-practice capstone (4 credits; 2 each)

MUS_GENL 8085 Problems in Music (Section Designated Research to Practice Capstone 1
MUS_GENL 8085 Problems in Music (Section Designated Research to Practice Capstone 2)

For more information visit: https://online.missouri.edu/degrees-programs/mu/arts-and-sciences/music-education/mm/courses

Questions? Contact Dr. Brandon A. Boyd (BoydBA@missouri.edu)

To apply visit: https://gradschool.missouri.edu/admissions/apply/