Music Education, Specialization in Comprehensive Music Education, M.M.

E-mail: musicgraduate@bgsu.edu

The Master of Music degree program is designed to prepare musicians to practice their specialization in the changing environment of current American music culture. The program encompasses eleven emphases: music composition, music education, music history, ethnomusicology, music performance, collaborative piano, conducting, jazz studies, piano pedagogy, vocal pedagogy, and music theory.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Masters degree, students in the Music Education program are expected to be able to:

• Through evaluation of contemporary literature and research, formulate and communicate ideas related to current issues in music education including, but not limited to, assessment, transfer of knowledge and skills, and implementation of standards in music education.
• Examine the role of music and music education in human life and culture and evaluate their role in the field.
• Demonstrate an effective process of instructional delivery and formulate curricular development plans appropriate for students at all levels of development and inclusive of students with special needs. 
• Demonstrate skills in locating, understanding, selecting, and organizing extant literature and will construct cogent interpretations of the knowledge base in a given subject area related to music and music teaching.

Admission Requirements

Application Deadline is August 1 for Fall and December 1 for Spring. Funding deadline is March 1. Since application reviews may begin immediately after the deadline, we recommend submitting your application and providing all required documents before the deadline.

• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Professional Resume
• Writing Sample - essay of no more than 1,000 words, reflecting on a successful or unsuccessful teaching moment experienced in a recent teaching setting. Include descriptions of the setting, your student(s), the learning goal(s), student performance, and the measure of success. Based on the outcome, outline an appropriate plan for the next lesson.
• Portfolio - Use the Portfolio tab to the left to upload the following (no links):
  • A 10-minute, video-taped performance on an instrument or voice (online submission).
  • A continuous 15-minute, video-taped teaching or rehearsal segment (online submission).

Audition/Interview required:

• Domestic applicants must select an audition/Interview date under the Secondary Music Application tab 
• International applicants must submit either a recorded videos/papers/scores online* OR select an audition/Interview date under the Secondary Music Application tab 
  
  *under the Portfolio section, if available in this application, or on your Application Status Page after you submit your application

International applicants are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTEA). Successful completion of ELS 112 will also be accepted for this requirement. 

Additionally, Duolingo test scores will be accepted for applications through Summer 2025. Applicants of the Graduate College who have completed a previous degree (associate, bachelor’s master’s or doctorate) from a U.S. college/university or are from a country (click here for a complete list) in which instruction was delivered in English (and attended the university for at least two years) are exempt from providing these test scores.

Application Requirements

Admissions Categories and Grade Point Average Requirements

International Application Information

Degree Requirements