Music Education, Specialization in Instrumental Music Education, M.M.

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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

Application Requirements

Admissions Categories and Grade Point Average Requirements

International Application Information

Degree Requirements

Curriculum Requirements

Required Courses (12 credits)

Students who have not had at least one year of full-time teaching experience, exclusive of student teaching, are required to enroll in 2 credits of MUED 6960 - Supervised Practicum in Music Education . A maximum of two credits may be counted toward the degree.

Electives (12 credits)

1. Ensemble Lit. Select 2-3 hours from:

2. Seminar Performance. Select 1 course from:

3. Applied lessons or ensembles. Select 3 credits from:

MUCT 5000E MUCT 5010E MUCT 5020E MUCT 5030E MUCT 5040E MUED 6120 MUSP 5030E MUSP 5040E MUSP 5050E MUSP 5080E MUSP 5090E MUSP 5100E MUSP 5110E MUSP 5120E MUSP 5130E MUSP 5160E MUSP 5170E MUSP 5210 MUSP 5230 MUSP 5240 MUSP 5250 MUSP 5260 MUSP 5270 MUSP 5280 MUSP 5310 MUSP 5320 MUSP 5330 MUSP 5350 MUSP 5360 MUSP 5370E MUSP 5380E MUSP 5390E MUSP 5400E MUSP 5410 MUSP 5420 MUSP 5430 MUSP 5440 MUSP 5450 MUSP 5460 MUSP 5470 MUSP 5480 MUSP 5550 MUSP 5560 MUSP 5600 MUSP 5620 MUSP 5630 MUSP 5640E MUSP 5650E MUSP 5660E MUSP 5670E MUSP 5690 MUSP 5700E MUSP 5720 MUSP 5730 MUSP 5750E MUSP 5760E MUSP 5770E MUSP 5780E MUSP 5790E MUSP 5900E MUSP 6000E MUSP 6150E MUSP 6210 MUSP 6230 MUSP 6240 MUSP 6250 MUSP 6260 MUSP 6270 MUSP 6280 MUSP 6310 MUSP 6320 MUSP 6330 MUSP 6350 MUSP 6360 MUSP 6380E MUSP 6410 MUSP 6420 MUSP 6430 MUSP 6440 MUSP 6450 MUSP 6460 MUSP 6470 MUSP 6480 MUSP 6550 MUSP 6560 MUSP 6580E MUSP 6600 MUSP 6610 MUSP 6620 MUSP 6630 MUSP 6690 MUSP 6720 MUSP 6730

4. Electives outside of Music Education. Select 3 credits.

Other Requirements

Student must take placement examinations in Music History/Literature and Music Theory as they begin their program. Those who do not pass one or more portions are permitted to retest during the first semester of residence. If the re-test is not passed, student must take the appropriate remedial courses, depending on the exam and the score. NOTE: Remedial courses listed here may not be used to satisfy degree requirements, except in the case of MUCT 6080 and MUCT 6120.

1. Music Theory Placement Exam - Pass 1 Exam or select 1 from the following remedial courses:

2. Music History/Literature Exams - Pass 2 Exams or select 2 from the following remedial courses:

Culminating Experience (6 credits)

Required for Plan I and Plan II:

Plan I:

MUSP 6990 - Thesis Research

Plan II:

MUED 6380 - Seminar in Current Issues and Topics in Music Education

Minimum Total Credits (30 credits)

Additional Requirements

Minimum of 3 credits of 6990 required for Plan I master’s students. Maximum of 6 credits may be applied toward degree requirements.
Minimum 3.0 graduate cumulative grade point average
Minimum of 18 credits must be at the 6000-level or higher
Minimum of 24 credits must be earned at BGSU
All requirements must be completed within six years from the end of the earliest course used to fulfill degree requirements.