The Master of Music, Music Education Specialization is a full-time residential graduate degree program designed for practicing elementary and secondary music teachers sith a K-12 State Music Teaching license. Specifically, this program is designed to inspire and develop the next generation of leaders in the field of music education by developing and applying scholarly research skills in the field of music education, the in-depth study of advanced pedagogical expertise, and the impact of contemporary learning theory on K–12 music education.
In this program, successful students have the opportunity to gain content knowledge regarding the history and philosophy of music education; an understanding of how quantitative, qualitative, and historical music research is conducted; advanced skills in music analysis and interpretation; and a contemporary understanding of the pedagogy of music teaching and learning. Students also have the opportunity to participate in CSU music ensembles to continue to develop as musical artists. Additionally, students are expected to be full-time students in residence and will likely be given the opportunity to teach or assist with undergraduate music education coursework depending upon their level of expertise and program demands.
The degree coursework is designed to be completed over a time span of two years and includes both on-campus and online coursework. Students in this program are encouraged to take advantage of the diverse summer and/or online elective offerings.
All students in this program are strongly encouraged to undertake the Plan A Track, which involves one extra semester of coursework to write a master's thesis. The thesis distinguishes work in the program and prepares the student with the qualifications needed to pursue doctoral work in the future. Plan B Track students do not undertake a thesis.
Program-level Learning Objectives
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Transfer research knowledge and skills to practice-based applications in the K-12 music education context
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Evaluate pedagogical approaches intrinsic to a variety of music education arenas.
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Create innovative approaches to music learning in school systems.
Aspirations for Student Achievement
- Upon completion of this program, students are poised to be both highly qualified practitioners and leaders in K-12 education at the elementary and secondary levels
- Apply learned skills in professional K-12 music teaching settings, including age-appropriate instructional delivery, ensemble leadership, a curricular and pedagogical process, learning theory, and the impacts of assessment on student learning.
- Develop the ability to think abstractly, analyze complex ideas or phenomena, synthesize, or generalize knowledge across disciplines and sub-disciplines, interpret and apply scholarly findings to specialized topic areas, and communicate ideas effectively in both oral and written forms.
- Develop an awareness of substantive publications in the field of music education and the field of education as a whole.
- Define national trends in music education that impact K-12 educational settings.
- Describe the contemporary role that curriculum and assessment design plays in the teaching-learning process.
- Create music curriculum assessment tools designed to measure simple and complex learning in classroom and studio/applied settings.
- Engage in informed critical discussion regarding current standards-based frameworks in music and contemporary K-12 American education contexts.
Admission
For information about the admissions processes to the Graduate School and School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, as well as coursework details and information about graduate teaching assistantships, please visit our website.
Effective Fall 2023
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDRM 600 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| MU 510 | Foundations of Music Education | 3 |
| MU 517 | Tonal Analytic Techniques | 3 |
| or MU 518 | Post-Tonal Analytic Techniques | |
| MU 550 | Social Psychology of Music Learning | 3 |
| MU 551 | Curriculum and Assessment of Music Learning | 3 |
| MU 552 | Contemporary Issues in Music Education | 3 |
| MU 592D | Seminar: Music Education | 3 |
| MU 699 | Thesis | 3 |
| Music History Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Program Total Credits: | 30 | |
A minimum of 30 credits are required to complete this program.
- 1
Select any graduate level Music History course, including but not limited to MU 53X courses.
- 2
Select enough elective credits to bring program total to a minimum of 30 credits. Elective courses must be outside of the field of music education and at the graduate level in music to ensure breadth of competence. Courses will be approved by the candidate's graduate committee. Students may be required to take additional course work as determined by diagnostic examinations and/or their graduate committee.
Effective Fall 2023
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDRM 600 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| MU 510 | Foundations of Music Education | 3 |
| MU 517 | Tonal Analytic Techniques | 3 |
| or MU 518 | Post-Tonal Analytic Techniques | |
| MU 550 | Social Psychology of Music Learning | 3 |
| MU 551 | Curriculum and Assessment of Music Learning | 3 |
| MU 552 | Contemporary Issues in Music Education | 3 |
| MU 592D | Seminar: Music Education | 3 |
| Music History Elective 1 | 3 | |
| Elective 2 | 6 | |
| Program Total Credits: | 30 | |
A minimum of 30 credits are required to complete this program.
- 1
Select any graduate level Music History course, including but not limited to MU 53X courses.
- 2
Select enough elective credits to bring program total to a minimum of 30 credits. Elective courses must be outside of the field of music education and at the graduate level in music to ensure breadth of competence. Specific courses will be approved by the candidate's graduate committee. Students may be required to take additional course work as determined by diagnostic examinations and/or their graduate committee.