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.
Like the thesis, the supporting paper must be relevant to music education. This paper may focus on issues such as pedagogical implications of the instrument's construction and capabilities, principally as these relate to the recital repertoire; the history and structure of the recital repertoire; particularly as these relate to performance and instruction; and other factors pertaining to teaching, learning, and performing on the instrument.
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.
SIUE’s Career Development Center maintains strong connections with regional and national education associations to help students explore employment options upon graduation.
