Advisor: Diana Hollinger
The Master of Arts in Music Education, offered by the School of Music and Dance , is designed for the student with a career goal in music education. It provides a broad foundation in educational philosophy, theory, and history in research and practice for a solid grounding for continuing work in K-12 education, community music, and other pursuits, and as preparation for further advanced study. The MA in Music Education is a two-year, 30- unit program focusing on a one-on-one study with an advisor, courses, and practicums in education theory, issues and research in conjunction with seminars in music research and writing, music history, and music theory. The degree culminates with the Written Culminating Exams (WCE), and the completion of a music education thesis (Plan A) or project (Plan B).
Special Session Program Information
Academic Programs offered through Special Session are operated by the College of Professional and Global Education (CPGE). Registration and enrollment in a Special Session course or program must use the special session application form and will follow the special session fees and course schedules. Note that regular session students seeking to enroll simultaneously in a special session course or the program will trigger a separate and additional set of fees. This may require an additional enrollment appointment from the Registrar and it may have implications for financial aid status or requirements. Please visit the CPGE website for more information.
Additional information is available in the School of Music & Dance Office and at the department website: www.sjsu.edu/music.
Admissions Requirements
You will need to apply separately to the university to obtain approval for graduate admissions and to the department to obtain admission into the Master of Arts - Music Education. The School of Music and Dance graduate program requires applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in Music from a regionally accredited institution and to be in good academic standing at the last college or university attended. In rare circumstances, students with degrees in non-music areas who demonstrate artistic potential for graduate study in Music may be admitted to the program. The School of Music and Dance requires a minimum GPA of 3.00 in the last 60 units of undergraduate coursework. All required transcripts and supporting documents should be sent directly to the university.
Students from a country where the official language was not English are required to submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), PTE (Pearson Test of English), or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score. The minimum entrance score for the TOEFL is 590 (paper-based), 243 (computer-based), or 96 (internet-based), with a score of 5 in the Writing Section. The minimum score for the PTE is 68; for the IELTS, the minimum score is 7.0. All test scores must be less than 2 years old. Test scores must be sent directly from the Educational Testing Service office (institution code 4687), Pearson Office, or IELTS office directly to SJSU.
The School of Music and Dance does not require the GRE (Graduate Record Exam).
Portfolio and Letters of Recommendation
The submission of a portfolio of work is required including a curriculum vitae, video recording of a teaching episode, statement of teaching philosophy, and a sample undergraduate term paper on an education topic. An interview is also required. Please see the School of Music and Dance website for specific requirements.
The School of Music and Dance requires three letters of recommendation addressing the applicant’s potential for graduate-level work in music to be sent to the Music Education area advisor.
Admission to Classified Standing
Graduate students admitted to the School of Music and Dance are usually admitted in “conditionally classified” status. This status is normal for all entering graduate students, who must demonstrate a bachelor’s level competence in music history and music theory by passing the Graduate Entrance Evaluations given during Pre-Instruction before the start of the fall semester. Students who pass their Entrance Evaluations may then become “graduate classified” and are eligible to take all 200-level graduate seminars after completing MUSC 200 . Students who fail portions of the Evaluation will remain conditionally classified and will be required to remediate with the appropriate coursework before taking graduate seminars beyond MUSC 200 . Coursework taken as remediation is not applied to the Master’s degree requirement units.
Students who fail the entire Entrance Evaluation will not be admitted into the program.
Please see “Graduate Program Test Requirements” for more information.
Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy
Candidacy denotes that the student is fully qualified to complete the final stages of the MA. In order to achieve candidacy, students must meet the university requirements for candidacy. General university requirements for advancement to candidacy for the MA degree are detailed in the Graduate Policies and Procedures section. Advancement to candidacy requires that the student be in good standing with a 3.0 GPA or better in a minimum of 9 units of letter-graded coursework as a graduate student in 100- or 200-level courses in the degree program as indicated by all courses on the Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form. These courses must conform to university and departmental requirements, and the area and graduate advisors must approve the proposed program. The proposed program must list a total of 30 semester units, including the appropriate number of “core” courses, area of specialization courses, required ensembles, and supervised graduate study.
The student must be “graduate classified” and have met and cleared their conditions for admission to the program indicated by their results in the Graduate Entrance Evaluation in music history and music systems/theory. Candidacy also includes successful completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) , which in the School of Music & Dance is MUSC 200 .
Requirements for Graduation
University Graduation Requirements
Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures .
MA - Music Education
Thesis: In Plan A, six units are devoted to the preparation and writing of a thesis guided by the candidate’s major professor and approved by a committee. After final approval by the advisor and thesis committee, the thesis is submitted to Graduate Studies for review. The thesis must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. The successfully reviewed thesis is then submitted for publication.
Project: In Plan B, six units are devoted to the preparation and production of a written project.
Written Culminating Exams (WCE): At the end of their studies, students demonstrate their thorough grasp of music history, music systems/theory, and their field of specialization through the Written Culminating Exams (WCE). Students must pass all sections of the examination to be awarded their master’s degree
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement
At SJSU, students must pass the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) .
