Music Education
For more information on the Music Education program, click here.
Undergraduate Programs
The music education programs at the University of Alabama are committed to helping you develop into the finest musician/teacher possible. The curriculum is designed to allow you to achieve your highest musical potential while giving you the leadership skills necessary to guide the musicians of tomorrow. Upon graduation, you will be eligible for recommendation for Alabama Class B certification to teach all aspects of music from pre-kindergarten through high school in Alabama public schools and many other states. All of your music education classes will be taught by full-time faculty who are committed to undergraduate education. The Bachelor of Science Degree in Education (B.S.E.) in Instrumental Music Education or Vocal Music Education is designed for those pursuing careers as band or choral directors or general music teachers at the pre-kindergarten through secondary school levels.
Because the programs develops your musical skills as a performer and conductor, they also provide an excellent foundation if you wish to continue studies in graduate school with the goal of becoming a professional conductor, college professor or professional performer. The members of the music education faculty with whom you will be working are all known nationally in their areas of expertise. As a music education major, you will work with a faculty advisor who will guide you through the four-year curriculum.
The Music Education program is accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Music (NASM) and by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Graduate Programs
The College of Education in cooperation with the School of Music offers graduate degrees in music education as an option through the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction (emphasis in Music Education). Music education concentrations are available at the M.A., nontraditional initial certification, Ed.S., Ed.D., and Ph.D. degree levels. All programs, except the doctoral programs, can lead to Alabama teacher certification. These programs are recognized as some of the best in the state and as rising programs among those in the country. They have produced many successful and renowned graduates.
The master’s degree is designed to develop your musical skills through ensembles, lessons and classes. You can also expand your teaching skills through advanced conducting classes and advanced work in specific teaching methodologies. The program will introduce you to the wider profession of Music Education through the study of research techniques, foundations of music education, conducting, and hands-on teaching experiences. The program is designed to allow outstanding students meeting admission requirements to enter directly into an Ed.S., Ed.D. or Ph.D. program after graduation. While the master’s curriculum provides for these broad-based skills, it also focuses on instruction in the area of your choice: teaching pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle or high school; teaching winds, strings, percussion or voice; or general music education. You will join our many alumnae who are in leadership positions in school music programs throughout Alabama and across the country.
The M.A. and Ed.S. programs develop teaching excellence and are designed to assist you in acquiring higher levels of State teaching certification. The Ed.D. degree program is designed to enhance teaching skills, while the Ph.D. program focuses on research. Although the Ed.S. program is a certification program, students proceeding to a doctoral program can, with careful planning with the graduate music education advisor, design the doctoral program to include the coursework contained in the Ed.S. program. Students completing the Ed.S. program are not required to complete a doctoral program but are encouraged to consider that option.
Both doctoral degrees are designed to develop skills necessary to succeed in either college teaching or assuming leadership roles in music education. The programs are flexible enough to allow students’ input in developing their programs of study while incorporating areas of their personal career goals. Graduates of these programs can be found teaching in colleges and universities across the country. Graduate assistantships, offered on a competitive basis, are available with teaching, administrative or research duties. Because assistantships are awarded in the spring for the following academic year, early application is strongly encouraged, sometime between January and March before anticipated fall admission.
The Music Education programs are accredited by the National Association of the Schools of Music (NASM) and by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).