Master of Music in Music Education

By transforming yourself, you will lift your music department, school, and community. And that changes the world.

You understand that music engages your students in ways that other subjects cannot. You have witnessed a new intensity in them as they really hear a piece of music for the first time. You’ve felt your students’ joy in working as a team, and you’ve been moved when they’ve performed at venues where the healing power of music is especially needed—such as the local soup kitchen, veteran’s hospital, or hospice.

Boston University has long stood for music education that goes beyond schooling, extending active music participation from infancy through senior adulthood. Our faculty is comprised of leaders in early childhood music education, community music facilitation, music technology, and lifespan engagement. They are eager to share their expertise with you because expanding the number of highly qualified music educators is at the center of their careers.

As a Master of Music degree student, you will examine critically a variety of research that informs music education. You will discuss and analyze philosophical, sociological, and psychological ideas and problems in the field of music education. Music theory and analytical techniques in composition will sharpen the eye and ear. Our list of engaging electives will ensure that you have opportunities to hone your scholarly writing and research skills. Your student colleagues will be music education professionals from around the world who will become lifelong friends and professional contacts.

Our online Music Education degree graduates leave re-energized, with their teaching bolstered by new techniques, their research skills grounded in theory and history, and their analytic skills sharpened.

By transforming yourself, you will lift your music department, school, and community. And that changes the world.

Join us. Let’s get started.

Awards & Accreditations

NASM Accredited: Boston University holds accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges, and universities with 615 accredited institutional members.


Newsweek - America's Top Online Colleges 2023Newsweek magazine ranked Boston University’s online programs #4 in the nation in its 2023 survey.


Why Choose BU’s Master in Music Education?

  • Excellence: Enhance and enrich your Music Education studies by being a part of a major research institution with access to world-class faculty and resources.
  • Choice: As a student in the MM in Music Education program, you can choose from over 15 electives in order to customize your own educational path. Our program offers a three-course focus in Music Technology, which allows students to qualify for Level 1 certification through TI:ME (Technology Institute for Music Educators).
  • Options: Students are welcome to campus each summer to take intensive one- or two-week electives to satisfy their requirements. Past courses included: Empowering Song: Music with Body, Mind, and Heart; and Special Topics in Digital Music Education.

Follow a “Day in the Life” of Master in Music Education candidate, Paul Shihadeh, who is also the musical director of the world famous “O” by Cirque du Soleil.

Cost

Boston University offers competitive tuition rates that meet the needs of part-time students seeking an affordable education. These rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education. To learn more about current tuition rates, visit the Tuition & Fees page.

Curriculum

Students in Boston University’s online Master of Music in Music Education (MusM) complete at least eight courses and at least 32 credit hours: 12 credits of music education, 4 credits of music theory, and 16 credits of approved electives.

Faculty

Every day, our talented faculty of working artists challenges students to push the boundaries of Theatre, Music, and Visual Arts in the context of an elite research university.

Explore CFA Faculty

Summer Session

Some online MM in Music Education degree students take advantage of our summer session, completing coursework on campus while enjoying Boston’s cultural offerings and summer sea breezes. More information—including session dates, financial aid, and tuition rates—is communicated to students during the academic year.

Scholarships

Federal Stafford Loans Only

Getting Started

Admission deadlines are four times per year. Please complete our inquiry form to receive more information. For assistance with your application or to ask questions, please contact our admissions team at 1-855-884-5636, email cfaapply@bu.edu, or visit the CFA program website.