Students’ Perspectives on the Master’s Degree in Music Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate currently enrolled students’ perceptions of the master’s degree in music education (MME). A national sample of 136 MME students completed a web-based questionnaire. The most common motivations for enrolling in MME programs were to become a better teacher, to get a higher salary, to gain academic stimulation through graduate-level coursework, and to create a possible pathway to doctoral study in the future. However, motivational differences were evident based on respondents’ degree format (academic year, online, summer, or hybrid). Respondents indicated that they learned about research primarily through reading and discussing research articles, and learned about pedagogy primarily through reading articles on pedagogy/teaching strategies and watching and reflecting on personal teaching videos. I explore implications for music teacher education given these findings as well as respondents’ reports of MME program strengths and areas needing improvement.