Help Redefine Music Education in the 21st Century
With BU’s Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education Online Degree
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Please click here to download the Doctor of Music in Music Education program brochure.
Take Your Music Education Career to the Highest Level
Study with a cohort of the nation’s most innovative thought leaders, teachers, policy makers, and researchers in music education, and learn from BU’s large, diverse faculty representing a broad range of music research and practice interests. This collaborative online doctorate program prepares music educators for advancement in their field by developing and honing research skills, sharpening proficiency in teaching techniques, and producing a dissertation of publishable quality that introduces new knowledge designed to push the field of music education forward.
With a DMA in Music Education Online from BU you will:
- Learn new techniques and strategies that can be applied in your classrooms.
- Collaborate with influential leaders in the music education profession.
- Participate in a weeklong residency on campus with faculty and other students.
- Pursue your scholarly interests and connect them to music education theories and your teaching practice.
- Advance your career and discover new opportunities.
- Complete your doctorate without uprooting your family or leaving the work that fulfills you.
Study at Top-Ranked, Fully Accredited Boston University
As the oldest degree-granting music program in the US, BU has earned a reputation for excellence.
Boston University is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
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.
Featured in Newsweek as the 35th best university in the U.S. and the 65th best university in the world
Ranked #27 among Best U.S. Colleges by The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education
Top 100 graduate universities by QS Quacquarelli Symonds rankings
Ranked 42 in national universities by the U.S. News & World Report college rankings
Top 40 best U.S. universities; Top 74 international universities by The Times Higher Education. BU grads rank 5th in the U.S. and 6th in the world among schools for employability
Boston University earned the “Effective Practices Award” from the Online Learning Consortium (2018)
Alumni Scholarship Contributions to the Field of Music Education
Below is a selection of completed dissertations from recent graduates of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education at Boston University that demonstrate the breadth and scope of topics and research methods employed by our DMA candidates:
Heather Katz Cote (CFA’16), Village of Nagog Woods, MA: A Matrix of Music Supervisors’ Stories in the Midst of School Reform
James Ray (CFA’17), Port Angeles, WA: Collective Efficacy Belief, Within-Group Agreement, and Performance Quality Among String Chamber Ensembles: An Exploratory Study
Kenneth Dale Disney (CFA’18), Knoxville, TN: Understructures, Gender Roles, and Performativity in a High School Percussion Section
Amira Ehrlich (CFA’18), Israel: Pray Play Teach: Conversations with Three Jewish Israeli Music Educators
Troy Davis (CFA’20), Santa Clara, CA: Self-Assessment in Jazz Improvisation: An Instrumental Case Study of Professional Jazz Musicians in a Jazz Combo Setting
Jorim Reid (CFA’20), Durham, NC: Marching Sound Machines: An Autoethnography of a Director of Bands at an Historically Black College and University
Darryl Singleton (CFA ’20), Katy, TX: Black Band for Brown Students: A Culturally Relevant Pedagogy?
About BU’s Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education Online Degree
Boston University’s graduate programs in music education have been created for the continuing growth of forward-thinking leaders and educators who serve as advocates for the importance of music in our lives, communities, and schools.
We are a student-centered program committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Graduate students may add focus to their degrees with multiple electives in areas including diversity, equity, and inclusion; antiracist pedagogy; early childhood; musicology/ethnomusicology; music technology; popular music; and wellbeing.
Our contemporary curriculum is taught by BU scholars in music education, theory, and musicology who are leaders in their fields. They are eager to share their expertise with you because they love to teach and are committed to expanding the number of highly qualified music educators in the field.
Applications for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education online program are accepted once per year for a Fall term start. The application opens in September and has an early January submission deadline each year. Applicants will be reviewed for admission based upon the following criteria and materials:
Professional Portfolio Including:
- Completed application for graduate admission to the College of Fine Arts
- Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
- Two Letters of Reference
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement
- Statement of Research Interest
- Writing Sample
- English Proficiency test scores for non-native English speakers
Qualities of a Competitive Applicant:
- Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music or Music Education from regionally accredited institutions
- At least 3 years of music teaching experience at the primary, secondary or university level
- Leadership through activities such as designing curriculum, mentoring new teachers, serving on executive boards of professional organizations, and publishing articles
- Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
Please refer to our website for instructions on how to submit application materials at www.bu.edu/cfa/online. For assistance, please contact our Director of Online Admissions at 1-855-884-5636 or email cfaapply@bu.edu.
Ready to Take Your Career to the Highest Level?
APPLY NOW
