Breadcrumb
All undergraduate applicants must apply to the University of Colorado and complete a College of Music Admission Application. Applications may be obtained online through the Admissions section. Undergraduate auditions will not be scheduled until both applications have been received. Graduate students need only complete the graduate application.
For prospective music education majors, the audition and interview process has three parts:
Audition
You must pass an audition with a classical instrument, jazz saxophone, jazz trumpet, jazz trombone,Ěýpercussion or voice. For specific repertoire recommendations, pleaseĚýreview the sectionĚýfor your instrument requirements. Note that some instruments require pre-screening to be submitted by Dec. 1.
Pre-interview form
The purpose of this interview is to further acquaint students with the music education programĚýand to provide the music education faculty with additional information about applicants. This information is used, in conjunction with academic criteria and audition results, to determine admissions to the program. The interview is designed for faculty to learn more about your prior teaching/leadership experiences and career goals. Once you have applied to the College of Music, you’ll be given access to sign up for an interview and audition via your application portal. You’ll also be emailed a pre-interview form to fill out and submit; we ask that all BME applicants complete this short form that helps us gather some information to learn more about you. Please complete that form prior to your scheduled interview. Additionally, we strongly encourage applicants to visit the department page and read about our faculty.
Interview
Interviews may be completed in-person or virtually. We do strongly recommend you complete your BME interview on the day of your audition. Interviews will be no more than 15 minutes and will be conducted by our music education faculty.
Please visit the auditions page for information on submitting a recording.ĚýFor further information about the music education program, contact department chair Leila HeilĚý±ąľ±˛ą emailĚýor phone at 303-735-2879.
Degree sheets
Graduate (MME) music education applicant requirements
The Master of Music Education degree program requires thirty semester hours of study (a minimum of 24 hours at the graduate level), distributed among three areas: music education, music courses outside of music education and open electives. MME students are challenged to develop a greater understanding and mastery of music teaching-learning processes, to improve personal musicianship, and to become committed leaders within the profession. Electives and cognate areas of study allow students to customize the degree to fit their particular interests and needs.
MME admission requirements
- Graduate school application and application fee
- Undergraduate transcriptsĚý
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0* and BME degree or equivalent
- Three current letters of recommendation should address academic potential, teaching skills, musicianship and character
- Professional resume (1-2 pages)
- Personal statement: Describe your professional goals as a teacher, musician and learner (500-750 words)
- Critical issue essayĚý(upload as a Supplemental File with the graduate application)
- Applicants for assistantships only: Digital video recording of your teaching (for upload), 20-30 minutes in length. Teaching video rather than performance is required.
- Interview with music education faculty (optional; may be requested by faculty)
Note: Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0 must submit a GRE scores to be considered for admission.
MME degree requirements
Music education–12 hrs.
- Foundations of Music Education–2 hrs.
- Psychology of Music Learning–2 hrs.
- Research in Music Teaching–2 hrs.
- Elective Courses and Workshops–6 hrs.
Music–12 hrs.
- Introduction to Music Bibliography + Research–2 hrs.
- Cognate–6 hrs.
- Theory, Musicology, Performance, ConductingĚýor Jazz Studies Elective Courses and Workshops–4 hrs.
Open Electives–6 hrs.
- Thesis, Electives Courses, Workshops or Independent Study
Graduate degree sheet
We believe that each student approaches graduate study with unique and personal goals. The Summer Master of Music Education (MME) degree at the University of Colorado Boulder is designed to address a variety of interests, needs and areas of expertise for K-12 teachers.
For more information, visit the Summer at the College of Music page
Graduate degree sheet
Graduate (PhD) music education applicant requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in music education is designed to prepare individuals for careers as college music education faculty membersĚýor as music administrators and practitioner-leaders in public schools. The PhD degree program requires a minimum of 45 semester hours of graduate course work (including 15 hours of masters level background courses in music education)Ěýand a minimum of 30 hours of doctoral dissertation credit.
PhD admission requirements
- Graduate school application and application fee
- Undergraduate and graduate transcripts (1 official copy per school)
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0* and BME degree or equivalent
- Minimum graduate GPA of 3.25* and MME degree or equivalent
- Three current letters of reference
- Should address academic potential, teaching skills, musicianship and character
- Minimum of one letter from a graduate professor in an academic area
- Professional resume (1-2 pages)
- Personal statement: Describe your professional goals as a teacher, musician and learner (500-750 words)
- Critical issue essayĚý(upload as a Supplemental File with the graduate application)
- Writing sample: Evidence of writing proficiency (for example, a Masters-level course paper or thesis)Ěý(upload as a Supplemental File with the graduate application)
- Digital video recording of your teaching (for upload), 20-30 minutes in length. Teaching video rather than performance is required.
- Interview with music education faculty
-
- On-campus interview is preferred; video-phone or off-campus interview is optional
- Minimum of three years of successful K-12 music teaching experience
PhD degree requirements
Masters level background courses – 15 hrs.
Music Education – 15 hrs.
- Doctoral Seminar–3 hrs.
- Issues in College Teaching–3 hrs.
- Historical Research Methods–3 hrs.
- Quantitative Research Methods–3 hrs.
- Qualitative Research Methods–3 hrs.
Music Electives – 6 hrs.
- Select from: Musicology; Music Theory, Jazz Studies, Performance and Conducting.
Non-Music Electives–9 hrs.
- Intermediate Statistics –3 hrs.
- Elective Courses–6 hrs.
- Select from: Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Psychology; Research and Evaluation Methodology; and Social and Multicultural Foundations
Dissertation–30 hrs.
Scholarly Contributions by Recent PhD Â鶹ŇůÔş
Graduate degree sheet
Graduate (MME+) music education applicant requirements
Individuals who have completed an undergraduate degree in music and who want to qualify for a Colorado K-12 Music Teaching License while completing a graduate degree may apply to the Master of Music Education Plus Licensure degree program (MME+). The MME+ program requires approximately 40 hours of licensure course work, in addition to theĚý30 hours required for the master’s degree. Â鶹ŇůÔş also must demonstrate that they have completed the equivalent liberal arts and music courses required for a BME degree at the University of Colorado. If course equivalency requirements are not met, additional hours of course work may be required. Typically, students take 2-3 years (including summers) to complete the MME+ degree, though it is possible to complete the licensure requirements prior to completing all requirements for the master’sĚýdegree.
MME+ admission requirements
- Graduate school application and application fee
- Undergraduate transcriptsĚý
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0* and a Bachelor of Music degree, Bachelor of Arts degree in MusicĚýor equivalent
- Three current letters of recommendation should address academic potential, teaching skills, musicianshipĚýand character
- Professional resume (1-2 pages)
- Personal statement: Describe your professional goals as a teacher, musician and learner (500-750 words)
- Critical issue essayĚý(upload as a Supplemental File with the graduate application)
- Live or videotaped demonstration of teaching (assistantship applicants only)
- Interview with music education faculty (optional; may be requested by faculty)
Note: Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 3.0 must submit a GRE scoreĚýto be considered for admission.
Requirements for K-12 Colorado Music Teaching License
- Conducting I and II–4 hrs.
- Piano/Voice Classes–3-4 hrs.
- Vocal Pedagogy and Literature–2 hrs.
- Instrument Technique Classes–3-7 hrs.
- Music Education Methods Classes –8-11 hrs.
- Music Education Electives–4 hrs.
- Professional Seminars in Education–6 hrs.
- Educational Psychology–3 hrs.
- Early Field Experience–2 hrs.
- Student Teaching–9 hrs.
Total = 48 hours*
Note: 9 credit hours required for licensure may apply to the MME degree.
Graduate degree information
You must register for University of Colorado Boulder Continuing Education for the Teacher License Renewal or the Summer MME. For information,Ěýemail usĚýand include “CEU Credits” in the subject of the email. There are two options for this program:
- You can register for graduate credits as a non-degree student at the current tuition rate of $620 per credit. These credits can be applied toward a future graduate degree and will be documented by university transcript.
- You can register for courses marked with an *, at the rate of $175 per credit [equivalent of 1.5 CEU units]. The office of Continuing Education will issue a certificate upon completion of the course.
Information on scholarships for non-degree students registering for graduate creditĚýcan be found on theĚý. Note: the deadline for applications is typically late in May, or early in June; funding is based on a competitive essay application process.