Western Carolina University

All applicants for the Master of Arts in Education degree (M.A.Ed.) must hold, or be eligible to hold, a North Carolina Class "A" teaching license in music education. Successful completion of the M.A.Ed. degree and requirements leads to recommendation for North Carolina “Advanced Competency” licensure, which may result in a significant salary increase. Students in this concentration may specialize in choral music or instrumental music. The concentration in Music Education is intended primarily for students planning on careers in public education.

• Read the M.A.Ed. degree requirements (catalog)
• Read catalog course descriptions
• M.A.Ed. Checksheet (PDF)

Program Objectives

• Provide an opportunity for individual students to work closely with faculty on specific interests and career-related projects.
• Provide an in-depth study of musicianship based on historical, contextual, theoretical and practical knowledge.
• Provide a post-baccalaureate experience that emphasizes the foundations and principles of music education at the elementary and/or secondary levels.
• Provide a post-baccalaureate experience specifically designed to improve teaching skills.
• Provide an opportunity for advanced research in music education.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the M.A.Ed. program is a two-part process that requires both acceptance by the Graduate School and acceptance by the School of Music.  Acceptance by the Graduate School does not guarantee acceptance by the School of Music, nor does acceptance by the School of Music guarantee admission by the Graduate School.

Graduation Requirements

• Completion of 36 semester hours of graduate-level courses, distributed as follows:
  • Music Core (14 hours)
  • Music Education Methods (6 hours)
  • Music Electives (4 hours)
  • Professional Education Courses (12 hours)
• Demonstration of Piano Proficiency
• Completion of the Master's Comprehensive Portfolio
• Public presentation of a scholarly research project 
• No more than two courses with a grade lower than a B (3.0)

Please follow this link to the M.A.Ed. Checksheet (PDF) for details on the course work.  You should plan your graduate coursework, including the electives, with your academic advisor. 

You may find it helpful to track your progress on these requirements using this convenient Graduation Checklist for the M.A.Ed (PDF).