Graduate Opportunities

The Master of Music Education degree may be attained with a 30-hour program that includes a thesis or a 36-hour program without a thesis. All MMED degree programs include 5 required courses (3 specified music education courses; 1 choice in musicology; 1 choice in music theory). All other hours are elective based on the interests of the student and advice of the major professor. Elective hours may be selected to emphasize: Best Practices in Band/Orchestra/Choir/Elementary, Conducting, Kodaly Certification, Music Technology, Music Research, Applied Lessons, Ensembles, additional Musicology or Music Theory, other topics of interest.

Masters in Music Education

We offer the following MMED options:

1. Full-time campus residency. In-residence students experience and contribute to the community of scholars that includes music education faculty and other graduate students at Texas Tech. The Full-time option generally takes four semesters or two semesters plus two summers to complete. Competitive teaching assistantships are available. Students looking to apply for a Teaching Assistantship will have the opportunity to assist in the coordination and teaching of the Texas Tech University String Project and assist in the teaching of several undergraduate string music education courses. Collaborative research and performance/lesson opportunities are also highly encouraged.

2. Summers Only. We offer summer graduate courses in two-week intensive blocks. The summer course listing is usually released in the early spring and will offer several course options for each two-week period. These are not workshops; they are full graduate courses. You are in class for two intense weeks, and then larger course projects are generally due the first week of August. Summer students participate, share, and engage with fantastic cohorts of teachers from across Texas and the region and take incredible knowledge directly back into the classroom.

3. Combination of Summer + Long Term (semesters). Some summer students enroll in core courses during the long term typically offered on Thursday evenings from 5:00-8:00 p.m. for practicing educators. Enrollment is available in two formats: face-to-face and video-conferencing. Summer students who select this option may graduate a bit sooner.

4. Distance Only. It is possible to complete the entire MMED program at a distance via video-conferencing and online coursework if you choose electives carefully. All required coursework is offered with distance options.

We purposefully design an individualized program based on your particular interests and career goals, so there are many electives to choose from within our program. Additionally, many of our students find they take a mixture of videoconferencing and face-to-face courses.

More information about Graduate Degree Programs at the School of Music can be found here.

PhD in Fine Arts - Music

The music field of specialization in the Ph.D. in Fine Arts consists of a minimum of 60 semester hours, which includes fine arts requirements and electives, an individualized music curriculum, and a dissertation. Concentrations are available in musicology, music theory, music education, and arts administration. The residence requirement for the fine arts doctoral program is fulfilled by satisfactory completion of 18 semester hours of graduate coursework during one 12-month period.

More information about the PhD in Fine Arts - Music can be found here.