Music education application information
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, percussion or voice. For specific repertoire recommendations, please review the section for 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 program and 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鈥檒l be given access to sign up for an interview and audition via your application portal. You鈥檒l 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. For further information about the music education program, contact department chair Leila Heil via email or 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 transcripts
- 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 essay (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鈥12 hrs.
- Foundations of Music Education鈥2 hrs.
- Psychology of Music Learning鈥2 hrs.
- Research in Music Teaching鈥2 hrs.
- Elective Courses and Workshops鈥6 hrs.
Music鈥12 hrs.
- Introduction to Music Bibliography + Research鈥2 hrs.
- Cognate鈥6 hrs.
- Theory, Musicology, Performance, Conducting or Jazz Studies Elective Courses and Workshops鈥4 hrs.
Open Electives鈥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 members or 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) and 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 essay (upload as a Supplemental File with the graduate application)
- Writing sample: Evidence of writing proficiency (for example, a Masters-level course paper or thesis) (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
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- 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 鈥 15 hrs.
Music Education 鈥 15 hrs.
- Doctoral Seminar鈥3 hrs.
- Issues in College Teaching鈥3 hrs.
- Historical Research Methods鈥3 hrs.
- Quantitative Research Methods鈥3 hrs.
- Qualitative Research Methods鈥3 hrs.
Music Electives 鈥 6 hrs.
- Select from: Musicology; Music Theory, Jazz Studies, Performance and Conducting.
Non-Music Electives鈥9 hrs.
- Intermediate Statistics 鈥3 hrs.
- Elective Courses鈥6 hrs.
- Select from: Curriculum and Instruction; Educational Psychology; Research and Evaluation Methodology; and Social and Multicultural Foundations
Dissertation鈥30 hrs.
Scholarly Contributions by Recent PhD Students
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 the 30 hours required for the master鈥檚 degree. Students 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鈥檚 degree.
MME+ admission requirements
- Graduate school application and application fee
- Undergraduate transcripts
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0* and a Bachelor of Music degree, Bachelor of Arts degree in Music 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 essay (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 score to be considered for admission.
Requirements for K-12 Colorado Music Teaching License
- Conducting I and II鈥4 hrs.
- Piano/Voice Classes鈥3-4 hrs.
- Vocal Pedagogy and Literature鈥2 hrs.
- Instrument Technique Classes鈥3-7 hrs.
- Music Education Methods Classes 鈥8-11 hrs.
- Music Education Electives鈥4 hrs.
- Professional Seminars in Education鈥6 hrs.
- Educational Psychology鈥3 hrs.
- Early Field Experience鈥2 hrs.
- Student Teaching鈥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, email us and include 鈥淐EU Credits鈥 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 credit can be found on the . Note: the deadline for applications is typically late in May, or early in June; funding is based on a competitive essay application process.