Music Education (MME)

Admission Requirements

  1. Applications for admission to a graduate program require the following:
    1. A completed graduate application;
    2. An application fee;
    3. Official transcripts for all previous post-secondary course work (all transcripts not in English must be certified as authentic and translated verbatim into English); and
    4. At least two letters of recommendation.
  2. Applications to specific degree programs require evidence of preparation for advanced study as follows:
    1. In performance, an acceptable audition;
    2. In academic specializations (music composition, music history, music theory), a portfolio of work appropriate to the field of study; and
    3. In music education, evidence of classroom teaching experience.
  3. Applicants whose primary language is not English must show English language proficiency in one of the following ways:
    1. A minimum TOEFL examination score of 213 on the computer-based test, or 79-80 on the internet-based test; IELTS scores of at least 6.5 overall band score from the academic module exam or official Duolingo overall score of 105.
    2. Documentation of the award of a degree from a recognized English language institution.
  4. Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution in the area to be pursued in advanced studies, or they must present evidence of equivalent preparation.
  5. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 on a 4-point scale.

Applicants who meet the requirements listed in items 1-5 will be considered for conditional admission for graduate study at the School of Music. For additional entrance requirements specific to the degree of interest, see below.

Entrance examinations in music history, theory and, if appropriate, jazz, will be administered before the first term of study. The School of Music provides guidelines to assist in preparing for the entrance examinations.

Any exception to the above expectations will be evaluated individually and will require a statement indicating criteria to be met in a specified time frame with provisions for monitoring progress and performance. Justification must be provided in writing and must be accepted by the faculty of the student's proposed program, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the Dean of the School of Music.

Students who fail to meet performance standards or who do not meet other requirements as outlined in the letter of admission, program of study, or the catalog of the University of Louisville are subject to dismissal from their programs.

Prerequisites

  1. Bachelor of Music degree or equivalent
  2. Classroom teaching experience (exclusive of practice teaching and prior to, or concurrent with, graduate study)
  3. Demonstration, by examination, of skills and capacities in the following fields:
    • Written, aural, and keyboard harmony
    • Melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic dictation
    • Elementary counterpoint
    • History and literature of music, and analytic understanding of musical forms and genres

Program Requirements

Coursework

MUS 500Music History Review 10
MUS 400Theory Review 10
MUS 600Graduate Oral Exam Preparation0
MUS 607Bibliography and Research Methods3
MUED 628Qualitative Research Methods2
MUED 629Foundations of Music Education2
MUED 630Quantitative Research Methods & Materials in Music Education2
MUED 639Learning Theories in Music Education2
Music Education and Related Courses5-6
Applied Music (chosen from major or minor performance fields, including Conducting)4
Music History (500 or 600 level)3
Music Theory (500 or 600 level)2-3
Thesis 24
Minimum Total Hours30

Other Requirements

It is recommended that full-time MME students enroll in ensembles during their degree program.

All students must pass an oral examination after all course work is completed. 

1

These course may be satisfied by passing the entrance examinations in these areas.

2

Students are required to prepare either a thesis (four (4) credit hours) or a professional paper (without credit). In the latter case, four (4) credit hours of coursework will be determined by the student and graduate advisor in order to achieve the 30 credit hour minimum requirement.