Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education

In a recent review, the Ph.D. program was singled out by the National Association of Schools of Music as a “special area of excellence" within the college.  The review team noted that “the program is well conceived, has a strong faculty, and has developed a vision for the expected profile of students completing this program.”

Michigan State University Ph.D. graduates have been appointed to tenure-track positions at some of the most prestigious universities in North America, including the University of Arizona, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Delaware, Rhode Island College, Ohio State University, University of Michigan--Flint, Canadian Mennonite University, University of North Texas, Case Western Reserve University, Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Hope College, University of Windsor (Canada), Wichita State University, SUNY Potsdam--Crane School of Music, University of South Florida, Concordia College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Texas Tech University.

Our doctoral students are extraordinarily productive as researchers.  For example, 20 percent of the presenters at the 2011 International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education were past or current MSU students or faculty. Music Education doctoral students have an active publication profile as well. For example, three consecutive issues of the Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education (Nos. 176-178), which is one of the most prestigious journals in our profession, included articles by MSU PhD students, including two co-authored studies by two teams of doctoral students, and 40 percent of the articles in another recent issue of CRME (No. 195) were from current or recent MSU Ph.D. students.

Doctoral students normally spend three full-time academic years on campus for this program in order to fully participate in the community of scholars comprising fellow students and faculty. Most doctoral students have graduate assistantships that support them and provide them with the experience of teaching undergraduate students. Students are required to spend one year full time on campus.

For more information, please contact any of the music education faculty members listed here. 

Link to Program Requirements for MSU
Link to Student Profiles
Link to Alumni Profiles
PhD Handbook (PDF)
Link to College of Music Admissions