Music Education P-12 (Instrumental) (Master of Arts)

Application Deadlines

Deadline dates for applications and receipt of all required application materials are:

Date Event
July 1 Fall Admission
November 1 Spring Admission
April 1 Summer Admission

Any exceptions to these deadlines must be granted by the graduate program chair.

Application Materials Required for the MA with a Major in Music Education P-12 (Instrumental)

Applicants for a master’s degree education program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Studies to be considered for admission:

Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama, 36265-1602

  1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
  2. Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
  3. Official transcripts from the baccalaureate degree awarding institution and all transcripts from institutions where post-baccalaureate work has been completed. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.) 
  4. Valid Bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in Music/Instrumental. ALL certificate(s) must be valid throughout the program and at graduation.
  5. Background check1. Any candidate applying for admission to a state approved teacher education program shall be required to be fingerprinted for a criminal history background check through the Alabama State Department of Education to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Applicants should contact Cogent Systems for directions in completing this process.
  6. Three Graduate Reference Forms completed by individuals who can provide qualitative assessment of the applicant’s potential for success in graduate coursework. Reference forms will be submitted electronically. Instructions for submission will be sent through email to the applicant upon submission of the online graduate application.
  7. International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.
  8. Applicants must take the graduate music diagnostic exam given by the Music Department. The examination requires students to demonstrate competence in the theory of music, knowledge of the history and literature of music, and an applied music audition.
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If the candidate holds a valid Alabama professional educator certificate and has already completed a background check through that process, another background check will not be required.

Admission Requirements for the MA with a Major in Music Education P-12 (Instrumental)

Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package.

Applicants who are granted conditional admission must achieve a GPA of at least 3.00 on the first 12 graduate hours attempted. Failure to meet these conditions will result in the student being dropped from graduate studies.

Minimum Requirements for the MA with a Major in Music Education P-12 (Instrumental)

An overall 3.25 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.25.

At least one-half of the graduate courses taken in the teaching field must be numbered 500, and no more than three hours in the teaching field may be transferred to JSU.

Non-Thesis Option

A minimum of 32 graduate semester hours, including the successful completion of a comprehensive exam. The 32 graduate semester hours for the non-thesis option will include the following courses:

Course Title Credits
Required Music Teaching Field Courses
MU 511Research Methods in Music and Music Education3
MU 512Seminar in Instrumental Music3
Select one of the following: 3
Music Literature: Contemporary Era
Music Literature: Renaissance and Baroque Eras
Music Literatures: Classic Era
Music Literature: Romantic Era
Select on of the following: 3
Music Theory: Style Analysis
Music Theory: Style Analysis
Select four hours of the following:4
Advanced Conducting
Individual Applied Music
Individual Applied Music
Instrumental Pedagogy
Graduate Ensemble
Required Music and Education Courses
ED 500Introduction to Graduate Education and Technology1
ESE 561Foundations of Secondary Education3
ESE 567Literacy Theory and Practice3
SPE 500Survey Course in Special Education3
or EFD 552 Diversity Issues in Education
or MU 575 Pedagogy of World Music
MU 545Evaluation in Music3
Electives
Select 3 semester hours of approved Music Electives by advisement3
Total Hours32

32 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Thesis Option

A minimum of 35 graduate semester hours, including the successful completion of an acceptable thesis. The 35 graduate semester hours for the thesis option will include the following courses:

Course Title Credits
Required Music Teaching Field Courses
MU 511Research Methods in Music and Music Education3
MU 512Seminar in Instrumental Music3
Select one of the following:3
Music Literature: Renaissance and Baroque Eras
Music Literatures: Classic Era
Music Literature: Romantic Era
Music Literature: Contemporary Era
Select one of the following:3
Music Theory: Style Analysis
Music Theory: Style Analysis
Select four hours of the following:4
Advanced Conducting
Individual Applied Music
Individual Applied Music
Instrumental Pedagogy
Graduate Ensemble
Required Music and Education Courses
ED 500Introduction to Graduate Education and Technology (Discipline specific section required first semester of enrollment)1
ESE 561Foundations of Secondary Education3
ESE 567Literacy Theory and Practice3
MU 545Evaluation in Music3
Choose one of the following:3
Survey Course in Special Education 1
Diversity Issues in Education
Pedagogy of World Music
Thesis Option6
Must complete the following for a total of six semester hours:
Thesis
Total Hours35

 35 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

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Students who have not previously satisfied the special education requirement at the undergraduate or graduate level must take SPE 500 Survey Course in Special Education (3). If students have previously satisfied the special education requirement at the undergraduate or graduate level, they must take MU 575 Pedagogy of World Music (3) or  EFD 552 Diversity Issues in Education (3)

Graduation and Comprehensive Exam

A comprehensive exam is required for this degree; please see the graduate advisor for full details. All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.

Completion of this program leads to eligibility for Master’s-level professional educator certification in Music/Instrumental (P-12).

Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors.

Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certification Requirements

Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must complete an appropriate program of study at a college or university which has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.

  1. Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact the Certification Office of the Department of Accreditation, Certification and Partnership Initiatives, CEPS Complex, Pod 4, Room 405, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program. 
  2. Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of current program requirements.