Reach New Heights in Teaching and Performance
This online and summer-intensive program is designed for the working K-12 music teacher who wants to develop their skills with courses in music pedagogy, education learning theory, research, and performance.
You can earn your master's degree in two years while taking five credits each fall, spring, and summer term. The program combines the convenience of online classes in the fall and spring semesters with in-person, hands-on courses in the summer term.
The degree provides the 24 credits needed to fulfill the requirements for PDE Level II Certification for teaching music K-12.
Imagine Your Future
Graduates of this program typically teach in K-12 public schools or go on to pursue doctoral degrees in music, music education, or related fields.
Salary Range for Teachers in Pennsylvania
Earning a master's degree can accelerate your salary.
Classes and Requirements
The IUP master's in music education program offers a balance of theory and practice, foundational knowledge, and technical skills, with core courses in music theory, music history, and research techniques as well as courses on the philosophy, history, administration, and technology of music education.
The degree can be completed with elective, hands-on courses in music education techniques, along with relevant courses from the College of Education and Communications. You may elect to complete a thesis, but it is not required.
Full Academic Catalog Listing
The course catalog is the official reference for all our degree and course offerings. Check it out for a full listing of the classes available and requirements for this degree.
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Summer Intensive Session
- Held on the IUP campus in the two weeks prior to the week of July 4.
- Earn up to five hours of graduate credit in just 10 days of coursework.
- Face-to-face classes are great for hands-on, technique-based courses
- Campus housing options are available.
- Other online summer courses are available through the IUP College of Education and Communications.
Thesis Optional
You may choose to write an optional thesis in music education to explore an area of interest or better prepare for doctoral study.
Student Opportunities
Many options make strong résumés
You'll have plenty of opportunities to fill out your college experience and your résum
We offer a Community Music School and give students the chance to talk with our guest artists. Our students have also been invited to perform with celebrities on stage through the Lively Arts.
Our ensembles are legendary
Check out our ensembles. Instrumental groups include Marching Band ("The Legend"), Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, and Symphony Orchestra. Jazz groups include Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble. Vocal groups are Chorus, Chorale, Chamber Singers, and Music Theater. Area groups include Percussion Ensemble and Brass Ensemble.
There are also additional groups such as the Trombone Choir and Clarinet Choir.
Music student organizations
We have active student chapters of Phi Mu Alpha, an all-male music fraternity; Sigma Alpha Iota, an all-female music sorority; and Delta Omicron, a co-ed, professional fraternity. All three groups participate in service activities for the department.
You can also join our student chapter of the Pennsylvania Collegiate Music Educators Association.
Attend conferences, travel to performances
Our students have opportunities to attend conferences.
The organ studio recently attended a conference in Michigan, and the University Chorale performed at the Pennsylvania convention for the American Choral Directors Association, where one of our students, Tate Dewalt, took second place in a state-wide student conducting competition.
The IUP Marching Band, aka The Legend, performs across the state at football games, exhibitions, and parades.
Opportunities to perform overseas have taken our trumpet students and some vocalists to Italy.
String Project and Community Music School Give You Experience
If you are planning a career in music education, you may want to help with the String Project, which gives children the chance to learn to play a string instrument and perform in a concert. We also have a new Community Music School that coordinates requests for college students to teach music lessons and conducts youth choral groups.
Meet and perform with international stars
Guest artists are brought to campus regularly, not just to perform but to hold master classes with students. You'll talk with them and have the chance to ask questions. When Bernadette Peters performed in Fisher Auditorium through the Lively Arts, students were invited to fill out her band for the performance.
Campus and community opportunities
Students here find other opportunities available to them as well, such as playing music for the Footlight Players summer youth theater program, or working part-time at the campus's office for ArtsPath, which is a regional arts-in-education program in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. For those who want more opportunities to sing, there is a Voices of Joy choir on campus, along with choirs at nearby churches.
Our ensembles and smaller groups sometimes perform in the community. Within walking distance of campus, there are also small venues such as an art shop and a local restaurant where students perform.
Our Faculty
The Music Department at IUP offers a faculty of 26 full-time and seven part-time professors. They are all scholars and active musicians, who perform on the national and international stage. Unlike many other schools with adjunct professors who come in only on days when they teach, our individual instrument professors are on campus full time, interacting with their students, encouraging them to reach their full potential.
We have professors who specialize in brass, keyboard, percussion, strings, voice, and woodwinds. We have nationally and internationally recognized ensemble directors and composers. And we have scholars who bring a wealth of knowledge to lead you through music education, history, theory, and composition.
But most importantly, our faculty is dedicated to teaching and mentoring their students. All music majors are advised by a faculty member in their performance area.
