Music and Music Education EdM

Master of Education (Non-Certification)


The Master of Education degree (Ed.M.) in Music and Music Education is an advanced professional degree for practitioners in music education that is designed to prepare graduates for careers in elementary schools, secondary schools, and colleges. It is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 60 points of graduate study. Major emphasis is placed on the improvement of instruction and curriculum. Candidates who show clear promise of success in further graduate study may apply for the doctoral program.

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Admission Information

Displaying requirements for the Spring 2025, Summer 2025, and Fall 2025 terms.

Master of Education

  • Points/Credits: 60
  • Entry Terms: Spring, Summer, Fall
  • Enrollment Formats: Full-Time Campus-Based, Part-Time Campus-Based

Application Deadlines

Entry Term AvailablePriority DeadlinesFinal DeadlinesExtended Deadlines
SpringNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024N/A
SummerJanuary 15, 2025June 1, 2025N/A
FallJanuary 15, 2025June 1, 2025N/A

Select programs remain open beyond our standard application deadlines, such as those with an extended deadline or those that are rolling (open until June or July). If your program is rolling or has an extended deadline indicated above, applications are reviewed as they are received and on a space-available basis. We recommend you complete your application as soon as possible as these programs can close earlier if full capacity has been met.

Application Requirements

 Requirement
 Online Degree Application, including Statement of Purpose and Resume
 Transcripts and/or Course-by-Course Evaluations for all Undergraduate/Graduate Coursework Completed
 Results from an accepted English Proficiency Exam (if applicable)
 $75 Application Fee
 Two (2) Letters of Recommendation
 Optional digital portfolio (included in online application)
 Program does not lead toward certification, applicants should already be certified or not seeking certification

For admission-related inquiries, please contact AHadmission@tc.columbia.edu.

Additional Notes

  • Applicants for the Master of Arts, Master of Arts - Initial Certification, Master of Arts - Professional Certification, and the Master of Education, must have an undergraduate degree with a major in music or music education, or an undergraduate degree with evidence of sufficient musical training and experience to qualify the student for advanced graduate work in this field.
  • Master of Education - Initial Certification program applicants must hold a Master's degree in Music.
  • The Master of Arts and Master of Arts (Hybrid) programs do not lead to certification. Applicants should have initial certification or should not seek teacher certification.

Additional Degree Information

In addition to Teachers College's policies for student progress and degree completion, students within the Program of Music and Music Education enrolled in a degree program in the department as of Fall Term 2021 or admitted later must meet the following requirements:

  1. All master's and doctoral students must enroll for a minimum of six (6) points per academic year. Students in summer MA intensive or summer doctoral cohort degrees must register for at least six (6) points during summer sessions. However, once a doctoral student is obligated for continuous doctoral dissertation advisement, students must satisfy the requirements for continuous registration as outlined in the College requirements.
  2. All masters and doctoral students must maintain a minimum of a "B" grade (exclusive of Pass/Fail courses) for each course registered through Teachers College.
  3. Students must remain in good academic standing by doing the following:
    • Maintain a minimum of "B" grades
    • Receive grades of "P" (progress) in research credits.
    • Maintain continuous enrollment
    • Doctoral students must pass all written and performance certification exams required for completion of the degree. Teacher College limits the number of retakes students have to pass a required exam part to one. (Please see the policy here:

    [https://www.tc.columbia.edu/policylibrary/policies/doctoral-certification-examination-retakes-9068741/]

    • Make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward completion of the degree during each academic year.

    Failure to remain in good standing will result in students being placed on program academic probation for a period of one semester. If placed on academic probation students will be notified by their Advisor and the Registrar's office. Students will be restricted to part-time registration until their grades are above the minimum level. The intent of Academic Probation is to provide students the opportunity to raise their grades to minimum levels so that they may continue to pursue their academic goals. Once placed on academic probation, a student’s grades will be reviewed regularly based on academic level; master's students will be reviewed after completion of 6 credit hours and doctoral students after completion of 3 credit hours.

    Master's students can be placed on academic probation no more than twice during their academic program. Placement on academic probation beyond the first time will be based on completing the previous academic probation period with grades above a B.

    Doctoral students can be placed on academic probation only once during their academic program.

  4. Any requests for retroactive registration must receive the approval of the faculty advisor, Program Coordinator, and Department Chair before submission to the Office of Registrar.
  5. Ed.D. and Ed.D.C.T. students must complete all requirements for the Ed.D. within eight (8) years from their term of matriculation.
  6. Ed.D. and Ed.D.C.T. students must take the certification exam once they have completed 70 points of coursework (both Teachers College credits and those transferred in), or within two (2) years of term matriculation, whichever comes first. Students must complete the remaining minimum of 20 points toward their Ed.D. requirements within the initial period of certification (four to six years).
  7. Whether a student sits for the certification examination will be at the discretion of the student’s advisor. If the student has more than three (3) points of "Incomplete" grades, but the advisor does not believe this poses a problem, then the student may still sit for the certification exam. However, under Teachers College policy, any doctoral student who has six (6) or more points of "Incomplete" grades as part of the program of study may not sit for the certification examination.
  8. An Ed.D. and Ed.D.C.T.  student will be recommended for certification, for the purpose of determining when the obligation for continuous enrollment in doctoral dissertation advisement begins when they have passed all parts of the certification examination, has submitted a program plan, and has been formally recommended for certification by the program.
  9. After having passed part one of the certification examination, the student has a year to take the remaining steps to secure full certification, including completing the other parts of the certification examination and submitting a program plan.
  10. All Ed.D. and Ed.D.C.T. candidates must complete their degree requirements by the expiration date of their period of certification. Ed.D. and Ed.D.C.T.  candidates who have not completed their degree during this time, but have registered and completed a course during the last five years, may petition for an extension if they are in good academic standing (see 3. above) and have satisfied the College requirements for continuous enrollment for doctoral dissertation advisement, if applicable. Petitions for extensions may be obtained in the Office of Doctoral Studies.
  11. Students filling for an extension must:
    • Have adequate and acceptable reasons.
    • Have been registered and completed a course within the last five (5) years.
    • Provide a feasible plan for degree completion.
    • Obtain the approval of their faculty advisor, Program Director, and Department Chair. Any petitions not accompanied with appropriate approvals will be invalid.
    • Students filing petitions for extensions may be required to retake courses, or to undertake additional coursework, as specified by faculty advisor, Program Coordinator, and/or Department Chair.
    • Petitions for extensions must be filed within six (6) months of expiration of the certification period.
    • Students are limited to a maximum of two (2) petitions for extensions, which will not exceed more than two (2) years total.

Requirements from the TC Catalog (AY 2024-2025)

Displaying catalog information for the Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Summer 2025 terms.

View Full Catalog Listing

Description: The Master of Education degree (Ed.M.) in Music and Music Education is an advanced professional degree for practitioners in music education that is designed to prepare graduates for careers in elementary schools, secondary schools, and colleges. It is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 60 points of graduate study. Major emphasis is placed on the improvement of instruction and curriculum. Candidates who show clear promise of success in further graduate study may apply for the doctoral program only after consulting their advisor.

Curriculum: The general course requirement is a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours, 30 points of which may be transferred from graduate coursework at another institution. Transferable credits are determined by the Registrar’s office. Candidates who have earned a Master of Arts degree from Teachers College must complete at least 45 of the 60 graduate points at Teachers College.

Programs of study and courses for the degree are divided into four general areas. A program of study should reflect a balance of courses in these areas: (1) Pedagogy, (2) Research, (3) Music Literacies / Musicianship, and (4) Music Performance.

Non-Departmental Requirements: In addition to Program courses, each candidate is expected to complete three courses for a minimum of 8 points from outside the Programs in Music and Music Education (A&HM). These electives are to be selected from areas deemed appropriate in consultation with the faculty advisor. A&H 4003, 5001, and 5002 can count as music electives but cannot be used to fulfill the College’s Breadth requirement.

Graduation Requirements: Candidates for the Ed.M. degree must complete a scholarly paper demonstrating their ability to synthesize research. The paper should be completed in A&HM 5031 Synthesizing Research in Music Education, an online 3 point course (Prerequisite: A&H 5001 Research Methods in Arts Education).

Note: If the scholarly paper graduation requirement is not completed in A&HM5031, a student may petition the Program Director to have the full time program faculty consider another scholarly paper completed in another Teachers College Music and Music Education course. Approval of an alternate scholarly paper is only given by the Program Faculty after review. Any petition must be made by the end of the 8th week of the semester prior to, or including, the graduating semester.

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