Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education
Ph.D. in Music Education
The Doctor of Philosophy with an emphasis in either music education or music therapy focuses on research and scholarship. It is often sought by those who aspire to careers in research and/or collegiate-level teaching. The requirements help the student develop breadth and depth in understanding of musical behavior, sophisticated skills and extensive experience in pursuing new knowledge of such behavior, and a rational system for evaluating the relationships between the specialty and other areas of human understanding. The program culminates with the completion of a substantial piece of original research.
Ph.D. in Music Education Admission
Requirements for Regular Admission
- Master's grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
- Appropriate baccalaureate and master’s degrees to support the individual’s goals for doctoral study.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation estimating the applicant’s potential for success in doctoral study.
- Documentation of at least 3 years of successful full-time experience, or its equivalent, as a professional music educator if seeking a concentration in music education, or at least 5 years of successful full-time experience as a professional music therapist, or its equivalent, if seeking a concentration in music therapy.
- Submission of a video recording appropriate to the degree of emphasis.
- A reasoned statement of professional goals and research interests.
- An interview with the appropriate faculty for the area of emphasis.
- Final official degree conferred transcripts(s) must be sent directly from all previous colleges or universities.
- Submission of resume.
- Other supporting materials may be required.
- MEMT students admitted to the ME-Ph.D. program with a concentration in Vocal Pedagogy must complete a live audition with the Voice Faculty prior to the 1st term of enrollment.
Additional detailed admission requirements and information are found on the School of Music website.
Graduate Admission to the School of Music
Application procedures and program requirements can change. Please visit the School of Music Admissions webpage for current information.
Graduate programs in the School of Music are open to students with acceptable baccalaureate degrees, as specified by the admitting areas, whose academic records indicate that they can do successful work at the graduate level. Regular admission requires a bachelor's degree and a grade-point average of at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale), from KU or from another regionally accredited institution or foreign university with substantially equivalent bachelor's degree requirements.
Programs of study leading to the Master of Music (M.M.), Master of Music Education (M.M.E.), Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) are offered through the School of Music. Specific admission procedures and degree requirements for the M.M. and M.M.E. programs are described under division headings. Specific admission procedures and degree requirements for the D.M.A., Ph.D. (musicology/music theory), and Ph.D. (music education/music therapy) are listed in the appropriate sections.
Program Areas
Graduate study in the School of Music is organized into program areas within 2 departments:
- Music includes programs in composition, conducting, musicology, music theory, and areas of performance.
- Music Education and Music Therapy (MEMT) includes programs in music education or music therapy.
At least a 3.0 grade-point average, overall and in the major area, is required for all coursework counted toward any graduate degree in the School of Music. If the overall grade-point average falls below 3.0, the student is placed on probation for one semester; if the cumulative average is not 3.0 or higher after the next semester, the student is dismissed from the program. Students must also achieve at least a grade of B or better in thesis, lecture-recital, document or dissertation, and on each recital for satisfactory completion of degree requirements.
Ph.D. in Music Education Degree Requirements
Research Skills
Doctoral students in music education and music therapy at KU must demonstrate research skills by completing three (3) research projects suitable for publication. These may be developed and completed independently or in consultation with appropriate doctoral faculty members. There must be a project for three different types of research methodology, usually representing methods of descriptive, experimental, and historical (including the history and logic of ideas) research. If those methods are chosen the descriptive and experimental research articles should be presented in APA style. The historical research article may be presented in Turabian, MLA, or APA style. The student may propose other divergent methodologies if those fit his/her program of study more adequately. It is up to the doctoral program planning committee to approve the methodologies each student utilizes.
Each completed project is reviewed by the student’s doctoral program planning committee, which rules in the majority whether the project is of sufficient quality for publication in a national, refereed research journal in music education or music therapy using the Doctoral Competency Project Reviewer's Report Form. The committee chair will determine if the projects will be reviewed by additional faculty not a part of the program planning committee. Single-author studies that have been published or accepted for publication in such journals may be used to demonstrate these skills.
Completion of each of the three (3) research projects must be certified by the student’s mentor/advisor in music education or music therapy on the student's degree progress check sheet and reported to the Graduate Student Service Coordinator for the School of Music. The mentor/advisor must notify musicgrad@ku.edu to confirm the completion of each project.
Responsible scholarship requirements are met by satisfactory completion of courses MEMT 812 Research in Music Education or its equivalent and Music Therapy and MEMT 920 Doctoral Seminar in Music Education and Music Therapy.
Examinations
The student must pass two (2) examinations, the oral comprehensive examination and the doctoral final examination.
The music education and music therapy Ph.D. handbook is available online and includes information about patterns of coursework, the Ph.D. minor, examinations, and the dissertation.
Plan of Study
Course requirements for the doctoral degree are flexible. The Ph.D. program requires a minor. Each student’s program is planned specifically in light of his or her background and to meet the needs of the anticipated academic and professional career. However, each student is expected to achieve a broad understanding of human musical behavior and to become skilled in research. The student works with their faculty advisor to complete an individualized degree progress check sheet, which is tracked by the Graduate Student Services Coordinator for the School of Music. A list of all course offerings can be found on the Schedule of Classes. Professional competence, not hours of credit per se, is the underlying requisite for conferring the degree. Course selections must be approved by the student's academic advisor.
Contact Information
- Area Coordinators: Jacob Dakon (Music Education), jmdakon@ku.edu, 785-864-4518 and Cindy Colwell (Music Therapy), ccolwell@ku.edu, 785-864-9635
- Graduate Student Academic Services: musicgrad@ku.edu
Ph.D. in Music Education Program of Study
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Skills | ||
| MEMT 812 | Research in Music Education and Music Therapy (or equivalent) | 3 |
| Core Courses in MEMT (minimum of 5 hours) | ||
| MEMT 920 | Doctoral Seminar in Music Education and Music Therapy | 1 |
| MEMT 920 | Doctoral Seminar in Music Education and Music Therapy | 1 |
| MEMT 996 | Practicum in College Teaching | 3 |
| MEMT Courses (minimum of 22 hours) in any MEMT course, 700-level or above. | 22 | |
| Academic Minor (minimum of 12 hours) in any course, 600-level or above. | 12 | |
| Doctoral Dissertation (minimum of 18 hours) | ||
| MEMT 999 | Doctoral Dissertation | 18 |
Ph.D. in Music Therapy Program of Study
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Skills | ||
| MEMT 812 | Research in Music Education and Music Therapy (or equivalent course) | 3 |
| Core Courses in MEMT (minimum of 5 hours) | ||
| MEMT 920 | Doctoral Seminar in Music Education and Music Therapy | 1 |
| MEMT 920 | Doctoral Seminar in Music Education and Music Therapy | 1 |
| MEMT 996 | Practicum in College Teaching | 3 |
| MEMT 998 | Seminar in: _____ | 1 |
| MEMT Courses (minimum of 21 hours) in any MEMT or related graduate-level course. | 21 | |
| Academic Minor (minimum of 12 hours) in any course, 600-level or above. | 12 | |
| Doctoral Dissertation (minimum of 18 hours) | ||
| MEMT 999 | Doctoral Dissertation | 18 |