Academic Information - Music Education

Master of Music Education

Matriculation. Students are admitted to the degree program with 1) special status (exploratory); 2) provisional status (incomplete paperwork, low GPA, less than two years teaching experience); or 3) full status (complete paperwork and recommendation of the director). Upon completion of nine (9) credit hours of graduate work at Gordon College, students will be expected to have matriculated. After nine (9) hours of graduate work, students who are not accepted into the program may not register for additional courses except for workshops. Students have seven (7) years after matriculation to complete all program requirements. When there are extenuating circumstances, students may apply for an extension to the director of graduate studies in music education.

Attendance. Students are expected to attend all class sessions as attendance ensures course content knowledge.  In the event of unforeseen circumstances, communication and documentation is required for the professor and the Graduate Music Office.  Students with excessive absences may be required to withdraw from the course.

Grade Point Average (GPA). Students are expected to maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to remain in the program.  Only grades of B- quality or better will be counted towards completion of the program requirements.  Courses may be repeated.  The higher of the grades will be calculated in the cumulative grade point average.

Program Requirements. The College reserves the right to alter program requirements as necessary to remain in compliance with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary licensure standards.

Transfer credit. Some degree programs offered by Gordon allow transfer credits if the course(s) are equivalent and meet state standards. After matriculation, students should submit a Transfer of Credit form and an official transcript as well as a description of the course being transferred to be approved/disapproved by a committee review process. A maximum of six (6) graduate credit hours with a grade of B or better may be transferred from another accredited graduate program. Transfer credit must be no more than five (5) years old. The Graduate Music Education Office notifies students of final acceptance or rejection of transfer credits.

Advising. Upon entering the program each graduate student will be advised by the Director of Graduate Music Education. The director will act as an advocate for the student, and the director and the student will work out a program of study leading towards graduation. The summers-only Master of Music Education program has been designed to be completed in three summers with some independent work done during the academic year. Students unable to take a full course load of nine (9) hours each summer will need to adjust their degree completion schedules accordingly.

Non-degree Students. Students who hold a baccalaureate degree may take graduate courses as a non-degree student.

Registration Procedures. Students who are accepted on special, provisional or full status (see Academic Policies) by the director of graduate studies in music education may enroll in graduate music courses. A full load of nine (9) credits is typical but may be exceeded.

Registrations for summer courses are due by May 1; late registrations will be accepted only as available class size permits through the first day of classes, and a late registration fee of $25 will be assessed.

Auditing. Auditors are students attending classes for personal enrichment and not for academic credit. Auditors in graduate courses or workshops may receive professional development points (PDPs) in blocks of 22.5 based upon the number of contact hours; attendance and summary paper required. Auditing status must be changed to credit status by the fifth day of classes in the case of graduate courses, or by the end of the registration period for workshops.

Requirements for Graduation

• An application for graduation filed in the Graduate Music Education Office 
• Completion of all coursework (minimum 30 credit hours) with a GPA of 3.0 or better
• Successful completion of the Field-Based Teaching Experience
• Endorsement from the Director of Graduate Music Education, the Graduate Council and the Board of Trustees
• Final administrative academic clearance

Commencement Participation. Graduate Music students who have completed all requirements by the end of their third summer session are eligible to participate in Commencement. Degrees are conferred on August 31. Degree candidates who have no more than 3 credits remaining may petition the Graduate Council to walk at Commencement. Candidates must be registered for their final course(s) and have all balances cleared prior to April 30. There are three degree conferral dates each year: May Commencement, August 31and December 31. All work must be completed and graded prior to the date of the degree conferral.

Comprehensive Exams. The comprehensive examination is required of each student at the completion of all coursework (may be taken before completion of GMU 682 - Field Based Teaching Experience). Students planning to take the exam must register in the Graduate Music Education Office by July 1. There is no exam fee.

Exam questions are drawn from the curriculum. Faculty members read the answers for their individual areas and assess according to the standards used for grading essay exams. Answers may be assigned a grade of pass, fail, or pass with reservation. Students are expected to pass all six areas of the exam. The following policies apply when less than a passing grade is received.

• Pass with Reservation-Indicates an incomplete or vague answer. Students receiving this mark are given until November 1 to contact the appropriate faculty member and provide additional information to pass the question. If not done by the deadline, the question will automatically be failed.
• Fail-If a question is failed on the first try, the student will be given the opportunity to retake it with new content. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the appropriate faculty member by November 1.

Failure to pass any question on the second try results in elimination of the student from the program.

Conducting Seminar. Enrollment in Conducting Seminar is by special permission only. Those who qualify for Conducting Seminar during their first summer of study may have Techniques of Conducting waived; in this case Conducting Seminar takes the place of Techniques of Conducting and does not count toward the fulfillment of elective credits. Students who complete Techniques of Conducting may enroll in Conducting Seminar as an elective during a subsequent summer.

Diagnostic Exams. All students are required to take music theory and music history diagnostic exams. Students who fail to pass either of these tests must register for the respective review courses. Credits for review courses do not apply towards the degree requirements. Successful completion of the review courses serves in lieu of a passing grade on the diagnostic exam, and a re-test is not necessary.

Field-Based Teaching Experience. The Field-Based Teaching Experience is required as a culminating experience for all Master of Music Education degree candidates seeking professional licensure (see Thesis). The Field-Based Experience is completed during the academic year in the student’s own classroom, following completion of at least 18 credits of coursework. Students enrolled in the course will follow a plan outlined by the Director of Graduate Music Education.

Thesis. The thesis is an alternate culminating experience (see Field-Based Teaching Experience) for students who are not seeking professional licensure; it is recommended for students planning to pursue a doctoral degree. The thesis is completed during the academic year following completion of at least 18 credits of coursework.

Grading. Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to remain in the program. Only courses with grades of B- quality or better will be counted towards completion of the program requirements. The GPA is calculated on the credit hours attempted at Gordon. If a student receives approval to repeat a course, only the higher grade earned will be used to calculate the grade point average.  Grade points are assigned for each credit earned according to the following chart:

One term of probation is permitted. A student whose GPA falls below the 3.0 average will be placed automatically on probation for the next grading period. At the end of that period the GPA must be restored to 3.0 or better. Failing to do so will result in dismissal from the program.

Late work for incomplete summer grades is due November 1. Late work for incomplete fall or spring grades is due seven weeks after the first day of classes in the following term. Any grade that is still incomplete after the due date for late work will become F except GMU 601 and GMU 602 (see guidelines for review courses). In the case of extenuating circumstances, students may be given extra time to finish incomplete work at the discretion of the instructor and the Director of Graduate Music Education.

In the case of courses which reasonably may be expected to take longer than a term to complete (i.e., Special Topics, Field-Based Experience), students should wait to register for the course until the term during which the work will be completed.

Withdrawal. See Withdrawal Policy in Registration.