Music Education, MA

Piedmont’s Master of Arts degree in Music Education is a 30 credit program and is offered on the Demorest campus. This course is designed to deepen your understanding of music, including music history and music theory, as well as improve your teaching skills.

Classes are taught by education and music professors, so candidates receive a balanced understanding of both their subject and their profession.

Piedmont University’s Conservatory of Music offers unparalleled opportunity for music students. This state-of-the-art facility includes a concert hall with adjustable acoustics, acoustically isolated teaching studios and practice rooms, and a digital music suite. The facility also houses 27 Steinway pianos, granting the music department status as an All-Steinway School. Our students experience music like never before and learn in an environment that is second to none. Our vocal and instrumental ensembles are highly respected throughout the region.

Master of Arts (MA) degrees in education are designed for teachers and/or individuals who hold a valid teaching certificate or who are currently teaching in a private school accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) or the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC) at the Accredited With Quality (AWQ) or Accredited (ACC) level. Eligibility for application requires a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 cumulative GPA from an accredited college or university and a copy of a valid teaching certificate or letter from the principal or head of school verifying full-time employment as a teacher or educational administrator.* NOTE: Master of Arts (MA) degree programs do not lead to initial educator certification nor to the conversion of a non-renewable certificate (provisional or waiver certificate) to a professional certificate. Piedmont has Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and certification-only programs leading to initial certification.

Applicants must also submit:

1. Graduate Admissions Application
2. Official, final transcripts from the college or university awarding the bachelor’s degree showing all course work from all colleges and universities attended. (Piedmont University transcripts are on file.)
3. Two (2) professional references. One reference is required from a supervising administrator, and the other can be a choice of the following: a former professor, or instructor (college instructor, staff development instructor or mentor), or professional colleague
4. Copy of valid, current professional Georgia teaching certificate at the appropriate level or letter from the principal or head of school verifying full-time employment as a teacher or educational administrator. For those holding provisional certificates a copy of the current certificate and a copy of the PSC letter outlining requirements for updating to a clear-renewable certificate
   • (Note: If your certificate is not a Georgia certificate and you desire to be certified in Georgia, you must complete all requirements through Professional Standards Commission [PSC].)
5. For Music Education, the music department chair must approve a videotaped or live audition before acceptance.
6. Please provide a continuous, excerpted teaching sample video, ten to twenty minutes in length, that is representative of the applicant’s pedagogical abilities.
7. Personal Affirmation Form

* These programs are for advanced certification and do not lead to a recommendation for an initial Georgia Teaching Certificate. Holders of out-of-state certificates should contact the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for reciprocity rules.

** Teachers using this option must have taught three out of the past five years with a professional teaching certificate in an accredited public school or private school [SACS or GAC (top two levels)] verified through submitted annual evaluations.