Begin Your Journey at Penn State

Ph.D. in Music Education (below) or Master's info click

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Ph.D. in music education should have completed recognized bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music or music education. Applicants whose master’s degree did not include a research project with a formal report will be expected to complete such a project or produce a publishable manuscript prior to scheduling the candidacy examination at the end of your first year of study.

6 Steps to Apply to the Ph.D. program at Penn State

1.

Complete the online graduate admission application and pay the non-refundable application fee. Please visit Penn State’s requirements for graduate admission. Once you have read the University requirements as well as the specific graduate degree program information, proceed to the online application.

2.

Submit names of three references. 

NOTE—If you are applying for a University Graduate Fellowship, you will need 3 letters of recommendation specifically for the fellowship. see University Graduate Fellowship.

3.

Write a 500 word or less statement that includes a description of your career goals and the contribution that doctoral study will make toward the attainment of those goals.

4.

Submit a brief résumé of teaching/conducting.

5.

Our School Code for exams is 2660, but the Graduate Record Exam general test (GRE) is no longer required for admission to the Ph.D. degree in Music Education.

6.

Applicants are required to scan and upload a copy of the official transcript (or equivalent document e.g., marksheet, record of courses) from all post-secondary institutions attended. These can be ordered and received from the institution registrar’s office and must be marked as official. The transcript must be in the official language of the institution attended. If that language is not English, an official English translation needs to be included. Include both sides of non-blank transcript pages. This document will be considered as unofficial documentation of educational credentials and is used for application review purposes only.

7.

International students only:

The following should be submitted to Penn State by the testing agencies at your request. Select “Penn State University” as the destination for your TOEFL or IELTS scores by selecting the correct school code below. IELTS scores are currently only available in hard copy, so those scores should be sent by postal mail directly from the IELTS testing agency to Penn State by March 1st.

IELTS scores should be mailed from the testing agency to:

The Pennsylvania State University
Graduate Enrollment Services
114 Kern Building
University Park, PA 16802

TOEFL and IELTS scores (international applicants only)—School Code 2660

Application Timetable

The Ph.D. in Music Education has a rolling admission with first priority for funding to applicants who apply prior to January 15. To be considered for the competitive University Graduate Fellowship funding, Ph.D. applications must be submitted by December 1. Ph.D. applicants are the only applicants eligible for a University Graduate Fellowship nomination by the School of Music.

After the application process is complete you may be asked for additional materials including video of teaching and/or conducting, writing samples and other teaching materials.

After the application file is complete, the applicant’s materials will be reviewed by the music education faculty. If the applicant is considered to be a viable candidate, additional materials may be solicited and he/she may be invited for an interview.

If you are accepted

Following an offer of acceptance, the Graduate School will request that the applicant instruct previous institutions to send official transcripts directly to:

The Pennsylvania State University
Graduate Enrollment Services
114 Kern Building
University Park, PA  16802

Offers will be revoked if official/original documents are not received by the Graduate School within specified deadlines, or if these documents differ from the copies uploaded by the applicant at the time of application.

For more information, please contact:

Administrative Support Assistant
School of Music Graduate Admissions
The Pennsylvania State University
233 Music Building
University Park, PA  16802-1901
814.863.0418
music-gr-adm@psu.edu