Online Master’s Degrees in Music Education: The Growing Pains of a Tool to Reach a Larger Community

Online graduate degree programs are a growing phenomenon as technology continues to develop and becomes more widely available and the needs of an increasingly educated society require better access to higher learning. In this study, the authors identified and studied the nine online (80% of the program or more) graduate music education programs accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music in the United States. They examined curriculum requirements, program requirements, and factors pertaining to application and enrollment. A fundamental belief in this study is that these online degrees are neither inferior nor superior to traditional coursework but rather represent an additional tool a university may employ to reach and educate its ever-expanding community. As suggested in the literature, these online programs offer significant benefits of convenience, although drawbacks include feelings of weaker interpersonal interactions and limited curricular options.