MMME Frequently Asked Questions

Goal Statement

• This is an opportunity for the faculty reviewers to learn more about you and your goals. You can also share how this degree will help you obtain your goals. 
• Be sure to submit your best writing. We want to see not only that you have great reasons for pursuing the degree, but also that you can clearly articulate those reasons.
• You might consider having a colleague or advisor read over your goal statement before you submit it to make sure that you’ve communicated clearly. It would be especially helpful to have someone with a graduate degree look at it.

Letters of Recommendation 

• 3 letters are required
• Try to get letters from a diverse group of people. They should not all be from teacher colleagues.
• We are looking for two things from these letters: evidence of your effectiveness as a teacher and an assessment of your potential to succeed as a graduate student. Find people to write these letters who can provide us with information on one or both of those things. 

It can take about two business weeks for application packets to be reviewed. Applications are reviewed by program faculty who understand your previous college and teaching experiences.

Students can start the program in the Fall (August), Spring (January), or Summer (May) semesters. Be sure to check on the application deadline for each semester so you can start when you want to.

$45; however if you attend an informational webinar, you can receive a waiver code.

You’ll schedule a virtual advising appointment with Jenna for 45-60 minutes to review Flashline and Canvas as well as help you register for your classes. Your first class, Foundations of Music Education, will also help you “learn the ropes” of Kent State and of graduate education in general.

Our program qualifies for Financial Aid and students can apply for FAFSA. Students must be enrolled in at least 4 credit hours to be eligible. 

• Best Student Support Services (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Ranked in the Top 10 for Best Online Music Programs (2021)
• Ranked Second for best Online Master’s in Music Education (Dec. 2021) 
• Ranked in the Top 10 for online Music Education Degree Programs (2022, 2021) 

• All courses are offered 100% online and are asynchronous. This means that, unless you and your professor schedule a time to meet, you won’t be required to attend any scheduled class meetings. You’ll be subject to due dates within each class for assignments, usually once or twice a week. 
   
• Canvas is our Learning Management System and all of your classes will be on this site. Many students are already familiar with Canvas from their own teaching. It’s also similar to Google Classroom and other LMS. 
   
• Students can work with their advisor on a personalized roadmap to complete the degree 
   
• Courses are 7 weeks in length and students tend to take 2 classes per semester
  • Same structure for Fall, Spring, and Summer
  • The only course not on the 7-week schedule is the Capstone course, which will be the last one you take before graduation. It lasts a full, 14-week semester.
     
• Courses are offered on a rotation so that you can start at the beginning of any semester. We recommend enrolling in a course for every 7-week term so that you can finish the program as quickly as possible; however, if you need to take a term off, we can work with you to develop a personalized schedule.
   
• Classes
  • MUS 63274 Foundations of Music Educators is the first class students complete
  • MUS 63274 Foundations of Music Educators and MUS 63099 Capstone are offered every semester
  • MUS 52131 America’s Music and MUS 52171 Music from World Cultures are taught by our Ethnomusicology Faculty 
  • MUS 61170 Music Analysis is our Music Theory course and is taught by our Music Theory Faculty 
• Electives
  • Students are required to complete two electives. One must be one of our 100% online options: 
    • Advanced Studies in Teaching Choral, 
    • Advanced Studies in Teaching General, 
    • or Advanced Studies in Teaching Instrumental. 
  • The other elective can also be an online option or you can join us in the summer for one to two weeks to complete an in-person elective. 
  • We also offer a couple of in-person, on-campus electives each summer. Orff Levels I, II, and III are available each summer and previous summer electives have included: 
    • Rock Band Methods and Performance
    • Jazz Performance and Pedagogy 
    • Music Learning Theory
    • Dalcroze Eurythmics 
  • Summer 2023 electives are projected to be:
    • Orff Levels I-III (Late June)
    • Music Learning Theory - Early Childhood (Early July)
    • Conducting - Instrumental and Choral tracks (Mid-July)

Kent State offers payment plan options for Fall and Spring semesters. As of now, summer is not an option. Click below to learn more about payment plan options: https://www.kent.edu/bursar/monthly-payment-plan-options 

Most of our courses use relatively simple and familiar technologies; however, if you need help, 24/7 tech support is available through Kent State University. The syllabus for each course contains detailed instructions about when and how to obtain tech support.

• You will have a dedicated academic advisor throughout your program. They will help you with selecting and enrolling in courses, and working through any concerns that arise.
   
• The faculty are committed to your success. A faculty coordinator will be in touch with you regularly with program updates and helpful advice. 
   
• The faculty who teach your classes will be either the full-time faculty at Kent State or adjunct faculty who we trust and are located elsewhere. All faculty in the MMME program are experience teachers and understand online learning. 
   
• You will be assigned a faculty advisor for your Capstone project (and for the research term if you choose to take it). That faculty supervisor will work with you through all aspects of your Capstone project.
   

• Student Accessibility Services is available to help with accommodations. Please visit their website to learn more and how to gain access to additional resources:  https://www.kent.edu/sas
   
• Students have access to our Performing Arts Library for research materials, articles, journals and more! Also, head librarian Joe Clark is available to assist with getting started or where to find information. Here is their link to learn more: https://www.library.kent.edu/performing-arts-library
   
• Graduate Student Consultation Writing Program provides an opportunity for our students to have their papers reviewed by other Graduate Students and receive feedback prior to submitting it. Click here to learn more: https://www.kent.edu/writingcommons/graduate-consultations
   

• You are encouraged to celebrate the completion of your degree by participating in the Kent State commencement ceremony either online or in person. You will receive more information about this from your advisor as it approaches.
   
• Diplomas will be mailed to your permanent address listed in Flashline.
   
• We encourage you to stay in touch! Let us know when you have a significant event in your life–a marriage, a child, a new job, a professional honor. We love to tout the accomplishments of our students.
   
• We also love when MMME graduates go on to work toward their PhD in music education. If you have interest in this degree, we invite you to reach out to the faculty to learn more about it.