Article Body
News Release
Contacts: Jack R. Warner, Executive Director and CEO
Janelle Toman, Director of Communications
Telephone: (605) 773-3455
Fax: (605) 773-5320
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 28, 2012
Master of Music Education Degree Approved at Northern State
MADISON, S.D. – Northern State University will offer a master of music education degree starting this fall. That follows action today by the South Dakota Board of Regents at its meeting in Madison.
The board also approved Northern’s plans to use distance delivery to bring this music degree to more K-12 educators, enhancing workforce development and allowing more people to pursue advanced degrees while employed.
“To further develop South Dakota’s workforce, expanding graduate education is a necessary step,” said Jack Warner, the regents’ executive director and CEO. “Graduate degrees help people advance in their careers and develop specialized skills. Graduate-level programs also provide opportunities for graduate students to support faculty in teaching and research,” Warner said.
Building on its strong undergraduate program in music, NSU will offer the master of music education degree to enhance content knowledge and skills of professional, working music educators who teach band, orchestra, choir, and musical theatre. The program will cover the essentials of research in music education, music theory and practice, conducting, pedagogy, and music education management. Students will work in cohorts taking online classes in the fall and spring semesters, combined with a blended offering of online and face-to-face sessions during two summer terms.
“This degree provides a much-needed opportunity for professional development and advancement of our music educators across South Dakota and the region,” said Warner. It is anticipated that it will also help retain music teachers in South Dakota classrooms, with increased opportunity to advance to higher levels of compensation. Data from 2009 showed only 97 of 485 teachers working in K-12 music education in South Dakota held a master’s degree or higher.
Similar limited-residency music education programs at other universities have been forced to cap their cohort enrollments due to high demand. “Having the option to pursue and complete such a program in South Dakota holds great promise for potential students,” said Regents President Kathryn Johnson. Northern State currently offers seven other graduate degrees in a variety of fields.
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