Lead the way in music education
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
Join us online or in person to find out more about postgraduate study at York.
Upcoming eventsWork with research-active staff to develop and refine your group teaching and leadership skills with an MA in Music Education.
This course is for musicians who want to enhance their capabilities and confidence in group teaching and develop skills for leadership roles in music education settings.
Through a combination of theory and practical teaching activities, you’ll explore inclusive approaches to supporting musical development in early childhood, primary and secondary education, and with learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities. You’ll also develop an understanding of the philosophical and psychological foundations of music learning and how you can apply this to improve your own teaching practice. Meanwhile, our unique module on leadership and management will introduce you to the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities associated with a leadership role in music education.
You’ll be able to tailor your studies to support your own particular interests as a music educator, choosing two option modules to accompany your core modules. For some modules you’ll also have a choice of assessment types.
Our friendly teaching team of professional music leaders and educators will provide the support and resources you need to succeed in your professional and personal development. You'll be part of a lively and inclusive community, and we will encourage you to participate in our musical ensembles, attend weekly concerts and research seminars, and take full advantage of our facilities.
.jpg)
The skills and experience you'll gain on this course are directly applicable to your career as a music educator.
We're in the UK top 30 for music research according to the Times Higher Education's ranking of the latest REF results (2021).
You'll study a series of taught core modules and option modules and complete an independent study module.
Your course will begin with the taught modules, with the independent study module as the final stage of your studies.
You will choose two option modules from examples including:
Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
You'll complete your independent study module towards the end of your course.
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
My professors gave me a wonderful learning experience which I really enjoyed. My tutors gave me many constructive suggestions about applying for a PhD that has made my future goals clearer.Ka, MA Music Education: Instrumental and Vocal Teaching
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation. |
£5,600 | £12,950 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
Classes are formed of a variety of taught and discussion-based formats and regularly involve practical work.
You'll be taught via seminars and practical sessions in which you'll have the opportunity to teach others and receive feedback. You'll complete a variety of assessment types, choosing from essay, poster presentation, literature review, report, assessed lesson with commentary, and digital portfolio formats. Regular meetings with course tutors will allow you to discuss your progress and prepare for assessments.
The School of Arts & Creative Technologies is home to outstanding facilities, including a variety of seminar rooms for class teaching. These rooms have an array of specialised teaching equipment including pianos, interactive whiteboards and audio equipment.
The John Paynter Music Library is an elegant facility, located within the University Library, and houses the main music collections. It is also equipped with digital pianos, and media replay equipment.
The University Library houses an extensive collection of CDs and DVDs, which are available for listening and research. There are also archival recordings available for student use in the University of York Sound Archives.
The Document Supply Centre of the British Library is located in Boston Spa, near to York. A weekly bus service runs during term-time.
The School of Arts & Creative Technologies is located on Campus West. Almost all of your teaching will take place within the School.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
Modules often include a choice of assessment formats, including essay, poster presentation, literature review, conceptual analysis, report, assessed lesson and commentary, digital portfolio and dissertation.
Throughout your course, you submit work which does not count towards your final grade. This is a chance for you to receive feedback from your tutors, discover your strengths and identify areas for improvement.
The skills developed in this programme will contribute to enhanced professional ability as a music leader, educator, or instrumental teacher in educational contexts both inside and outside of schools.
You'll also be equipped for further postgraduate study in the field of Music Education.
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent in Music or another relevant subject. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum of 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
Get in touch if you have any questions
We offer a range of campus accommodation to suit you and your budget, from economy to premium.
Explore campus and city life and hear what our current students have to say about living here.
Lively, full of culture and beautiful, York is regularly voted one of the best places to live and visit in the UK.
Find out more about York. Chat to staff and students and take the tour, on campus or online.
