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Specialist Degrees

Students will follow the curriculum of the year for which they were admitted to the program. Should requirements change in any given year, students complete either the curriculum under which they were admitted in its entirety, or the new curriculum in its entirety, but not a combination of both.

The Specialist in Music (SM) is a post-master’s level degree program that offers intensive and specialized professional training. It is intended for highly accomplished individuals who hold a relevant master’s degree and who recognize the need for further study in music but do not wish to pursue a doctoral program. Post-master’s study with non-degree status is often insufficient for such persons because it does not result in a credential. Although the specific objectives differ among departments, in general the Specialist in Music program is intended to serve the following purposes:

1. The program provides opportunities and appropriate recognition for the individual whose present employment and career goals require a high level of technical skill. 
2. The program is useful for the individual who wishes to combine concentrated study in his or her field of specialization with a secondary emphasis in another field of music, such as musicology, music theory, conducting, composition, performance, or music education.
3. The program provides high-quality preparation for the person seeking a career teaching in a conservatory of music or a two or four year college.
4. The program enables persons who are on sabbatical leave, or who for other reasons have limited time available, to complete a well integrated program of study and receive an appropriate credential.

The applicant should realize that the Specialist in Music degree is not widely known. Although several universities offer the degree Specialist in Education, with an emphasis in music, and a few offer the degree Specialist in Music Education, no other institution is known to offer a Specialist in Music degree. The Specialist in Music degree is not generally construed as a path toward the doctorate, though certain individuals may go on to pursue more advanced study. Specialist in Music students who receive SMTD funding of any kind may only begin a doctoral program at SMTD after successful completion of the Specialist degree. The Specialist in Music is a post-master’s degree based upon an appropriate master’s curriculum at U-M or another accredited institution offering a comparable curriculum. The Specialist in Music degree requires a minimum of 30 credits beyond the master’s degree.