The Master of Sacred Music (MSM or SMM) degree is a two to five-year post-baccalaureate degree that combines academic and musical studies. The closure of graduate programs in organ performance across America has made the MSM increasingly the ''de facto'' degree for advanced studies in church music; MSM graduates who wish to continue their studies have the option of academic (Ph.D. or Th.D.) or applied (DMA) tracks. Most MSM programs are limited to choral conducting and organ performance, as these two applied fields are the primary occupations of church music directors. Piano Performance is usually taught as a subdiscipline or acquired separately.
Master of Sacred Music programs in the United States include:
*
Boston University School of Theology
Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological school ...
, Boston, MA
*
School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, New York, NY
*
Cantorial school of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, NY
*
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...
at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, ...
, Dallas, TX
*
Westminster Choir College
, mottoeng = Let us be judged by our deeds
, established = 1926
, type = Private
, president = Gregory G. Dell'Omo
, dean = Marshall Onofrio
, city = Dayton, OH (1926–1929), Ithaca, NY (1929–1932), Princeton, NJ (1932–2020), Lawrenc ...
at
Rider University
Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. It consists of four academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Services, and West ...
*
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...
, Notre Dame, IN
*
University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to:
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia
*Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina
*St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick
*St. ...
, Houston, TX
Boston University's program is the oldest (BU is also host to the oldest higher education program in music in the United States) and Notre Dame's is the youngest (admitting its first students for Fall 2005). An MSM program at
Union Theological Seminary was dissolved when UTS' Institute of Sacred Music was dissolved and moved to Yale.
As of November 14, 2012,
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...
has ended their MSM program. Current students will be permitted to finish out their studies, but no new applicants will be accepted. This decision was made by President Richard Bliese, against the recommendations of the seminary's Educational Leadership Committee (ELC).
Related programs
Several institutions of higher education offer masters programs in Liturgical Music or a Master of Music programs in Sacred Music. These are distinguished from MSM programs by their primary focus on the applied music components. An example of such programs can be found at the
Catholic University of America's Institute of Sacred Music, which recently converted its masters and doctoral programs in liturgical music to MM and DMA programs in sacred music. Another example is
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
's MM degre
in Church Music.
* Claremont Graduate University offers a Master of Arts in Church Music, and it is the only institution offering the terminal Doctor of Church Music (D.C.M.).
* The
Mary Pappert School of Music at
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
, image = Holy Gh ...
in Pittsburgh, PA offers a Master of Music in Sacred Music degree.
* The
Institute of Sacred Music at
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
in New Haven, CT offers a Master of Music in Sacred Music degree.
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References
{{reflist
External links
Musica Sacra- Official Journal of the Church Music Association of America.
- American Guild of Organists list of programs
Master's degrees, Sacred Music