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Online Degree:

What Sets This Program Apart:

• This is the #1 cheapest music education master's at $4,212/year, but this price nearly doubles for out-of-state students.
• This master's program has a narrower focus on music education than many others across the list. Its 30-credit MA in Band Studies is built specifically for working K-12 band directors.
• SHSU concentrates the entire degree into three consecutive summers, combining online coursework with an intensive Texas residency each year.

Online Degree:

What Sets This Program Apart:

• This online Master of Music in Music Education is specifically approved for the North Carolina graduate teacher license.
• The university participates in NC-SARA, allowing students in many other states to enroll while still navigating state authorization requirements through an established reciprocity framework.
• Teachers who have already earned National Board Certification may receive up to three graduate credits, recognizing prior professional accomplishment.

Online Degree:

What Sets This Program Apart:

• This online MA in Music Education stands out for how directly it lets practicing music teachers shape graduate study around the classroom or ensemble they already lead.
• UNK gives students focused elective options in elementary music, wind band, choral, brass, woodwind, string, percussion, and vocal instruction. That makes the program especially useful for teachers who want their graduate coursework to support a specific teaching assignment.
• Music students can use graduate applied instruction and their capstone project to focus on their primary teaching area.

Online Degree:

What Sets This Program Apart:

• The 32-credit curriculum includes dedicated coursework in measurement and research in music education, psychology of music instruction and performance, and current issues in music education, giving students a structured way to connect teaching choices to data, student response, and assessment.
• Alongside foundations and pedagogy, students take required music theory and history courses such as Analysis of Popular Music, Analysis of Video Game Music, and Historical Studies in Jazz and Popular Music. That gives the program a broader cultural lens.

Online Degree:

What Sets This Program Apart:

• This online Master of Music in Music Education is most distinctive for its direct connection to Georgia educator advancement. The program is designed for students who already hold a teaching credential and want to qualify for the Georgia PSC-5 music teaching certificate after completing the degree.
• At the same time, UWG is clear that the program does not contribute to a Georgia PSC-4 teaching certificate.
• UWG has one of the largest online footprints on the list, with 4,771 online students, and its 78% retention rate suggests many students continue once enrolled.

Student Review Summary: Reviews of the University of Nebraska at Omaha are largely favorable, with students most often praising helpful professors, approachable advisors, and practical coursework that connects well to careers, internships, and professional networking. Many value small or moderate class sizes, flexible scheduling, evening options, and fully online offerings that make it easier to balance full-time work and family obligations. Affordability and transfer friendliness also stand out. Recurring drawbacks include a commuter-school atmosphere that can feel disjointed or less social, inconsistent advising access, limited course availability in some areas, uneven technology and facilities, and frequent complaints about parking costs and convenience.

Student Review Summary: Reviews portray Western Illinois University as a generally positive, accessible school where helpful professors, approachable staff, and small class settings stand out most. Many reviewers say personal attention, practical coursework, flexible online or evening scheduling, and affordable tuition supported career growth, independence, and strong faculty relationships that lasted after graduation. The Quad Cities campus is often praised for newer facilities and convenience. Criticisms focus on inconsistent program quality, weak career services, limited course variety, and sparse class availability. Several reviewers also mention Macomb’s rural setting, reduced networking options, funding-related cuts, and occasional disorganization in advising or instruction.

Student Review Summary: Reviews of North Dakota State University - Main Campus are largely favorable, with many describing a welcoming campus, strong school spirit, and abundant ways to get involved through clubs, athletics, research, campus jobs, and hands-on learning. Students often praise helpful, knowledgeable faculty, supportive advisers, safe surroundings, updated facilities, and affordable value, especially for those seeking practical career preparation. Criticism centers on inconsistency: some reviewers felt transfer support was weak, financial advising caused costly errors, and certain instructors were unhelpful or hard to understand. Others noted heavy workloads, basic introductory courses, and a perception that some academic areas receive less institutional attention than science-focused fields.

Student Review Summary: Reviews describe Eastern Illinois University as a small, relationship-driven campus where accessible professors, open-door faculty, and close advising often make a strong difference. Many praised individualized attention, supportive mentors, affordable tuition, flexible formats, and hands-on opportunities such as research, internships, and practical experience that helped them feel prepared afterward. At the same time, recurring criticisms focus on uneven academic rigor, outdated technology, limited course scheduling, weak career support, and a quiet location some found boring or inconvenient. A few sharply negative accounts cited poor online instruction, unhelpful advising, canceled activities, and concerns about campus vitality, resources, and long-term institutional stability.

Student Review Summary: Reviews of Ball State University are largely positive, with students most often praising caring professors, approachable advisors, and a campus that feels large enough for strong resources yet small enough to feel personal. Many highlight hands-on learning, immersive projects, career fairs, and practical preparation that translated into early job offers, licensure success, or confidence at work. Online learners frequently value the flexibility, affordability, and usable technology that let them keep full-time jobs. Criticisms center on uneven online instruction, slow or inconsistent faculty communication, weak administrative support, high costs or debt concerns, clinical placement challenges, and isolated reports of safety, housing, sexism, and outdated course management.

Student Review Summary: Reviews of Campbellsville University are broadly positive, with many describing caring, accessible professors, small classes, clear communication, and flexible formats that work well for busy adults. Several reviewers praise the online portal, practical coursework, strong advising, and culturally diverse campus environment. The strongest positives center on personal attention, mentorship, and programs that balance rigor with convenience. Negative reviews are concentrated around some online experiences, where reviewers report excessive workload, rigid grading, limited instruction beyond assignment posting, weak administrative organization, poor billing communication, and inadequate support, including concerns about accessibility, affordability, and the school’s remote setting or limited social scene.

Student Review Summary: Reviews of Baptist University of Florida are largely favorable, with most describing a close-knit Christian environment, caring professors, and strong academics that integrate biblical teaching into coursework. Several reviewers value the school’s small size because it creates personal attention, lasting friendships, and meaningful mentorship, including positive online experiences despite the distance. The campus location is seen as limiting distractions, though it can also feel isolated and reduce entertainment options. Cost and textbook expenses appear as practical challenges, even if financial aid support is helpful. The sharpest criticism alleges harmful religious control, trauma, and teachings, creating a serious outlier concern.

Student Review Summary: Reviewers describe Liberty University as a highly polarizing online experience shaped by strong Christian integration, flexible scheduling, and uneven support. Many praise responsive professors, rigorous writing-heavy coursework, affordable tuition, generous military and veteran discounts, transfer flexibility, and formats that helped working adults finish quickly. Others say instruction often feels self-taught, with professors acting more like graders than teachers. The most repeated frustrations involve financial aid delays, inconsistent advising, poor communication, confusing administrative processes, and extra charges. A notable takeaway is that satisfaction often depends on comfort with biblical content in nearly every course and on a student’s ability to navigate a fast-paced, independent learning model.

Student Review Summary: Reviews describe Morehead State University as an affordable, flexible option with strong faculty support, especially for online learners, working adults, and those balancing family responsibilities. Many say instructors are knowledgeable, fair, accessible, and bring real-world experience that helps with career preparation and confidence. Small classes, individualized attention, and manageable but rigorous coursework are recurring strengths. Students also praise the scenic campus, outdoor access, and small-town atmosphere. The most consistent complaints focus on administrative dysfunction, particularly financial aid, billing, advising, and poor responsiveness from office staff. Some also mention uneven teaching quality, limited nightlife, cramped housing, and occasional concerns about academic rigor or consistency.

Student Review Summary: Reviews of the University of Memphis are largely positive, with praise centering on supportive professors, strong advising in many departments, and practical learning that leads to internships, research, and career preparation. Many reviewers highlight flexible formats, diverse course options, a welcoming campus culture, and useful amenities such as libraries, shuttles, and online access. Several describe life-changing mentorship and meaningful networking in the Memphis community. The main complaints are inconsistent administration, poor communication, expensive tuition, weak career guidance in some areas, dated facilities or equipment, limited course availability, parking issues, and concerns about safety, organization, or program follow-through.