How many years is a doctorate degree in music???

Question

i would like to eventually get my doctorate degree in music. how many more years after a masters degree is a doctorate in music? any music majors out there? plz help!!!

Answer 1

Usually after a master's 72 credits plus the doctorate. So four to five years depending on your pace.

Answer 2

It depends on whether you go for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), Doctor of Music Education (DME), Doctor of Arts (DA), or Doctor of Education (EdD).

It also depends on whether you're studying an academic area (history, theory, composition) or a performance area (performance, conducting) or a pedagogy area (music ed., pedagogy, research)

Almost all programs will require that you already hold the MA or MM in the specialty you propose.  The DME and EdD will require the master's and an active teaching certificate.

You could expect at least 3 years after the master's.  Some people get out a little sooner (2 years) - especially exceptional performers but, most take a bit longer.  The real slow part will be the dissertation required of the non-performers.  Most programs have a limit of between 7-10 years to get it done.  The DA and EdD are probably the fastest.  The PhD is probably the slowest but offers the highest respect level in academia.

You can estimate the master's will take 1.5-2 years.  That means the doctorate would be about 4-7 years after the bachelor's degree.