Seeking and Keeping a Music Education Position at a Doctoral-Granting Institution: Impactful Doctoral Degree Experiences and Coursework

The purpose of this study was to examine how doctoral experiences, coursework, and motivations influenced music education faculty members’ decisions to seek and remain in positions at doctoral-granting institutions. We surveyed 159 music education faculty members in the United States using an instrument addressing doctoral experiences, coursework, and career motivations. We analyzed data using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, and factorial MANOVAs to examine perceived influence and differences by gender, academic rank, and professional experience. We found that working closely with graduate music education faculty and conducting original research exerted the strongest influence, whereas undergraduate advising and university-sponsored private lessons exerted the weakest influence. Research-based coursework influenced career decisions more than applied coursework. Career motivations were primarily intrinsic and professional, including continued learning, commitment to teaching, and contributing to the profession. Few group differences emerged; however, we identified a significant interaction between gender and academic rank for pragmatic career considerations.