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Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Become a certified music teacher — trained as a musician, prepared as a teacher, and ready to lead choirs, bands, and classrooms.
Three Emphasis Paths
Choral, Instrumental, or Comprehensive (both)
Teacher Certification
Includes a full semester of Directed Student Teaching
Musician + Teacher
Real music training paired with real teacher prep
Great music teachers are musicians first — and then they learn to teach. ACU’s Bachelor of Science in Music Education prepares you to be both: fluent in theory, sight-singing, history, and your primary instrument, and equipped with the methods and classroom experience to teach music at the K–12 level with skill and conviction.
You’ll work through a serious music core — four semesters of theory and sight-singing, two of music history, applied lessons in your primary instrument, chorale, and functional piano — alongside the same secondary-education preparation that grounds ACU’s teacher-certification programs. That includes classroom management, working with exceptional learners, U.S. and Arizona government, structured English immersion methods, and a full semester of Directed Student Teaching in a real school. You’ll finish with a Secondary Education Capstone.
From there, choose the emphasis that fits the classroom you picture yourself leading: Choral, Instrumental, or Comprehensive (both). Throughout, a Biblical Worldview and the required Theology of Worship course frame music as a good gift worth teaching well — and the students you’ll teach as image-bearers worth your patience and craft.
Master Music Theory and Musicianship
Work through four levels of theory and sight-singing to read, write, and hear music fluently.
Know the Music
Study the history and literature of music across eras.
Play and Perform
Grow through applied lessons in your primary instrument and ensemble work.
Learn to Teach Music
Study choral, instrumental, and general music methods, plus conducting.
Prepare for the Classroom
Complete the secondary-education core — classroom management, exceptional learners, and SEI methods.
Lead a Classroom of Your Own
Put a full semester of supervised student teaching on your résumé before you apply for a job.
A music teacher shapes both craft and character. A Biblical Worldview frames how you see the students you teach and the music you're passing on. Every ACU music major also studies a Theology of Worship.
The Worth of Every Student
Scripture teaches that every person bears God's image — the natural singer, the awkward first-year clarinetist, the student who's convinced they can't sing. That conviction reframes music teaching as investing in people of inherent dignity, not just cultivating talent.
Grounds your teaching in patience with beginners and belief in every student's growth.
Music as a Gift Worth Passing On
Music's beauty and power aren't accidents — they reflect the creativity of the One who made us to make and love music. Teaching music becomes stewardship of a real gift across generations.
Frames your teaching as cultivating something genuinely worth handing down.
Excellence Held With Grace
Good music teaching holds high standards and encouragement together — pushing students to grow while believing in them. That balance mirrors how people are actually formed.
Equips you to demand real work and offer real grace at the same time.
Introduction to Music Theory I
A music course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 411Choral Music Education Methods and Literature
A this discipline course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 412Instrumental Music Education Methods and Literature
A this discipline course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 413General Music Education Methods and Literature
A this discipline course at Arizona Christian University.
MUS 320Song Literature for Singers
A music course at Arizona Christian University.
Music teachers are needed in schools everywhere — and the emphasis you choose shapes which classrooms you're prepared to lead.
Choral Director (K–12)
Lead middle and high school choirs, especially with the Choral or Comprehensive emphasis.
Band or Orchestra Director (K–12)
Lead instrumental ensembles, especially with the Instrumental or Comprehensive emphasis.
General Music Teacher
Teach general music in elementary and middle school classrooms — supported by MED 413 General Music Methods (all tracks).
Christian School Music Teacher
Teach music in Christian schools in the U.S. and abroad.
Private Studio Teacher & Community Music
Teach lessons and lead community music programs alongside classroom work.
Graduate Study in Music Education
Continue into a master's in music education, conducting, or performance.
ACU's Music Education degree pairs serious musicianship with real teacher preparation — and gives you three ways to shape the degree toward the classroom you want to lead.
Musician + Teacher, Not Just One
A full 22-credit music core (theory, sight-singing, history, piano, applied lessons) alongside the secondary-education preparation classrooms actually require.
Three Emphasis Paths
Choose Choral, Instrumental, or Comprehensive (both) — each shaped for a different classroom.
Full Student Teaching Semester
Directed Student Teaching puts you in a real classroom under a mentor before you graduate.
Faith and Music Together
Every music major takes Theology of Worship — music is treated as a gift, a craft, and a calling.
Getting started in Music Education at ACU takes just a few steps. Here’s the path.
Apply & Audition
Submit your application and audition on your primary instrument or voice.
Start Your ApplicationTake the Placement Exams
Complete the music theory placement exam and the secondary piano exam.
Choose Your Emphasis With an Advisor
Meet with a music-education advisor to choose Choral, Instrumental, or Comprehensive — and map your four-year plan.
Get Your IVP Fingerprint Card
Arizona requires an Identity Verified Prints (IVP) card before student teaching and much of the education-methods work.
The Music Education degree gives you the musicianship, the methods, and the classroom experience to lead K–12 music with confidence. Connect with our team or apply today.
