Doctoral Students in Music Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine music education doctoral students’ shifting occupational identity beliefs, career intent and commitment, and overall confidence for teaching in higher education. A total of 124 music education doctoral students, enrolled at 29 institutions of higher education in the United States, completed a onetime, 29-item online questionnaire. Participants identified more strongly as music teacher educators than as K–12 music teachers, and they were more committed to pursuing a career in higher education than K–12 teaching on completing their degree. However, participants who taught K–12 music concurrently during the degree were more likely to consider returning to K–12 teaching on degree completion. Music education doctoral students demonstrated confidence in their ability to train future K–12 music educators but lacked confidence in their ability to achieve a high-quality life balance in higher education. Implications for music education doctoral programs are discussed.