Doctor Who? A Demographic Profile of Doctoral Recipients in Music From 1984 to 2022

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic profile of doctoral music recipients by discipline from 1984 to 2022. Using sociological institutionalist and feminist institutionalist frameworks, I analyzed institution-level panel data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (N = 3,461) to examine the demographic characteristics of doctoral recipients in music education, music history/musicology, music theory/composition, and music performance. The number of doctoral completers in education, history/musicology, and theory/composition remained relatively stable over 4 decades. The number of doctoral completers in performance increased nearly fourfold, from 342 in 1984 to 1,253 in 2022. Compared to doctoral recipients across all academic disciplines, more music doctoral completers tended to be White. Music education and history/musicology recipients mirrored broader trends toward higher proportions of female doctoral recipients, but performance and theory/composition remained disproportionately male. Additionally, no music doctorates were ever awarded at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) despite the proportion of doctoral recipients at HBCUs in other disciplines increasing over the observed period. Results are discussed in the context of the formal and informal institutions that contribute to the homogenization of various music student and teacher populations across race/ethnicity and gender.

Keywords

demographics equity music education doctoral recipients representation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alegrado

Winsler

(2020). Predictors of taking elective music courses in middle school among low-SES, ethnically diverse students in Miami. Journal of Research in Music Education, 68(1), 5–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429420908282

Asmus

(2001). Recruiting the teachers of music teachers. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 11(1), 3–4. https://doi.org/10.1177/105708370101100102

Austin

J. R.

Isbell

D. S.

Russell

J. A.

(2012). A multi-institution exploration of secondary socialization and occupational identity among undergraduate music majors. Psychology of Music, 40(1), 66–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735610381886

Barak

R. J.

(2007). Thirty years of academic review and approval by state postsecondary coordinating and governing boards. State Higher Education Executive Officers. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED502182.pdf

Bergonzi

Yerichuk

Galway

Gould

(2015). Demographics of tenure-stream music faculty in Canadian post-secondary institutions. Intersections, 35(1), 79–104. https://doi.org/10.7202/1038945ar

Bovin

A. J.

(2019). Breaking the silence: The phenomenology of the female high school band director. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 38(1), 34–45. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123319841664

Brewer

W. D.

Rickels

D. A.

(2012). Demographics and faculty time allocation of music education professors in the United States. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 22(1), 63–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083711424504

Brimhall

K. D.

(2022). Issues facing female band directors at the high school and college levels: A review of literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 41(2), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233211068391

Camp

(2001). Formulating and evaluating theoretical frameworks for career and technical education research. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 26(1), 4–25. https://doi.org/10.5328/JVER26.1.4

10.

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. (n.d.). Carnegie classification of institutions of higher education. https://carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu/

11.

Cha

D.-J.

Amrein-Beardsley

(2024). A survey research study of music education faculty: Demographics as related to indicators of job satisfaction and stress. International Journal of Music Education, 42(2), 178–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/02557614231164652.

12.

Clavero

Galligan

(2020). Analysing gender and institutional change in academia: Evaluating the utility of feminist institutionalist approaches. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 42(6), 650–666. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2020.1733736

13.

Cutietta

R. A.

(1987). Where college teaching jobs are and what it takes to get them. Music Educators Journal, 73(5), 42–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/3397922

14.

DeAngelis

D. R.

(2022). Recent college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in music education: A demographic profile. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 32(1), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837221100577

15.

Deemer

Meals

(2022). League of American Orchestras 2022 orchestra repertoire report. https://americanorchestras.org/2022-orchestra-repertoire-report/

16.

DeLorenzo

L. C.

(2012). Missing faces from the orchestra: An issue of social justice? Music Educators Journal, 98(4), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0027432112443263

17.

Elpus

(2015). Music teacher licensure candidates in the United States: A demographic profile and analysis of licensure examination scores. Journal of Research in Music Education, 63(3), 314–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429415602470

18.

Elpus

(2022a). Middle school music uptake and achievement: Evidence from the 2016 Arts National Assessment of Educational Progress. Journal of Research in Music Education, 70(3), 248–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294221078512

19.

Elpus

(2022b, April 21). Profile of the profession: Music teacher demographics in the United States [Paper presentation]. American Education Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, United States.

20.

Elpus

Abril

C. R.

(2019). Who enrolls in high school music? A national profile of U.S. students, 2009–2013. Journal of Research in Music Education, 67(3), 323–338. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429419862837

21.

Fitzpatrick

(2013). Motherhood and the high school band director: A case study. Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education, 196, 7–23. https://doi.org/10.5406/BULCOURESMUSEDU.196.0007

22.

Fitzpatrick

K. R.

Henninger

J. C.

Taylor

D. M.

(2014). Access and retention of marginalized populations within undergraduate music education degree programs. Journal of Research in Music Education, 62(2), 105–127. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429414530760

23.

Fitzpatrick

Sweet

(2024). Motherhood in the music academy. Journal of Research in Music Education, 71(4), 373–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294231154277

24.

Gardner

R. D.

(2010). Should I stay or should I go? Factors that influence the retention, turnover, and attrition of K–12 music teachers in the United States. Arts Education Policy Review, 111(3), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632910903458896

25.

Goldin

Rouse

(2000). Orchestrating impartiality: The impact of “blind” auditions on female musicians. American Economic Review, 90(4), 715–741. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.90.4.715

26.

Grisé

(2024, September 28). Instrument and gender associations among doctoral degree recipients [Conference Presentation]. National Association for Music Education Biennial Research Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States.

27.

Hancock

C. B.

(2016). Is the grass greener? Current and former music teachers’ perceptions a year after moving to a different school or leaving the classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education, 63(4), 421–438. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429415612191

28.

HBCU Colleges. (2024). HBCU schools offering doctoral degrees. https://hbcu-colleges.com/doctoral

29.

Hewitt

M. P.

Thompson

L. K.

(2006). A survey of music teacher educators’ professional backgrounds, responsibilities and demographics. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 170, 47–61. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40319348

30.

Isbell

D. S.

(2015). The socialization of music teachers: A review of the literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 34(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123314547912

31.

Kinney

D. W.

(2019). Selected nonmusic predictors of urban students’ decisions to enroll and persist in middle and high school music ensemble electives. Journal of Research in Music Education, 67(1), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429418809972

32.

Knapp

Clauhs

Powell

(2023). A demographic profile of high school music courses in New York. Music Education Research, 25(5), 532–544. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2023.2272159

33.

Koza

J. E.

(2008). Listening for Whiteness: Hearing racial politics in undergraduate school music. Philosophy of Music Education Review, 16(2), 145–155. https://doi.org/10.2979/pme.2008.16.2.145.

34.

Krook

M. L.

Mackay

(Eds.). (2011). Gender, politics and institutions: Towards a feminist institutionalism (Vol. 1). Palgrave Macmillan.

35.

Mackay

(2011). Conclusion: Towards a feminist institutionalism? In Krook

M. L.

Mackay

(Eds.), Gender, politics and institutions: Towards a feminist institutionalism (pp. 181–196). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230303911_11

36.

Mackay

Kenny

Chappell

(2010). New institutionalism through a gender lens: Towards a feminist institutionalism? International Political Science Review, 31(5), 573–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512110388788

37.

Martin

L. D.

(2016). Doctoral students in music education: Occupational identity, career intent and commitment, and confidence for teaching in higher education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 26(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083715602123

38.

Matthews

Koner

(2017). A survey of elementary and secondary music educators’ professional background, teaching responsibilities and job satisfaction in the United States. Research & Issues in Music Education, 13(1), Article 2. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/rime/vol13/iss1/2

39.

Miksza

Johnson

(2012). Theoretical frameworks applied in music education research: A content analysis of the Journal of Research in Music Education, 1979 to 2009. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 193, 7–30. https://doi.org/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.193.0007

40.

Miller

D. S.

(2024a). Public high school music education in Maryland: Issues of equity in access and uptake. Journal of Research in Music Education, 71(4), 440–461. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294231163848

41.

Miller

D. S.

(2024b). The workforce entry and teaching responsibilities of new music education graduates: Evidence from a state longitudinal data system. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 34(2), 15–34. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837241256138

42.

Miller

D. S.

MacLeod

R. B.

Walter

J. S.

(2021). Status of band and orchestra programs in North Carolina. String Research Journal, 11(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/19484992211020767

43.

Miller

N. B.

(2013). Institutional governance of new program development at public research universities. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

44.

Morrill Act, 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq. (1862).

45.

National Association of Schools of Music. (2024). Handbook 2023-2024. https://nasm.arts-accredit.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/M_2023-24_Handbook_Final_01-11-2024.pdf

46.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System [Dataset]. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data

47.

O’Connor

(2020). Why is it so difficult to reduce gender inequality in male-dominated higher educational organizations? A feminist institutional perspective. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 45(2), 207–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/03080188.2020.1737903

48.

Powell

W. W.

DiMaggio

P. J.

(Eds.). (2012). The new institutionalism in organizational analysis. University of Chicago Press.

49.

Prendergast

J. S.

(2021). Music education and educators in Missouri, Iowa, and Illinois. Journal of Research in Music Education, 69(2), 228–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429420961501

50.

Redding

Nguyen

T. D.

(2020). Recent trends in the characteristics of new teachers, the schools in which they teach, and their turnover rates. Teachers College Record, 122(7), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146812012200711

51.

Regus

Fitzpatrick

K. R.

Grier

(2024). “I’ve sat in your seat before”: A study of the experiences of three Black women music educators. Journal of Research in Music Education, 72(4), 442–470 . https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294241229073

52.

Savigny

(2014). Women, know your limits: Cultural sexism in academia. Gender and education, 26(7), 794–809. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2014.970977

53.

Sergeant

D. C.

Himonides

(2019). Orchestrated sex: The representation of male and female musicians in world-class symphony orchestras. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 1760. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01760

54.

Shaw

B. P.

(2021). Music education opportunities in Ohio K-12 public and charter schools. Journal of Research in Music Education, 69(3), 303–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429420986123

55.

Shaw

R. D.

Auletto

(2022). Is music education in tune with the pursuit of equity? An examination of access to music education in Michigan’s schools. Journal of Research in Music Education, 69(4), 364–381. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429421989961

56.

Schultz

E. S.

Miller

I. W.

Oldenkamp

Song

J. M.

Thomas

T. R.

Weimer

K. R.

Kruse

N. B.

Miranda

M. L.

(2024). An examination of career readiness among music education doctoral alumni. Journal of Music Teacher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837241295756

57.

Sims

W. L.

Jeffs

K. C.

Barrow

L. H.

(2010). Help wanted: Music education positions in higher education, 2007-2008. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 20(1), 66–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083710363386

58.

Smith

B. P.

Mick

J. P.

Alexander

M. L.

(2018). The status of strings and orchestra programs in U.S. schools. String Research Journal, 8(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948499218769607

59.

Teachout

D. J.

(2004). Incentives and barriers for potential music teacher education doctoral students. Journal of Research in Music Education, 52(3), 234–247. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345857

60.

Teachout

D. J.

(2008). Incentives and barriers for completing music teacher education doctoral programs. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 178, 7–20. https://doi.org/10.2307/40319335

61.

Tucker

T. L.

Winsler

(2023). Who takes music with them when they transition to high school? Journal of Research in Music Education, 71(1), 22–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224294221121053

62.

VanDeusen

Wagoner

(2024, April 11). Navigating gender in academia: Experiences of women music teacher educators in the United States [Paper presentation]. American Education Research Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

63.

Zhou

Mollo

(2023). Parenting doctoral students: Who are they, and how are they doing? Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000540