Teacher of Keyboard Skills
Teacher Training for Music Education - Innsbruck
Overview
The degree programme in music education offers a wide range of courses in which students learn important theoretical principles in dealing with music and how to teach it. The master's course provides subject-specific didactic and practical training for teaching music in secondary schools and also allows students to specialise in an area of their choice.
Length of course
4 semesters / 120 ECTS-AP
Language
German
Application period
1.2.–28.3.2025
Admission examinations
Summer semester of each year
to the dates
Career paths
The master's degree programme in Secondary Education is designed to be completed within 4 semesters. Two teaching subjects must be chosen, in addition to which students are required to complete free elective subjects, a general grounding in educational science, and integrated teaching placements. The subject Music Education can be combined with any other teaching subject.
Teacher employment law stipulates that new teachers must complete a Master's degree within five years of obtaining their Bachelor's degree in order to be able to enter into permanent employment. In addition, students must also complete a one-year induction phase in which they teach regularly and receive mentoring. The induction phase can be completed directly after the Bachelor's programme and recognised as a practical placement within the Master's programme in accordance with the respective curricular requirements and the current legislation (University Act and Higher Education Act).
In the Master's programme, the academic courses offerd at the university are complemented by practical projects in cooperation with schools. The courses in Music Pedagogy play a key role helping students to develop their individual teacher profile: On the one hand, these challenge future teachers to reflect on fundamental aspects of the discipline (preparing the way for a doctorate in this area, if they wish). On the other hand, these projects also build bridges to important cultural institutions, thereby underlining the essential role played by teachers in encouraging both productive and receptive participation in public musical life.
This degree course is orientated around current developments and performance practice in the arts, as well as the latest, most up-to-date research in the academic disciplines involved. It refers to the curricula of secondary schools and the general and holistic educational goals contained therein. Within the framework of the study programme, principles such as learner-centred orientation, questions of performance assessment, flipped classrom, flexible differentiation, competence orientation, diversity as well as teacher leadership are also taken into account.
Link to the curriculum (to follow)
The Master's degree programme in Secondary Education entitles the holder to full employment as a teacher of grades 5 - 13 in:
- Special needs schools
- Middle schools
- Polytechnic schools (PTS)
- Grammar schools (AHS)
- Vocational schools and colleges (BMHS)
General course information
The teacher training programme at secondary level is carried out in cooperation with the following partner institutions (Western Region Partnership):
- Edith Stein University of Teacher Training
- Tyrol University of Teacher Training
- Vorarlberg University of Teacher Training
- University of Innsbruck
- Mozarteum University (Innsbruck campus)
Applicants should ...
- enjoy making music
- want to develop musically and be diligent in practising
- enjoy musical work with children and young people
- be enthusiastic in their involvement with music
- meet the requirements for admission
Graduates of the Master's programme in Music Education:
- are able to reflect on central academic content, theories, development perspectives and areas of application, modify them and apply them to teaching practice.
- can, based on their experiences as musicians, classify and analyse musical contributions from an artistic point of view, express themselves adequately in different artistic forms of expression and critically assess their own contribution
- can recognise differences and similarities between the sub-disciplines of the subject and establish connections between essential findings in the different areas
- are able to apply subject-specific procedures and methods, especially in the field of music education, in a manner appropriate to the situation
- are able to develop, communicate and document subject-specific content and findings in a way which corresponds to the conventions of the subject, or to express them artistically
- are able to recognise and work on subject-specific questions and problems independently and in cooperation with others
- are able to present ways of learning processes in the artistic and academic elaboration of subject content and align them to the requirements of teaching practice
- are able to establish cross-connections between subject content, subject didactic concerns and school practice and document this on the basis of concrete tasks.
The prerequisite for admission to the Master's degree programme Teacher Training at Secondary Level is the completion of the relevant Bachelor's degree programme Teacher Training (General Education) in the Western Region Partnership or another relevant Bachelor's degree programme or another equivalent degree programme at a recognised domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution.
If the undergraduate qualification is deemed in essence to be equivalent with the BA Teacher Training for Music Education, with the exception of only individual elements, the Mozarteum University is entitled to admit the candidate to the MA programme on the basis that they work towards fulfilling additional requirements prescribed by the university in order to achieve full equivalence; proof that these requirements have been fulfilled must be provided in the course of the Master's degree programme.
Applicants whose undergraduate degree was not awarded by an institution in the Western Region Partnership are required to pass an entrance examination to determine their artistic and pedagogical aptitude.
Applicants whose first language is not German must also provide proof of German language skills.
Within the framework of the Bachelor's degree programme Music Education, piano and voice as well as an artistic major must be studied. All instruments offered at the location as well as classical singing, pop/jazz singing or conducting can be chosen as artistic majors. If piano or voice is chosen as an artistic major, a third instrument is not required. Candidates must indicate their choice of artistic major when registering for the entrance examination.
The teaching subject Music Education is to be combined with a second subject. The combination with the teaching subject Instrumental Music Education at the University Mozarteum (location Innsbruck) is possible; for admission to the Instrumental Music Education programme, a separate audition proving artistic aptitude in two instruments must be passed.
1. Create a basic account in MOZonline
2. in MOZonline: fill in the mandatory statistics UHstat1 (pre-registration for studies) and note the application number that you will receive by email afterwards
3. create an application account in Muvac
4. fill out your own profile in Muvac (in any case necessary: personal data, information on expertise matching the desired degree programme, in the CV: current employment and information on previous training)
During the application period:
5. selection of the desired degree programme in Muvac (Browse -> Studies)
6. Fill out the application form in Muvac ("Apply now") - in the form, the application number (see step 2) or the Austrian matriculation number must be entered in the appropriate place
- during the registration period fpr the general admission procedure to teaching degrees: registration and completion of the general admission procedure (if applying for the BA programme)
- during the application period for the artistic entrance examination: online registration via the application portal Muvac (Please note: Registration is only possible if all information is complete!)
- after processing your online application: invitation to the on-site audition (the invitation is sent via Muvac)
- in Muvac: acceptance or rejection of participation in the admission exam; if necessary: information on the examination programme for the audition in the main subject(s) (KHF)
- participation in the on-site audition
- upon passing the audition and obtaining a place: invitation to enrolment to the degree programme
- personal enrolment during the general admission period upon presentation of all necessary evidence/test results
Registration for the entrance examination takes place via the application portal Muvac - information see 'Registration for the entrance examination'.
Link to the registration deadlines
Link to the examination dates
Registration may only be made for one location, either Central Region (for Salzburg and Linz) or Western Region (for Innsbruck). Multiple registrations at different locations are not permitted and will be cancelled.
When registering in the Central Region, candidates must specify their preferred location (Salzburg or Linz) in the application in the above-mentioned registration portal.
Documents required for online registration
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form with photo
- Letter of motivation (approx. one DIN A4 page)
- (final) certificates as well as examinations and transcripts of records of all previous artistic and/or pedagogical studies
- Proof of German language proficiency
Form of the documents
- The documents can be uploaded as PDF in the application form.
- If the documents mentioned are not available in German or English, an official translation must also be submitted.
The artistic entrance examination
Partial examinations must be passed in the following areas:
- Audition in the artistic major
- Mastery of the German language (at least level B2) for those whose first language is not German (further information HERE).
The requirements in the auditions are based on the requirements of the final examination of the BA Teacher Training for Music Education at the Mozarteum University (Innsbruck campus).
Information on recognised German certificates can be found HERE.
Any questions?
You can find more information about starting your studies here: