Considered a comprehensive area of study, music education may be aimed towards preparing educators to effectively teach musical concepts to students. Some topics that may be covered include how to teach students to recognize, read and compose music, in addition to performance training.

Requirements for the PhD program often involve the student having already obtained a Master’s degree. Additionally, a thesis or dissertation primarily consisting of original academic research must be submitted. In some countries, this work may even need to be defended in front of a panel.