Master of Music or Bachelor of Music? Differences
The two are pregraduate: one forms artists and the other, music teachers. We explain to you the differences, the confusion with master's and what suits your goal.
The Master in Music It's a professional undergraduate focused on artistic practice: interpreting, composing, directing or production. Bachelor of Music He's also a undergraduate but forms pedagogical musicians to teach at schools and other spaces. Neither of them is a graduate: his master's degree in music gives his master's degree.
If your goal is stage or creation, point to the Master and if what moves you to teach, the master's degree gives you pedagogical training from the first semester. Below we explain the differences in detail, including what the regulations say about teaching at schools.
To sum up
- Master of Music and Bachelor of Music are two undergraduate titles and none of them are master's degrees.
- The Master forms interpreters, composers, directors and producers and the Graduate forms music teachers.
- At graduates, an interview and an educational provision often weigh more on admission.
- According to current regulations, an unlicensed professional can teach at public schools but should have an attestation of pedagogical training and check with the Ministry of Education.
- Choose by your main goal: a master plays and a teacher can teach but basic training changes.
The main differences, in a table
| Aspecto | Master in Music | Bachelor of Music |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Professional undergraduate | Professional undergraduate |
| Enfoque | Artistic practice: interpretation, composition, direction, production | Training of pedagogical musicians |
| Names you'll see | Master of Music Arts (ASAB), Musician (The Andes), Master of Music with emphasis (Javeriana) | Bachelor of Music |
| What weighs on admission | Especially instrumental or vocal hearing, theory and ear | The musical part, plus an interview or a pedagogical exercise |
| Examples | ASAB, Javeriana, El Bosque, Los Andes, Univalle, Conservatorio del Tolima | National Pedagogic, Antioquia, Univalle, Atlántico, UIS, Caldas, UTP |
| Typical departures | Orchestra and grouping, composition and arrangements, direction, production, teaching at music schools | Schools, music schools, cultural programs, conduct of gangs and school chores |
Some universities offer the two titles, as Univalle and the Conservatory of Tolima. That allows you to compare curricula within the same institution before enrolling.
Master in Music isn't a master's
It's the most common confusion. In Colombia, several art pregrades give the title of Master: Master in Music, Master in Plastic arts, Master in performing arts. It's a name tradition for artistic careers, not an academic level.
Master's degree is a graduate that is studied after undergraduate and gives the title of Master of Music. The path looks as follows:
- Undergraduate: Master of Music, Music or Graduate of Music.
- Postgraduate: specialization or master's degree (Master's degree).
- A doctor's office, for whom she wants to conduct thorough research.
So if you read "Master in Music" on a living sheet, that person completed a university career, and his or her undergraduate career. And every day, his or her teacher's name and name are called "teacher" to any music teacher, and that adds to his or her confusion.
What do you study in every race?
The two share a musical base: theory, harmony, listening training, music history, main instrument and practice as a whole. The difference lies with what adds to that base. Overall:
At the Master in Music
- More instrument hours or an emphasis chosen throughout the race.
- Repertory, recital and assembly with higher demand.
- Materials of emphasis: composition and orchestration, direction technique, arrangements, production or musicology.
- A career closure that's usually artistic, as a recital or a work of his own.
At his Bachelor's degree in Music
- Learning and training and training of music and training processes.
- Educational practice at schools or other educational spaces.
- School group management: chores, gangs and assemblies.
- Educational research and a degree work linked to teaching.
The licensor also plays and the teacher can also teach. What changes is the depth of training on each side.
How the admittent test changes
The test reflects the profile that each race looks for. The most clear example is the Conservatory of Tolima, which evaluates different to the applicants of each title:
| Programa | What did I evaluate |
|---|---|
| Master of Music, Conservatory of Tolima | Theory and hearing, performance test (lyric or instrument) and interview |
| Bachelor of Music, Conservatory of Tolima | Lectowrite, musical aptitude with basic grammar and interview |
| Bachelor of Music, National Pedagogical (2026-2) | Ability and musical knowledge 40%, interview 40%, main instrument 20% |
| Musical arts, District ASAB | Retirement of hearing and instrumental tests, then emphasis, dictated and reading, harmony and counterpoint, lectowrite and Know 11 |
To sum up: for a Master, your instrument, your theory and your ear have to be very solid. For a master's degree as well but also prepare an interview and think seriously about why you want to teach. We have developed it at [the music entrance interview]](/blog/entrevista-de-admision-en-musica) and in the guide to [admission to his Bachelor's degree in Pedagogical Music]](/blog/admision-licenciatura-en-musica-universidad-pedagogica).
Who can teach music at a school?
That's the practical question behind this decision. According to the current regulations we have reviewed, the key points are these:
- Section 116 of Act 115 of 1994 (as amended by Act 1297 of 2009) allows high standards, graduates and other professionals to conduct their teaching.
- The Decree-Law 1278 of 2002 (Section 12, Section 1) lays down that non-graduates have to atprove at the end of their trial period that they have been undergoing or have completed an advanced degree in education or a program of teaching at an institution of higher education.
- In both cases, to get into an official educational profession, we pass through an educational contest.
Translated: A Master in Music can come to teach at an official school but will have to add pedagogical training and his or her master will have his or her own. The standards change and have nuances, so before deciding to check at the Ministry of National Education and at the call for the current contest.
At private schools, academies and music schools, each institution defines its profile. That's where they weigh a great deal about their level of music, their experience and their ability to teach with either of them.
What's your goal?
| If your goal is... | It's better for you... |
|---|---|
| Play in orchestras, gangs or professional groups | Master in Music with an emphasis on interpretation |
| To compose, fix or produce | Master with an emphasis on composition, arrangement or production |
| To be a teacher of music at official schools | Bachelor's degree in Music, or Master's more pedagogical training |
| To conduct gangs or school and community chores | Bachelor's degree, or a program with an emphasis on direction (that of Cauca has direction of Banda) |
| To teach instrument at music schools or at particular classes | Either of them weigh your level and your pedagogy. |
| Research about music | A undergraduate with an emphasis on musicology or theory and later a master's degree |
Don't choose from an easier test: there's no easier one, and each one requires different things. And if you later change your course, postists allow you to complete what you have been missing.
For both of them you're gonna need solid theory, ear and instrument. A medio tono we have been with you with [music theory classes]](/clases/teoria-musical), solpseus, dicado and instrument, virtual or at home in Bogota, look how [preparation for admissions tests]](/preuniversitario-musica)If you're still comparing universities, start with the [music racing] map in Colombia](/blog/carreras-de-musica-en-colombia).
Frequently asked questions
Can a Music Master be a teacher?
Yes. He can teach at schools of music, academies and particular classes. To teach at public schools, according to the regulations currently in place, he should atcredit training in pedagogy during his trial period and check with the Ministry of Education.
Can a master's degree in music be a professional musician?
Of course. The master's degree includes an instrument and practice as a whole, and it's common for graduates to play in clusters, run chords and bands or compose them. What's less about the depth of an artistic emphasis as an interpretation or composition.
How long does every race last?
The two are long pregrades. In revised information, the Bachelor's degree in Music of Pedagogics and the programs of Javeriana and El Bosque that give the title of Master in Music lasted ten semesters. Check the tab of each program.
What's more difficult to study?
No one's easier. The Master requires more hours of instrument and repertoire, and his master's degree adds up to his teaching and his teaching practice. The most difficult thing with his goal, because his motivation's lost.