Teacher Training for Music Education

Bachelor
BEd
Musikpädagogik - Universität Mozarteum | © Michael Klimt & Christian Schneider

The bachelor's degree programme in music education provides basic training across the broad spectrum of subjects and skills required for classroom music teaching. In addition to completing courses in didactics, pedagogy and  education sciences, students will receive an all-round musical education in practical musicianship, music theory and musicology. They will also complete practical teaching placements as they prepare to enter the teaching profession; this programme qualifies students to teach in grades 5-8 of the Austrian education system and to embark upon the MA programme required to become a fully qualified secondary school teacher.

Career paths

The teacher training programme for secondary education consists of a Bachelor's and a Master's programme and trains students to become teachers in their chosen subjects.

The Bachelor's degree programme in Secondary Education is designed to be completed within 8 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.

Students receive individual tuition from first-class teachers on their chosen instruments and can develop both artistically and in the area of pedagogy. Alongside artistic and music theory training, a focus is placed on the subject of music in school from the very beginning. The courses in didactics introduce methods and concepts for teaching music and also cover such areas as listening education, digital media and practical music making in the classroom.

Link to the curriculum

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.

Special features at the Salzburg campus:

  • Students who choose Salzburg will experience a first-class musical education at a world-renowned arts university with an international atmosphere.
  • The cooperation between the Mozarteum University, the University of Salzburg and Salzburg Teacher Training College enables a comprehensive education in music pedagogy
  • The Mozarteum University is the only arts university in Austria at which programmes in all academic art disciplines are offered: Music, Fine Arts, Performing Arts and Dance. Students who base themselves in Salzburg  will benefit from a wide range of cooperation and exchange opportunities.

General course information

For admission to the Bachelor's programme, various certificates and examinations are required:

  • general university entrance qualification (e.g. Matura, Abitur, high school diploma)
  • command of the German language (at least level B2 - Common European Framework of Reference CEFR 2001)
  • positive participation in the general admission procedure for the teacher training programme in the Central Region
  • passing an entrance examination to determine artistic and pedagogical competence

As part of the Bachelor's degree programme in Music Education, piano and voice as well as an artistic major (see above) must be studied. All instruments offered at the location as well as voice, dance and choral 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 Mozarteum University is possible; for admission to the Instrumental Music Education programme, a separate audition proving artistic aptitude in two instruments must be passed.

The General Admissions Procedure for all teaching degress (regardless of subject) consists of several steps:

  • Registration and pre-registration (usually early March to mid-August).
  • Participation in the online self-assessment (= Module A)
  • Payment of the fee
  • Registration for the Electronic Admission Test (several dates to choose from)
  • Participation in the Electronic Admission Test (= Module B)

Please check the Central Region Partnership website for exact dates and procedures.

Several steps are necessary for registration for the artistic entrance examinationApplicants for teacher training programmes should start with step 3.

1. not relevant
2. not relevant
3. Create an application account in Muvac
4. (minimum requirements: 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. Select your desired degree programme in Muvac (Browse -> Studies)
6. Fill out the application form in Muvac ("Apply now")
 
Detailed instructions with screenshots can soon be found HERE.
Please take a look at the FAQs about registration in Muvac if you get stuck at any of the steps.
 
Communication during the application process takes place via Muvac or email, depending on the degree programme. Please ensure that you can be contacted at the email address entered in your profile throughout the entire application process and regularly check whether you have received any new messages in Muvac. You can set your own profile to inform you of any new messages in Muvac by email (Account settings -> Notifications). If your contact details change, please update your profile yourself.
 
 
Admissions procedure
 
  • Online registration during the general admission procedure to teaching degrees: registration and completion of the general admissions procedure
  • Online registration during the application period via the application portal Muvac (Please note: Registration is only possible if all required information and documents have been submitted!)
  • Once the online application has been processed: invitation to on-site audition. The invitation will be sent via Muvac.
  • The invitation to the on-site entrance examination must be accepted or rejected in Muvac. Details to the audition programme in the principal study should also be given, if required for the respective instrument).
  • Participation in the on-site audition
  • Upon passing the audition and being offered a place: invitation to enrol in the degree programme
  • Enrolment (in person) during the general admission period 
 
The repetition of composite parts of the audition in case of failure is not permitted; the audition can only be repeated in its entirety and only in the next academic year. The audition can be repeated an unlimited number of times.

Registration for the entrance examination takes place via the application portal Muvac - for information, see 'Registration for the entrance examination' (above).

Link to the registration deadlines
Link to the examination dates

Candidates may only register at 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)
  • School leaving certificate (e.g. Matura, Abitur, A Levels...) or last school report
  • (final) certificates as well as examinations and transcripts of records of all previous artistic and/or pedagogical studies
  • Proof of German language proficiency, if applicable

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 entrance examination

Partial examinations must be taken in the following areas:

  1. Artistic major
  2. Compulsory subject piano (if not artistic major)
  3. Singing for music teachers (if not artistic major)
  4. Aural skills (sight singing)
  5. General musical ability (music theory and aural skills)
  6. Participation in a musical-communicative project 
  7. Mastery of the German language (at least level B2) for all students whose first language is not German.

The examination requirements are regulated in the guidelines; information on the German language certificates accepted can be found HERE.

Material to prepare for the Music Theory and Aural Skills examination can be found HERE.

The various partial examinations listed above all take place within the entrance examination period for teaching degrees in music and instrumental music, with the exception of some auditions in the Artistic Major, which are held during the same session as the auditions for performance studies, depending on the instrument. Candidates are advised to check the examination dates to establish whether this applies to them.

News

  • © SF / Wildbild
    10.4.2025
    New ORIGO folk music festival 

    Three days of singing, dancing and making music: From 24 to 26 April, the new ORIGO festival celebrates folk music in its lively and constantly changing form at the Mozarteum University and in the city of Salzburg - and thus sees itself as a platform that not only preserves folk music, but also makes it possible to experience it in all its dynamism and creativity.

    Press release
  • © Musikum Grödig
    17.3.2025
    A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 

    Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again. 

    Alumnae & Alumni Stories
  • 3.2.2025

    News

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Martin Losert | © Elsa Okazaki
Martin Losert

Univ.-Prof. of Instrumental & Vocal Pedagogy / Coordinator of the Cooperation with the Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium GmbH

Senate
Department Head
Faculty
Curriculum Committee
© Hermann Wakolbinger
Karen Schlimp

Teacher of Improvisation / Lecturer in Advanced Studies in Music and Dance Education – Orff-Schulwerk

Faculty

Lecturer

Faculty

Research Assistant / Second Vice-Chair of the Students’ Union

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© Vanessa Friedl

Project Staff Co-CreArT

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Employee
Stefan David Hummel | © Elsa Okazaki
Stefan David Hummel

Head of Pre-College / Personal Assistant to the Rector / Coordinator of the International Mozart Competition / Lecturer in Orchestra & Ensemble Rehearsal Technique

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