Continuing Education

The Music Education Center of America (MECA) program is a component of the graduate division in which graduate level courses are designed to fill the practical needs of music educators. Courses are structured in a variety of formats, ranging from 16-week online courses to one-week in-person courses during the summer. All courses offered in the MECA program qualify as electives toward the Master of Music Education degree at VanderCook College of Music. Attendance and participation policies are in place, and each instructor assigns coursework used to evaluate each participant.

Online courses offered at the graduate level are presented in synchronous and asynchronous formats. Online courses are designed to mimic the rigor, coursework, and overall experience of an in-person graduate course. Typically courses include a blend of academic readings, example videos, online discussions, group work, individual practice, and guided listening.

Yes, VanderCook College of Music is an independent, not-for-profit, degree-granting institution, fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; and the National Association of Schools of Music. VanderCook’s teacher certification programs are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Yes, MECA instructors are responsible for developing and distributing a course syllabus to all students for every class that they teach. All syllabi must align with VanderCook’s Assessment Framework, NASM standards and ISBE Professional Teaching Standards (as appropriate) and should outline materials, general expectations, grading policies, and participation policies for the course.

Most districts require course number, institution name and accreditation, course dates, semester credit hours, specification of in-person/online/hybrid, and course description.  VanderCook College of Music accreditation is through HLC (Higher Learning Commission).  All other information needed can be found on the MECA Course Page.

Semester credit hours for the MECA Continuing Education program are calculated using the 60-minute clock hour (750 minutes per credit).

Participants eligible for the MECA program must have previously earned a music degree from an accredited college or university, or have a bachelor’s degree in another discipline and a minimum of 60 hours of music or music education credits at the undergraduate level. All MECA courses are structured to comply with VanderCook’s academic policies and standards for graduate study, and meet all requirements set forth by ISBE.

The MECA faculty includes VanderCook faculty members, visiting professors from major colleges and universities, well-known clinicians, and leading professionals in music education, composition, and performance.

Enrolled participants for online MECA courses will be loaded into Schoology (VanderCook’s LMS) 24-48 hours prior to the first day of class.

Any MECA course may be audited for a no-credit option; however, full tuition costs and cancellation policies apply to all audited courses. No-credit participants will be able to participate in all course activities, submit assignments, and receive instructor feedback but receive no grade or credit.

At this time financial assistance is not available for MECA courses. However, cooperating teachers can redeem the earned voucher for a free 3-credit MECA course for hosting a student teacher. Contact the graduate dean and registrar to redeem the voucher.

Participants can drop a MECA course by completing this form:  Add/Drop Form

Transcript requests can be made online using the Transcript Request Form. Any inquiries regarding transcripts should be directed to the Registrar’s Office at: [email protected].

All inquiries regarding balances and payments should be directed to the Business Office at 312.788.1143.

Please contact Stephanie Lopez in the Business Office at 312.788.1143 or [email protected].