Just when you thought that Liberty University already offered every degree under the sun, they have announced that they will be adding a Masters in Ethnomusicology degree program to their repertoire of on-campus and online degree programs.

What is Ethnomusicology you ask? It is the study of music in the context of culture. For students who are looking to pursue a career pertaining to music in the ministry, understanding ethnomusicology can help convey the Lord’s Message through culturally sensitive music, especially when travelling to ministries and on missions in other countries. To request more information on this very new degree program, click here.

The ability for musicians and church leaders to be able to communicate through music to other cultures can help break the language barriers that may stand in their way. It opens the doors of communication instead of closing them, and the entire degree program is tought by University Musicologists who already have a defined understanding of musical and cultural diversity.

The Masters program itself is offered in a on-campus and online, or “blended” format. 30 credits can be completed online, however 12 credits are required to be taken on-campus during a summer session. The curriculum consists of a biblical foundation, anthropology, and finally worship studies. Each section of this program is to help build a stronger faith leader increasing their knowledge in their own church and community, and then adding the ethnomusicology on top to expand that knowledge to other countries.

There are a great number of advantages to this program, mainly being able to spread the Word of God to other countries, and open up the lines of communication with those who may not be able to understand you through spoken language. Music is an international language and while there are variances to each culture’s music, they all follow the basic musical scale. The Masters in Ethnomusicology degree  ties together the Christian mission, international communication, and the love of music into one exciting, engaging, and informative program.