The administrative preparation of music department chairs in NASM -accredited programs

The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic variables and doctoral coursework of music department chairs from NASM-accredited programs and compare these to administrative preparation. The researcher used a questionnaire that assessed administrative preparation on a Likert scale from Very Unprepared to Very Prepared. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests.;The participants were 408 music department chairs who held at least one doctoral degree and who served in U.S. colleges and universities with NASM-accredited departments. The average administrator was a male "department chair," aged 51, who had not planned on becoming an administrator. He had been in his present position between one and five years and had been selected because of his administrative skills; he had participated in at least one administrative development workshop. The majority had a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree that did not include administrative coursework.;The majority stated that there were no classes during their doctoral studies that were beneficial in preparing them for music administration, although most listed at least one course that would have been beneficial and felt that administrative skills should be the most important criteria in selecting a music administrator. Other experiences that helped prepare them for music administration included teaching and ensemble directing. Most administrators indicated a moderate degree of administrative preparation from doctoral coursework, with many scoring in the lower range and very few in the higher.;The gender and age of the participants did not appear significantly related to the chairs' administrative preparation. The type of doctoral degree, however, was related to administrative preparation for many of the categories. The doctoral emphasis and doctoral degree dates were also vacant for some of the variables. The factors chairs considered most important in their administrative preparation were whether the participants took administration courses or planned on being administrators during their doctoral studies.;One of the main recommendations of this study was that music doctoral students should include some administrative courses in their curriculum in the probable event they should later become department chairs in higher education. Future study recommendations include designing a curriculum for music administrators and exploring the relationship between effective administrative performance and types of administrative preparation.