Studies & Degrees in Sacred Music
Sacred music is music written for worship and religious ceremony: chant, hymns, choral works, organ repertoire and the music of the liturgy. As a field of study it combines advanced musical training, usually in organ, choral conducting or voice, with the study of liturgy, theology and the place of the arts in religious life. Students learn to perform the repertoire and also to understand the texts and rites it was written for.
The Yale Institute of Sacred Music (ISM) describes its own curriculum in these terms: it integrates the study and practice of religion with that of music and the arts, with a core focus on Christian sacred music, while also engaging with other religious traditions.
Qualifications and levels
Sacred music is mostly studied at graduate level, after a first degree in music or in theology. At Yale, ISM students enrol through one of two partner schools and receive that school's degree.
- Music degrees. With the Yale School of Music, students focus on voice, organ or choral conducting. The Master of Music (M.M.) is a two-year post-baccalaureate degree in musical performance. The Master of Musical Arts (M.M.A.) is a two-year programme for applicants who already hold a Master of Music in their field. The Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) requires four terms in residence followed by a dissertation period. Master of Music students in organ, choral conducting or voice can add an optional certificate in Church Music Studies.
- Divinity degrees. With Yale Divinity School, students take the Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.), either in its comprehensive form or with a concentration in liturgical studies or in religion and the arts; the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), a three-year programme of theological studies designed mainly to prepare students for ordained ministry; or the Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.), a one-year programme for those who already hold the M.Div. or an equivalent.
Other institutions use their own degree names, so applicants should ask each school which qualification it awards and what recognition it has in the country where they want to work.
Where to study
SpainExchange lists one active school for sacred music: Yale University, in New Haven, in the United States. Its Institute of Sacred Music was founded in 1973. The institute states that its community has over 120 faculty, staff, students and visiting scholars and artists, and that students take part in over 100 concerts, recitals, lectures and other events each year.
Applicants submit two identical applications, one to the ISM and one to the partner school. The deadline is 1 December for the Yale School of Music and 1 February for Yale Divinity School. Tuition is set by the two partner schools, and the ISM states that full-tuition scholarships are available to its students, with additional annual merit awards of $4,000 to $12,000 for eligible students.
Outside the directory, the Catholic Church has its own school for the subject in Rome, the Pontificio Istituto di Musica Sacra, which describes itself as the university of music of the Holy Father, the Pope.
Careers
Graduates work as organists, choir directors and directors of music in churches and cathedrals, as teachers, as concert performers and, on the divinity side, in pastoral ministry and scholarship. Yale states that its choral conducting graduates lead professional, community, church, symphonic and youth ensembles, and that its organ programme prepares students for careers as church musicians, teachers and recitalists.
In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 51,100 music directors and composers in 2025; 58 percent of them worked for religious, grantmaking, civic, professional and similar organisations. It projects employment in this occupation to grow 1 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings each year.
Frequently asked questions
Is sacred music a bachelor's or a graduate subject?
The programmes described here are graduate degrees. The Master of Music at Yale, for example, is a two-year degree taken after a bachelor's degree.
Which instruments can I specialise in?
At the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, music students focus on organ, choral conducting or voice. Composition students with an interest in sacred music are admitted occasionally.
How much does it cost to study at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music?
Tuition is set by the Yale School of Music and Yale Divinity School. The institute states that full-tuition scholarships are available to its students; other fees may apply depending on the programme.
Do I apply to the institute or to the school?
To both. Yale asks for separate, identical applications to the ISM and to the Yale School of Music or Yale Divinity School.