For pianists considering teaching as a career, progress has been made in the preparation of piano teachers in American colleges and universities beginning in the early twentieth century. These developments impacted the education of the piano teacher in colleges/universities as well as the added focus of piano-related journals and publications, professional organizations, and the piano teaching profession. According to the newest edition of "Directory of Music Faculties in Colleges and Universities, U.S. and Canada" (2015-2016), there are 62 American institutions offering master's degrees in piano pedagogy or master's degrees with an emphasis in piano pedagogy, and 1091 faculty reported an interest in teaching piano pedagogy courses. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how current and future piano teachers perceive the design and function of master's piano pedagogy degree programs in the United States. This descriptive research, bridging collegiate master's students and early-career piano teachers' perceptions, explores the perceived benefits, value, or shortcomings of graduate-level piano teacher education/pedagogy programs. The researcher principally utilized the following techniques for this study: (1) review of related literature and documents; (2) online survey questionnaire design; (3) interviews with novice piano teachers and piano pedagogy faculty members; and (4) analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. The information obtained through online surveys and real-time interviews comprise the foundation for the findings of this study. Most of the collegiate and early-career piano teachers in this study indicated positive attitudes toward the "hands-on" internship experience and learning experience with piano pedagogy instructors. The most valuable aspects of the master's piano pedagogy programs noted by participants were faculty members directly sharing their professional knowledge and years of experience to students in class. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]