[1] Burnim attended North Texas State University, majoring in music education with a concentration in piano.
[1] Burnim went on to complete a master's degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a thesis on songs in Mende folktales.
[3] She earned her doctorate in ethnomusicology in 1980,[1] with a dissertation titled The Black Gospel Music Tradition: Symbol of Ethnicity.
[3] Burnim is recognized as a pioneer and expert in the study of African American gospel music.
[3][5][6] She was a "prolific"[7] researcher who published and lectured widely on the history and practice of Black religious music.