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Studies & Degrees in Music Therapist

Music therapy is a health profession in which a trained therapist uses music to work towards goals agreed with a client. The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) defines it as the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship, by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy programme. Sessions may involve creating music, singing, moving to music or listening to it, and the goals range from communication and memory to physical rehabilitation and the expression of feelings.

A music therapy student is trained as a musician and as a clinician. According to the AMTA, the undergraduate curriculum covers music therapy, psychology, music, biological, social and behavioural sciences, and disabilities. Students learn to assess a client's needs, design and carry out a treatment plan, and evaluate and document the results. Supervised clinical practice runs through the whole degree.

Qualifications and levels

The route into the profession differs by country, so the first thing to check is where the graduate intends to work.

  • United States, bachelor's level: the entry qualification is a bachelor's degree in music therapy. The AMTA states that it is offered at over 70 colleges and universities with approved programmes, takes four or more years and includes 1,200 hours of clinical training, made up of fieldwork and a final internship. Graduates can sit the national exam of the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) and, on passing, hold the credential Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC). The certification has to be renewed every five years with 100 continuing education credits.
  • United States, equivalency and master's: people with a bachelor's degree in another subject can take an equivalency programme, completing only the required music therapy coursework without a second bachelor's degree. Master's degrees deepen clinical practice and research. The AMTA notes that there is no approved doctoral degree in music therapy as such, although some universities combine music therapy with doctoral study in related areas.
  • United Kingdom: music therapy is studied at postgraduate level. The National Careers Service explains that applicants need an approved postgraduate course and must then register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which lists music therapist as a protected title. Entry to the course usually requires a degree in music and one or two years of paid or voluntary experience in health, education or social care.
  • Brazil: the Universidade Federal de Goiás teaches music therapy as a bachelor's degree (bacharelado) in its school of music.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 10 active schools for music therapy: six in the United States, two in Spain, one in Australia and one in Brazil. Among the US schools, Colorado State University offers a Bachelor of Music with a music therapy concentration, designed to prepare students for the CBMT exam, a Master of Music Therapy with Equivalency for graduates of music or related areas, and an online master's that requires one four-day session on campus. Temple University in Philadelphia states that its programmes are approved by the AMTA and run from undergraduate to doctoral level, and that it offered the first PhD in music therapy in the United States. The University of Dayton lists a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. The University of Miami, Illinois State University and Florida State University are also on the list.

Outside the United States, the list includes the Universidade Federal de Goiás in Goiânia, the University of Melbourne in Australia and, in Spain, the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir and the Facultad de Medicina of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. For the Spanish schools, applicants should check with the school whether the programme is an official master's degree or the school's own qualification. Programmes are taught in the language of the country, and music schools such as Temple's set audition requirements for applicants.

Careers

Music therapists usually work in a team with other health and education professionals. The AMTA names general and psychiatric hospitals, community mental health agencies, rehabilitation centres, day care facilities, nursing homes, schools and private practice as typical employers. The UK National Careers Service adds therapy clinics and prisons. With experience, a therapist can build a private practice, teach, move into research or lead a team as a senior music therapist. The profession has had an international body, the World Federation of Music Therapy, since 1985.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to be a musician to study music therapy?

Yes. The AMTA describes music therapists as musicians as well as therapists, and in the United Kingdom entry to a postgraduate course usually requires a degree in music or a high level of musical skill.

How long does it take to become a music therapist in the United States?

The bachelor's degree takes four or more years and includes 1,200 hours of clinical training. Graduates then sit the CBMT exam to obtain the MT-BC credential.

Can I become a music therapist with a degree in another subject?

In the United States, yes: most AMTA-approved universities offer an equivalency programme for graduates of other fields, and some combine it with a master's degree. In the United Kingdom the qualifying course is postgraduate in any case.

Is music therapist a regulated profession?

In the United Kingdom it is: music therapist is a protected title and practitioners must be registered with the HCPC. In the United States the national credential is the MT-BC, awarded by the CBMT.