Music Therapy Education Pathways

Music therapy is a clinical profession, not simply a music degree with a different name. Entry routes, titles and legal status differ from country to country, and in some places by state. This guide describes two systems as examples, the United States and the United Kingdom, and tells you how to check your own. A degree alone does not make graduates eligible to practise, and nothing here promises licensure, jobs or visas.

Music therapy, music education and music performance are different

A performance degree develops musicianship. A music education degree is aimed at teaching, with its own official qualifications (see music education and teaching qualifications). Music therapy involves clinical training and supervised practice with clients. The World Federation of Music Therapy describes itself as an international nonprofit bringing together music therapy associations and individuals, and its members include training programmes; it publishes a definition of music therapy, which is worth reading before you apply.

Example: United States

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) describes these steps:

1. Degree. Earn a bachelor's degree or higher in music therapy from an AMTA-approved programme; AMTA says it has more than 80 approved programmes.
2. Clinical training. AMTA says the bachelor's degree requires 1,200 hours of clinical training, including a supervised internship.
3. Board certification. After the degree, you may take the national board certification exam run by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) to earn the MT-BC credential. AMTA says the MT-BC is necessary for professional practice as a board-certified music therapist and may be required for state licensing.
4. State requirements. AMTA says requirements vary by state, and that some states have title protection or licensure, most of which require the MT-BC.

CBMT's own pages add that board certification is valid for five years, with renewal requiring 100 continuing education credits, that certification is voluntary, and that state credentials are separate. CBMT states that national certification is not enough in most states. It lists different arrangements: full licences in some states, title protection in others, registries or certificates elsewhere, and, in New York, a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist credential instead of a stand-alone music therapy licence. Fees and background checks vary. Check the current CBMT and your state's page; these arrangements change.

Berklee lists Music Therapy as a Bachelor of Music major and says no professional diploma is offered for it. That shows that a school's named programme matters, but whether any programme meets AMTA approval or CBMT eligibility is something you confirm with those bodies, not with the school's marketing.

Example: United Kingdom

In the UK, the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) lists eight HCPC-approved music therapy courses, all at postgraduate level, with titles such as MA, MSc and Master of Music Therapy at institutions including Derby, Queen Margaret University, Guildhall/City, Nordoff Robbins, Roehampton, the University of the West of England, Anglia Ruskin and South Wales. BAMT's page says courses require a high level of musicianship; applicants with undergraduate degrees in other subjects, such as education or psychology, may be accepted if they show a high standard of musical performance; and interviews assess personality and suitability. Study modes differ by course: some are full time, some part time.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulates arts therapists among 15 professions it lists. Its standards-of-proficiency page for arts therapists includes standards for music therapists and states that professionals must meet all the standards of proficiency to register. The pages we reviewed do not themselves explain title protection, so confirm the legal position on the HCPC site before relying on it.

Other countries

Other national associations and credentials exist. We did not verify those systems for this guide, so we do not describe them here. Use the WFMT member list and your national association to find the right body, and confirm whether foreign study is recognised there.

Questions to ask before you apply

1. Which professional body governs the title or licence where I want to work, and what does it require?
2. Is this programme approved or recognised by that body, and in which country?
3. How many clinical hours and placements are included, and who arranges them?
4. Is there an entry audition or musicianship assessment, and what level is expected?
5. What is the programme's level (undergraduate, master's, equivalency)? Entry routes can be different for people holding other degrees.
6. Are there background checks, health checks or fitness-to-practise requirements?
7. Could online delivery affect placement or approval? See online music therapy programmes and online music study.
8. If I want to practise in a different country than I study in, how does that country treat foreign qualifications?

Costs and funding

Clinical placements and long programmes can add costs. See costs beyond tuition and scholarships and graduate funding. Funding rules for postgraduate courses differ by country.

Finding programmes on this site

Browse the online music therapy programmes listing and the master's directory. Each listing shows the school's wording and what we verified; it is not a statement that a programme is approved by any body. Our methodology explains this. For an overall approach, see choosing a music school and MM versus MA.