TWU Music Therapy Equivalencies and Transfer Student Information

Equivalency Only Program

Students holding a bachelor’s degree in music from an accredited school may opt to complete an equivalency program to become music therapists without seeking the master’s degree. This program requires students to complete all coursework in the undergraduate degree, including a 6-month internship. Coursework completed previously does not need to be repeated unless competency in specific areas (e.g., applied music, voice, keyboard, music theory and music history) has not been maintained. Competency is established through the successful completion of examinations. Individualized equivalency plans are devised for each student based on previous coursework and competency levels. Students whose bachelor’s degree is not in music will be required to complete a second bachelor’s degree. Relevant coursework taken previously need not be repeated if competency has been maintained (e.g., applied music, music theory, music history, voice, and keyboard).

Degree plan for the BS in Music Therapy

Graduate Equivalency Program

A student who has completed a bachelor’s degree with a major in music from an accredited school can apply for the graduate equivalency program to become a music therapist and complete a master’s degree. In this program students complete all the undergraduate coursework they have not already taken as well as all the AMTA competencies and the clinical internship (about 50 semester hours) in addition to the 36-hour master’s degree program. These programs are completed concurrently intertwining graduate and undergraduate coursework as appropriate for the course sequence. The six-month music therapy internship must be completed a minimum of one semester prior to graduation because the graduate practicum must be scheduled after the internship. This graduate equivalency program generally takes about 3 years. Undergraduate coursework is offered during the day throughout the week (M-Th) while much of the graduate coursework is offered in the evenings.

Degree plan for the Master of Music Therapy

Transfer Students

Students interested in transferring from community colleges should refer to the Transfer Equivalency Guide for more information about which courses are required within the Texas Core Curriculum in order to avoid taking courses that may not count in the undergraduate music therapy degree. Transfer students should plan to enter TWU as sophomores, rather than waiting until they have an associate’s degree, because the correct course sequence takes a minimum of five semesters (not including summers), followed by a 6-month internship.

Questions?

For more information about our undergraduate music therapy program, submit an Information Request Form or contact Della Molloy-Daugherty.