Top 25 Affordable, Accredited Bachelor's in Music Therapy

Mississippi University for Women College of Arts, Sciences, and Education offers a Bachelor of Music with a Music Therapy Concentration. The program focuses on supporting each student in their personal and professional growth. Students will engage in class work and clinical practice experiences in the community and on campus both of which will promote the use of evidence-based interventions in the practice of music therapy. Graduates will be ready to earn the credential of Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC) and pursue careers in a variety of settings supporting the physical and mental health of diverse populations. Settings for future employment include: Medical Hospitals; Psychiatric Treatment Centers; Public and Private School Settings; Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers; and Community Counseling Clinics.

Courses include: Introduction to Music Therapy: Foundations; Introduction to Music Therapy: Populations; Clinical Skills; Psychology of Music; Music Therapy Research Methods; History of Music; Music Therapy Professional Skills; Improvisation Techniques; Music Therapy with Children; Music Therapy with Adults; Clinical Practicum; Music Therapy Principles; Music Therapy Internship; General Psychology; Human Growth and Development; Abnormal Psychology; and Medical Ethics.

• Cost: $18,155.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 98%
• Graduation Rate: 44%

A Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy is offered at Cal State Northridge. This undergraduate degree provides the curriculum and clinical training experiences designed to support successful completion of the national board exam that leads to the Music Therapist- Board Certified credential. Students in the program have the opportunity to work under the supervision of program faculty in the on campus Music Therapy Wellness Clinic and in community programs that have partnered with the Cal State Northridge to bring the benefits of music therapy to their clients.

Unique Feature: Cal State Northridge offers the community The Music Therapy Wellness Clinic. The Music Therapy Wellness Clinic provides services to children and adults in the community experiencing mental health and physical health challenges. The Music Therapy Wellness Clinic is also a teaching clinic for students in the Music Therapy Department.

• Cost: $18,755.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 58%
• Graduation Rate: 51%

Florida State University offers a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. The program works to provide a well rounded education and exposes students to training in clinical work, administration, and research, allowing students to graduate with the ability to pursue careers in the interest area and setting of their choice. Along with offering an undergraduate degree and equivalency program in music therapy the College of Music at Florida State University also offers a Medical Music Therapy program in partnership with Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. Graduates of this Music Therapy program will be prepared to take the national board certification examination and pursue credentialing as a Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC).

Courses include: Orientation to Music Therapy; Non-Verbal Communication; Arts in Medicine; Music Recreation Techniques; Singing for Music Therapy; Psychology of Music; Music Therapy; Anatomy for Music Therapy Practice; Clinical Internship; Abnormal Psychology; Human Exceptionality; and Music in Special Education.

• Cost: $18,786.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 49%
• Graduation Rate: 80%

A Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Music Therapy Emphasis is available at the University of Missouri- Kansas City. Students will learn to use the guitar, piano and their voice to support therapeutic interactions and interventions with clients in a clinical setting. Students will learn to work with diverse populations with varying emotional and physical health needs and challenges. Graduates are encouraged to become members of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and to pursue Board Certification in Music Therapy.

Courses include: Music Therapy Foundations; Music Therapy Ensemble and Improvisation Techniques; This is Your Brain on Music; Clinical Foundations; Clinical Skills Lab; Internship; Music in Therapy: Adults; Music in Therapy: Children; Psychological Foundations of Music; and General Psychology.

• Cost: $19,793.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 64%
• Graduation Rate: 48%

Purdue University Fort Wayne offers a Bachelor in Science in Music Therapy. Offered through the College of Visual and Performing Arts this Music Therapy Degree supports students in developing a strong foundation in music performance and theory. Students will learn to provide assessment, treatment, and interventions that promote positive outcomes. With the overall goal of promoting health and well being students will learn interventions and strategies to work with clients in settings such as hospitals, schools, and rehabilitation clinics. Clinical skill development with supportive supervision is available at the programs on-campus clinic as well as throughout the local community.

Courses include: Functional Music Skills; Music Therapy Observation Practicum; Music Therapy Practicum; Music Therapy in Healthcare settings; Administrative and Professional Issues in Music Therapy; Psychology of Music; Introduction to Music Therapy Research Methods; Clinical Process in Music Therapy; Theoretical Foundations in Music Therapy; Music Therapy Internship; Music and Exceptionality; and Music Therapy Upper Divisional Skills Examination.

• Cost: $20,005.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 94%
• Graduation Rate: 32%

A Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy is offered at Montclair State University. Students can select from a track in Guitar; Keyboard; Strings, Brass, Woodwind and Percussion; or Voice. The program works to train future professional music therapists to enhance the mental and physical health of children and adults. Graduates will have the skills to support clients in identifying, developing, and working towards goals, in whatever capacity they are interested in and capable of. The program works to bring in guest clinicians from around the country to share their experiences and provide learning opportunities for students.

Courses include: Introduction to Music Therapy; Therapy and Observation Skills for Music Therapy; Music Therapy with Children; Psychological Foundations of Music; Music Therapy Training Group; Music Therapy with Adults; Guided Imagery and Music; Internship in Music Therapy; Child Psychology; Psychology of Exceptional Children and Youth; Abnormal Psychology; The Biology of Human Life; and Introduction to Psychology.

• Cost: $20,567.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 71%
• Graduation Rate: 65%

Ohio University offers a Bachelor of Music with a Music Therapy Major. This program will be a good fit for students that want to use their musical abilities to support others in a therapeutic way. Along with coursework and research students will also engage in six semesters of a practicum experience. Students work closely with supervisors while engaged in the practicum to learn and strengthen clinical skills in rapport building, evaluation, and therapeutic interventions. Graduates will have the educational foundation and clinical experience to successfully pursue careers in the setting of their choice from medical and educational programs to private practice.

Courses include: Introduction to Music Therapy; Observation, Evaluation, and Research in Music Therapy; Music Therapy Second Year Practicum; Psychological Foundations of Music Therapy; Music Therapy Third Year Practicum; Music Therapy Principles and Techniques; Special Topics in Music Therapy; Internship in Music Therapy; and Music Therapy Fourth Year Practicum.

• Cost: $21,360.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 74%
• Graduation Rate: 64%

A Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy is offered at Utah State University. This undergraduate degree works to provide a well rounded curriculum to support students personal and professional growth as music therapists. The program offers a number of unique Music Therapy Behavioral Elective Courses including: Marriage and Family Relationships; Abuse and Neglect in Family Context; Neuroscience; Personality Theory; Psychology of Gender; and Social Inequality. The program reports that graduates have a pass rate of 100% on the national board certification examination. Perhaps even more importantly the program reports a 100% job placement rate for graduates as music therapists.

Courses include: Human Development Across the Lifespan; Fundamentals for Music Majors; Introduction to Music Therapy; Music Therapy Group Ensemble Facilitation; Music Therapy Treatment; Music Therapy with the Exceptional Child; Psychology of Music; Music Therapy with Adult Populations; Research in Music Therapy; Clinical and Professional Issues in Music Therapy; Internship in Music Therapy; General Psychology; and Abnormal Psychology.

• Cost: $21,520.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 89%
• Graduation Rate: 50%

Rowan University offers a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. One of many Bachelor of Music degrees offered through the Department of Music in the College of Performing Arts at Rowan University. The Department of Music is able to engaged faculty and talented students all of whom contribute to a creative and thriving culture. Program requirements are outlined to support the successful progression of each student throughout their time in this undergraduate program.

Courses include: Foundations of Music Therapy; Music Applications to Music Therapy; Therapeutic Principles; Essentials of Psychology; Abnormal Psychology; Developmental Psychopathology; Music Theory; Development of Musical Styles and Forms; Music in World Culture; Psychology of Music; Music Therapy Research Methods; and Residency in Music Therapy.

• Cost: $21,890.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 69%
• Graduation Rate: 69%

A Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy is available at Appalachian State University. The program focuses on training students to use their musical skills to provide therapeutic interventions for children and adults of all ages struggling with a variety of emotional and physical challenges. Graduates will have the professional theoretical understanding and clinical skills to successfully pursue credentialing as board-certified music therapists. This Music Therapy program reports a high employment rate for their graduates in schools, hospitals, and clinical settings across the country.

Courses include: Voice Class; Functional Guitar; Introduction to Music Therapy; Music Therapy Clinical Skills; Music in Special Education; Music, the Brain, and Neurological Disorders; Functional Piano; Functional Music Therapy Techniques; Developmental Music Therapy; Models of Music Therapy in Mental Health; Music Therapy Practice in Mental Health; Music Therapy Practicum; Piano Improvisation for Music Therapy; Clinical Group Improvisation; Music Therapy in Health Care; Clinical Research Project in Music Therapy; Internship in Music Therapy; Concepts in Human Anatomy and Physiology; Psychological Foundations; Psychology of Human Growth and Development; Abnormal Psychology; Research Methods in Psychology; and Reasoning with Statistics.

• Cost: $22,109.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 70%
• Graduation Rate: 73%

Radford University offers a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Music Therapy. Students will engage in coursework that provides a foundation in both music and the behavioral sciences. The field experiences offered sophomore through senior year provide clinical training to support the successful completion of a six-month internship. Internships are offered throughout the country at American Music Therapy Association approved sites and provide intensive clinical training under the direct supervision of a board-certified music therapist. Graduates will be prepared to pursue professional certification or engage in continued graduate study, and be leaders in the field of music therapy.

Courses include: Fundamentals of Music Therapy; Clinical Orientation to Music Therapy; Music with the Disabled; Influence of Music on Behavior; Clinical Orientation in Music Therapy; Methods and Materials in Music Therapy; Music in Therapy; Psychology of Music; Internship in Music Therapy; Functional Skill for Music Therapy.

• Cost: $22,709.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 74%
• Graduation Rate: 55%

A Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Music Therapy is available at East Carolina University. The program emphasizes the inclusion of performance in the curriculum to support the musical development of each student. Students have the opportunity to perform on campus along with traveling to other venues to perform. Major instrument options include guitar, keyboard, percussion, strings or wind, and voice. The coursework for the Music Therapy concentration is approved by the American Music Therapy Association and will prepare graduates to complete the national certification examination for Board Certified Music Therapists.

Courses include: Orientation to Therapy; Orientation to Therapy Practicum; Music Therapy: Introduction to Music Therapy; Music Therapy: The Influence of Music on Behavior; Music Therapy Practicum; Music for Group Activities; Psychological Foundations of Music; Music Therapy Practicum; Abnormal Psychology; and Introduction to Exceptional Children.

• Cost: $23,420.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 79%
• Graduation Rate: 62%

West Virginia University offers a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. This undergraduate degree provides clinical evidence-based training on the use of music for intervention with diverse populations of individuals across the lifespan. Coursework competencies are centered on: musical foundations; clinical foundations; and music therapy foundations. Students will learn to utilize their instruments and voice with an awareness and understanding of the principles of human development to support the therapeutic relationship and interventions. Graduates will be prepared to successfully complete the national examination leading to credentialing as a Music Therapist Board Certified.

Courses include: Introduction to Music Therapy; Clinical Foundations of Music Therapy; Music Therapy Interventions for Children; Music Therapy Interventions for Adults; Principles and Practice of Music Therapy; Psychological Foundation of Music; Evidence Based Practice in Music Therapy; Music Therapy Practicum; Clinical Internship; Introduction to Human Anatomy; Introduction to Psychology; Introduction to Human Development; Introduction to Abnormal Psychology; Human Diversity; and Special Education in Contemporary Society.

• Cost: $23,616.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 72%
• Graduation Rate: 57%

A Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy is available at Charleston Southern University. As an American Music Therapy Association approved program graduates will be prepared to complete the national examination for certification as a Board Certified Music Therapist. Once students complete the programs third Music Therapy Clinical Experience they will be awarded advanced standing as they work towards completion of the program. As a Christian University, Charleston Southern University works to promote academic success in a Christian Environment.

Courses include: Guitar Proficiency, Voice Proficiency for Music Therapy; Piano Proficiency; Advanced Standing in Music Therapy; Introduction to Music Therapy; Behavior Modification in Music Therapy; Fundamentals of Music Activities; Class Instruction in Voice; World percussion and Hand Drumming; Elementary Conduction; Communication in Music Therapy and Music Education; Music Therapy Methods; Music History and Literature; Psychology of Music; The Influence of Music on Behavior; Professional development in Music Therapy; Music Therapy Internship; and Introduction to Psychopathology.

• Cost: $24,820.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 56%
• Graduation Rate: 35%

Florida Gulf Coast University offers a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. The Bower School of Music and the Arts is able to provide scholarships to qualified applicants. Scholarships can include full or partial tuition as well as full or partial housing and even stipends towards meals. The audition for acceptance into the Bower School of Music is also the audition for eligibility for possible scholarships. The program offers a number of unique electives for students to select from including: Introduction to Criminal Justice; Introduction to Forensic Studies; Introduction to Diversity for Education; Young Children with Special Needs; Aging and Human Performance; Impacts of Substance Abuse; Disease, Impairment and Function; and Introduction to Gender Studies.

Courses include: Introduction to Conducting; Survey of Music History; Ensemble; Recital Attendance; Introduction to Music Therapy; Music Foundations; Orientation to Practice; Music Therapy Competencies; Clinical Foundations; Music Therapy Practicum; Music Therapy Internship; Class Guitar; and Class Voice.

• Cost: $25,162.00
• Percent of Applicants Admitted: 64%
• Graduation Rate: 48%