Music therapy is defined broadly as the use of music in the treatment of people of all ages who have problems of a mental, physical, and/or emotional nature. Because of the large variety of problems clients experience and the breadth of possible uses of music, the profession of music therapy encourages specialization at the graduate level in both music therapy practice and training. NYU Steinhardt offers a Master of Arts Degree in Music Therapy. The music therapy program is approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and upon graduation qualifies a student to apply for national certification in music therapy (MT-BC). The program is approved by the New York State Education Department and qualifies the student for licensure in Creative Arts Therapy (LCAT) after graduation and 1500 hours of post graduate supervised practice.
The music therapy program attracts students from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds to study and apprentice with leading professionals in music psychotherapy. Classes are small, and students are encouraged to develop their particular specialization in music psychotherapy during the program. At the core of our program is clinical training: the New York metropolitan area offers rich opportunities for clinical observation and internships in facilities such as medical and psychiatric hospitals, prisons, schools and centers for special needs children, rehabilitation centers, and treatment centers for the homeless, elderly, and terminally ill, among others.