Welcome! The Music Therapy Program of the School of Music offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in music therapy. Our program has been providing academic and practicum training for music therapists for over 30 years, and our students are employed around the world in hospitals, assisted living centers, clinics, schools, community treatment, and private practice.
Undergraduate Degree The B.M. in Music Therapy degree offers excellent job opportunities in a profession which combines the beauty and power of music, a desire to work with people with special needs, and a life of satisfaction and growth that comes from helping others through music. The field of music therapy is a vibrant and growing profession–we hope you will be a part of it.
A six-month internship is required which follows coursework and four semesters of hands-on practicum experience with different populations (such as special education, gerontology, mental health, and medical care). (Music Therapy Majors are welcome to participate in Graduation ceremonies prior to Internship; the degree will be conferred following Internship.)
Graduate Degrees ECU offers two graduate music therapy degrees. The Master of Music in Music Therapy, Option A, provides advanced training for the student who has already earned an undergraduate Music Therapy degree and completed the six-month internship. Coursework includes two Seminars, two Advanced Clinical Practica, Research, other studies in music, and a Thesis in an area of music therapy research for a total of 30 s.h.
The Master of Music in Music Therapy, Option B, provides entry-level undergraduate music therapy courses, a six-month internship, graduate music courses and electives (see above), and the Thesis. Four semesters of hands-on practicum experience with different populations (such as special education, gerontology, mental health, and medical care) are integrated with undergraduate coursework, and help you to select an internship to complete your clinical training. Graduate Seminars, Advanced Clinical Training, and the Thesis follow the internship.
Graduate assistantships are available within the Music Therapy area, and are competitive. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapy.
A third graduate degree is available, the M.M. in Music Education, Option B – Music Therapy, which combines graduate music education courses (on-line), graduate music courses, undergraduate music therapy courses, and a six-month internship. This is for the student with an interest in both music education and music therapy; it does not confer teacher licensure. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapy.
Graduate Admission Requirements A resume, a letter of intent, a portfolio of pre-professional activities, and an example of your creative and scholarly work are required for admission, along with the requirements for admission to the School of Music Graduate Program (please see the ECU Graduate Catalog). An Audition is not required for graduate music therapy applicants, but some students elect to audition in order to study their major instrument (an optional benefit in the degree program).
American Music Therapy Association The ECU chapter of AMTAS (American Music Therapy Association for Students) is an active pre-professional group through which you may attend conferences, develop leadership through community service and advocacy, and enjoy getting to know life-long friends in your chosen area of study. Graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification exam administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapy.
Please contact us to schedule a phone conversation or visit in the near future.
Interested in the degree check sheets? Visit the School of Music undergraduate check sheet page for the appropriate check sheet you need. Graduate students:
view the MM in Music Education/Therapy check sheet.
For more information, contact: Barbara C. Memory, Ph.D., MT-BC [
e-mail]
(Music Therapist – Board Certified)
Associate Professor and Director of Music Therapy
102 A.J. Fletcher Music Center
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
