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Expressive art therapist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an expressive art therapist. Expressive art therapists usually study rehabilitation science, psychology, or fine arts. 55% of expressive art therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 36% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 143 real expressive art therapist resumes to see exactly what expressive art therapist education sections show.
The most common colleges for expressive art therapists are the California Institute of Integral Studies and the California Institute of Integral Studies.
There are also many online expressive art therapist courses to help get the education required to be an expressive art therapist.
What education do you need to become an expressive art therapist?
What degree do you need to be an expressive art therapist?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 36%
- Doctorate, 4%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become an expressive art therapist?
- Psychology, 19%
- Fine Arts, 9%
- Physical Therapy, 7%
- Other Majors, 34%
Most common colleges for expressive art therapists
| Expressive art therapist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| California Institute of Integral Studies | 14.29% |
| Lesley University | 11.90% |
| Radford University | 7.14% |
| Pratt Institute | 7.14% |
| Ottawa University | 4.76% |
Best majors for expressive art therapists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rehabilitation Science | 30.9% |
| 2 | Psychology | 18.6% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 9.3% |
| 4 | Physical Therapy | 7.2% |
| 5 | Counseling Psychology | 7.2% |
Best colleges for expressive art therapists
The best colleges for expressive art therapists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
An expressive art therapist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for expressive art therapists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become expressive art therapists.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Enrollment
31,503
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Enrollment
16,205
4. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
8. SUNY at Albany
Albany, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,011
Enrollment
13,434
9. San Jose State University
San Jose, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,796
Enrollment
27,125
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
20 best online courses for expressive art therapists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for expressive art therapists
The most affordable schools for expressive art therapists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and university of florida.
If the best universities for expressive art therapists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for expressive art therapists.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for expressive art therapists
The hardest universities for expressive art therapists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for expressive art therapists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for expressive art therapists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
5. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
6. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
8. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
9. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
10. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for expressive art therapists
The easiest schools for expressive art therapists to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an expressive art therapist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for expressive art therapists.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
7. Marymount University
Arlington, VA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,065
8. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
9. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
10. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
Average expressive art therapist salary by education level
| Expressive art therapist education level | Expressive art therapist salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,840 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $54,586 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $47,585 |
Expressive art therapist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common healthcare practitioner and technical questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025