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Medical art therapist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a medical art therapist. Medical art therapists usually study nursing, management, or business. 82% of medical art therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 13 real medical art therapist resumes to see exactly what medical art therapist education sections show.

The most common colleges for medical art therapists are the Saint Louis University and the Saint Louis University.

There are also many online medical art therapist courses to help get the education required to be a medical art therapist.

What education do you need to become a medical art therapist?

What degree do you need to be a medical art therapist?

  • Bachelor's, 82%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Other Degrees, 9%

What should I major in to become a medical art therapist?

You should major in nursing to become a medical art therapist. 17% of medical art therapists major in nursing. Other common majors for a medical art therapist include management and business.

Most common colleges for medical art therapists

Medical art therapists often get their degrees at Saint Louis University, Florida Atlantic University, and SUNY College at Plattsburgh. Here are the most common colleges for medical art therapists in the US based on their resumes.
Medical art therapist common collegePercentages
Saint Louis University10.00%
Florida Atlantic University10.00%
SUNY College at Plattsburgh10.00%
Florida Gulf Coast University10.00%
University of Michigan Flint10.00%

Best majors for medical art therapists

RankMajorPercentages
1Nursing16.7%
2Management8.3%
3Business8.3%
4Fine Arts8.3%
5Physical Therapy8.3%

Best colleges for medical art therapists

The best colleges for medical art therapists are Northwestern University, New York University, and Boston University.

A medical 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 medical 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 medical art therapists.

1. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

3. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

4. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

5. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,230

Enrollment

12,161

7. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

20 best online courses for medical art therapists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for medical art therapists

The most affordable schools for medical art therapists are SUNY Farmingdale, brigham young university, and california state university - los angeles.

If the best universities for medical 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 medical art therapists.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

3. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

6. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for medical art therapists

The hardest universities for medical art therapists to get into are Northwestern University, New York University, and Boston University.

Some great schools for medical 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 medical 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. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

10. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for medical art therapists

The easiest schools for medical art therapists to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, d'youville college, and ottawa university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a medical 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 medical art therapists.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

8. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

9. Marymount University

Arlington, VA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,065

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average medical art therapist salary by education level

Medical art therapists with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $74,675 annually. With a Associate degree, medical art therapists earn a median annual income of $57,836 compared to $45,517 for medical art therapists with an High School Diploma degree.
Medical art therapist education levelMedical art therapist salary
High School Diploma or Less$45,517
Bachelor's Degree$74,675
Some College/ Associate Degree$57,836

Medical art therapist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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