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Music therapy specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a music therapy specialist. Music therapy specialists usually study music, general education, specific areas, or education. 71% of music therapy specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 692 real music therapy specialist resumes to see exactly what music therapy specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for music therapy specialists are the Berklee College of Music and the Berklee College of Music.
There are also many online music therapy specialist courses to help get the education required to be a music therapy specialist.
What education do you need to become a music therapy specialist?
What degree do you need to be a music therapy specialist?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 5%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a music therapy specialist?
Most common colleges for music therapy specialists
| Music therapy specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Berklee College of Music | 9.20% |
| New York University | 8.05% |
| University of South Florida | 6.90% |
| University of Southern California | 6.90% |
| University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point | 5.75% |
Best majors for music therapy specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 30.5% |
| 2 | General Education, Specific Areas | 27.1% |
| 3 | Education | 9.9% |
| 4 | Elementary Education | 4.1% |
| 5 | Rehabilitation Science | 2.9% |
Best colleges for music therapy specialists
The best colleges for music therapy specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
A music therapy specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for music therapy specialists. 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 music therapy specialists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for music therapy specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 1 - How To Read Music
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Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
11. Game Music Composition: Make Music For Games From Scratch
Learn to compose music for any and every type of video game, from complete beginner to competent game music composer...
12. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 10, 11, & 12
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
13. Music Theory for Electronic Producers - The Complete Course!
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17. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete! (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
A Complete College-Level Music Theory Curriculum. This edition of the course includes levels 1, 2, & 3...
18. Music Composition with the Piano: Ultimate Keyboard Theory
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19. Music Production II - Music Production Workflow - COMPLETE!!
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20. Producing Music with Reason
Everything you need to know to get started producing great music with Propellerhead Reason...
Top 10 most affordable universities for music therapy specialists
The most affordable schools for music therapy specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for music therapy specialists 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 music therapy specialists.
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
5. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
6. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for music therapy specialists
The hardest universities for music therapy specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for music therapy specialists 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 music therapy specialists 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. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for music therapy specialists
The easiest schools for music therapy specialists to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a music therapy specialist 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 music therapy specialists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
6. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
7. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
Average music therapy specialist salary by education level
| Music therapy specialist education level | Music therapy specialist salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $41,146 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $53,392 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $46,674 |
Music therapy specialist 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