Play therapist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a play therapist. Play therapists usually study psychology, social work, or human development. 58% of play therapists hold a bachelor's degree, and 30% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 274 real play therapist resumes to see exactly what play therapist education sections show.

The most common colleges for play therapists are the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh.

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

What education do you need to become a play therapist?

What degree do you need to be a play therapist?

The most common degree for play therapists is bachelor's degree, with 58% of play therapists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 30% and master's degree degree at 8%.

Bachelor's, 58%

Master's, 30%

Associate, 8%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a play therapist?

You should major in psychology to become a play therapist. 27% of play therapists major in psychology. Other common majors for a play therapist include social work and human development.

Psychology, 27%

Social Work, 12%

Human Development, 9%

Counseling Psychology, 7%

Other Majors, 45%

Most common colleges for play therapists

Play therapists often get their degrees at University of Pittsburgh, Texas A&M; University, and Georgia State University. Here are the most common colleges for play therapists in the US based on their resumes.

Play therapist common college	Percentages
University of Pittsburgh	8.33%
Texas A&M University	6.25%
Georgia State University	6.25%
Argosy University	6.25%
University of North Texas	6.25%

Show more common play therapist colleges

Best majors for play therapists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	27.5%
2	Social Work	11.5%
3	Human Development	8.8%
4	Counseling Psychology	6.6%
5	School Counseling	6.0%

Show more common play therapist majors

Best colleges for play therapists

The best colleges for play therapists are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A play 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 play 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 play therapists.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Enrollment

16,205

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

10. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

20 best online courses for play therapists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for play therapists

The most affordable schools for play therapists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for play 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 play 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. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

5. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

10. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for play therapists

The hardest universities for play therapists to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for play 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 play 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

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

SAT average

1,512

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for play therapists

The easiest schools for play 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 a play 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 play 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. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

6. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

7. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

8. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

9. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average play therapist salary by education level

According to our data, play therapists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $94,464 annually. Play therapists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $87,798.

Play therapist education level	Play therapist salary
Master's Degree	$94,464
Bachelor's Degree	$87,798

Play therapist education FAQs

What is the best college for Play Therapists?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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