Music Therapy

If you want to combine your love of music with the love of helping others, Montclair State University’s Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy will prepare you for a meaningful career in healthcare, education or community settings. With access to the David Ott Lab for Music and Health, you will learn about the role of digital music in health-promoting practice and research.

Approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), this 4½-year program blends music, psychology and clinical training with extensive performance study on your primary instrument. In addition to coursework, you’ll complete a supervised internship. These placements, some offering stipends or housing, provide the hands-on experience and mentorship you need to refine your clinical skills before entering the profession.

Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the Music Therapist–Board Certified (MT-BC) exam, opening doors to careers in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, nursing care and private practice. 

Program Highlights

• AMTA-approved program established in 1969
• Combines music, psychology and clinical training
• 4-year program with final year as a 1,020-hour, supervised internship at one of more than 150 sites nationwide
• Experienced faculty and strong academic advising
• Pathway to Music Therapist–Board Certified (MT-BC) credential
• Access to the David Ott Lab for Music and Health, an innovative space for research and education on the role of digital music technologies in the promotion of human wellbeing in its various forms.

Primary Instrument Areas

• Guitar
• Keyboard
• Strings, Brass, Woodwind, and Percussion
• Voice

See the curriculum.