Music Therapy MA

Qualify to work as a music therapist in the UK and overseas on this accredited Masters degree in music therapy. Study in a centre of world-leading research and gain experience on clinical placements.

We have been training music therapists since 1994 and were the first UK university to establish a music therapy Masters degree. We work closely with colleagues at the internationally renowned Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research.

We earned the Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2021 for our music therapy research, receiving particular recognition for our focus on the wellbeing of people living with dementia.

We welcome applications from people with relevant musical skills and appropriate clinical experience.

Supported by experts, you’ll gain a strong foundation in the principles and practice of music therapy, underpinned by the latest research and evidence base.

Our MA Music Therapy is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council, so when you graduate you’ll be eligible to register with the HCPC – a legal requirement for your future career as a practising music therapist in the UK.

ARU has been ranked in the top 20% of universities in the world for Good Health and Wellbeing in the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings.

100% overall satisfaction: our course received the highest possible score for student satisfaction in the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2022 (fewer than 20 respondents).

Studying our full-time two-year Masters in Music Therapy will show you how you can use your musical skills to support the health and well-being of patients and clients.

We’ll introduce you to the most recent, effective music therapy approaches, which you can try out in clinical placements in locations such as schools, hospitals and other community settings.

You’ll be supervised by qualified music therapists, gaining invaluable experience of working in a multidisciplinary team and preparation for your future career.

At ARU, you’ll be taught in our purpose-designed music therapy centre and have access to a wide range of musical instruments, recording equipment and suite of computer music studios.

Our experiential teaching includes developing your improvisation skills, focused work on your first instrument, and using keyboard, single line instrument and voice. You’ll also study music therapy theory and links to practice.

You’ll have the opportunity to enrich your learning by working alongside our MA Dramatherapy students on some shared modules.

There are just 15 places available on our Masters in Music Therapy, so you’ll learn as part of a small group and benefit from valuable placement opportunities. Places are filled in order of acceptance after which, if your application is successful, you will be offered a place on a waiting list.

The impact of our Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies research was judged as "world-leading" in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF2021).

Teaching times 2023-24 (subject to change for 2024-5): Year 1 - Mondays 9am-4pm; Tuesdays 9am-6.30pm; Wednesdays 9am-4pm (Tri 1 only); Placement two days a week (some weeks only). Year 2 - Mondays 9am-6.30pm; Placement one to two days a week.

Careers

When you graduate, you will be eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council. Registration is a legal requirement for practising music therapists in the UK and valued increasingly in other countries.

As a qualified music therapist you’ll be able to work in the NHS, hospices, social services, education and the voluntary sector. You can also work privately or as a freelance with clients including adults and children with learning difficulties, mental health needs, or with communities such as refugees or the homeless.

ARU’s links with the British Association for Music Therapy and our International Research Consortium will help you make contacts and gain employment and research opportunities.