Music Therapy Equivalency

The Master of Music Therapy (MMT) Equivalency program at Loyola University New Orleans is ideal for students wishing to bridge the gap between a bachelors degree in music (but not music therapy) and professional music therapy pursuits. Students complete a year of full-time equivalency study on campus, then an internship, after which they take online graduate coursework and graduate with an MMT degree.

To be eligible to apply for the MMT Equivalency program, students must have earned a bachelor's degree in music. Specifically, students must have completed a minimum of 3 semesters each of music theory and music history, as well as at least 4 semesters each of private instruction on their major instrument/voice and a major ensemble. A student who has not completed these core undergraduate music major courses must either apply for the Bachelor of Music Therapy (BMT), a fully-on-campus program, or complete these requirements at Loyola or elsewhere before applying to the MMT equivalency program. Students applying for the equivalency program should also take at least three semesters of psychology as undergraduates, or they should complete appropriate undergraduate courses at Loyola during their year of equivalency work.

Music therapy equivalency coursework consists of two semesters of full-time on-campus study (fall and spring), each consisting of 4 academic courses and 2 field study courses. Music therapy field studies allows students to work with those individuals and demographics in need, under the direction of a Board-Certified Music Therapist.

Once the undergraduate music therapy core academic courses are completed, students complete a 1200 hour music therapy internship. This internship can be completed at any site in the U.S. that is on the American Music Therapy National Roster of Internship Programs or at a University Affiliated Internship site. After this time, students are eligible to take the Board Certification exam and can gain employment as a music therapist, but they do not earn a degree until they complete all requirements for the MMT, including a thesis or scholarly project.