MA Art Therapy

To apply for this course you are required to have completed an undergraduate degree, either:

• BA (Hons) Creative Expressive Arts, Health, and Wellbeing
• a degree in the visual arts, or
• an undergraduate degree in other related areas, such as psychology, occupational therapy, social work, and nursing and have a sound current folio of artwork, or 
• an equivalent professional qualification and extensive experience in a related field.

You will also need:

• around one year's full time (or equivalent) relevant work experience in a health and social care environment. This can be paid or voluntary and can include areas such as mental health, learning disabilities, older people, children who have experienced trauma, physical disabilities or working with asylum seekers. You may also have experience gained through caring responsibilities in your personal life. The more experience you have, the more prepared you'll be for the course
• you must demonstrate sufficient life experience, intellectual and emotional capacity to cope with the demands of the course and working in challenging situations. The training and personal therapy processes can be emotionally challenging
• a current and ongoing arts practice 
• if your first language is not English, you'll need to have achieved an IELTS of at least 7.0 with 6.5 in each skills area or equivalent
• experience of having undergone personal therapy is desirable (though not essential).

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

Choosing to study a postgraduate course is a positive investment in your future, but as with undergraduate courses, you should consider how you will pay for your studies and living costs.

The majority of students can apply for loans to help fund their studies. And depending on where you live and your circumstances, bursaries and scholarships might also be available.

Please visit https://www.derby.ac.uk/postgraduate/fees-and-finance/ for further details 

The course can lead you to a career in areas such as mental health, education, the prison service, social services and the voluntary sector, as well as in private practice (following gaining additional post training clinical experience), and increasingly, in business.

If you successfully complete the Masters degree in Art Therapy, you will be eligible to apply for professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as an art therapist or art psychotherapist, as long as you meet the HCPC’s requirements, and also for full membership of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT).

See our website for modules