{"id":17728,"date":"2026-09-05T05:59:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/?page_id=17728---f2ecb4c0-0c27-46a6-9218-750833371cb6"},"modified":"2026-10-01T08:51:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T08:51:57","slug":"who-should-consider-a-post-masters-certificate-in-music-therapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/counseling-degrees\/who-should-consider-a-post-masters-certificate-in-music-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Should Consider a Post-Master\u2019s Certificate in Music Therapy?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As you explore your options for an education in the field of music therapy, you might find it puzzling how many levels of study there are. In addition to bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees, you will find certificate programs at both the post-baccalaureate and post-master\u2019s levels. While many of these programs have a broader audience, post-graduate certificate programs are a good option only for a specific population of students: practicing counselors and therapists.<\/p>\n<h2>The Intended Audience for Post-Graduate Music Therapy Studies<\/h2>\n<p>A post-graduate education is far from a requirement for practitioners in the field. In fact, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbmt.org\/about-certification\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Certification Board for Music Therapists<\/a> requires just a bachelor\u2019s degree for eligibility to pursue the Music Therapist \u2013 Board Certified (MT-BC) credential. You might wonder, then, why a student would choose to pursue not only a master\u2019s degree but also a post-graduate certificate. Generally, post-master\u2019s certificates in music therapy are designed for a specific audience: practicing counselors and therapists in general or specialized areas of mental health.<\/p>\n<p>Music therapy is one of the few areas of mental health treatment that does not require a graduate degree, although there has been some pressure to increase the minimum educational requirements to work in the field, the <a href=\"https:\/\/work.chron.com\/salary-music-therapist-masters-26271.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Houston Chronicle<\/a> reported. It&#8217;s no surprise, then, that established professionals in fields such as school counseling, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, marriage and family therapy and counseling psychology usually hold at least a master&#8217;s degree. A master\u2019s degree is the highest level of education reported for 93 percent of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onetonline.org\/link\/summary\/21-1012.00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">school counselors<\/a>,\u00a0 62 percent of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onetonline.org\/link\/summary\/21-1014.00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mental health counselors<\/a> and 30 percent of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onetonline.org\/link\/summary\/21-1012.00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">substance abuse counselors<\/a>. Graduate school is also mandatory for marriage and family therapists, and most counseling psychologists need a doctorate. It\u2019s because the student audience already has a graduate education under their belts, rather than because of any credentialing need or necessity for advanced coursework, that these programs of study are offered at the post-graduate level.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you don\u2019t yet have a master\u2019s degree in counseling, a post-baccalaureate certificate or a master\u2019s degree program in music therapy can help you become a music therapist. The American Music Therapy Association recognizes six educational paths into the career.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>The Goals of Completing a Post-Master\u2019s Certificate in Music Therapy<\/h2>\n<p>The students of a post-master\u2019s certificate program in music therapy typically have one of two goals. Sometimes they want to shift careers from a different type of counseling role to a music therapist position. However, music therapist jobs aren\u2019t nearly as plentiful as jobs in larger and more established counseling career fields. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbmt.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Certification Board for Music Therapists<\/a> recognizes just 8,383 music therapists who hold the MT-BC credential. In comparison, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics recognizes 304,500 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/community-and-social-service\/substance-abuse-behavioral-disorder-and-mental-health-counselors.htm#tab-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mental health and substance abuse counselors<\/a>, 55,300 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/community-and-social-service\/marriage-and-family-therapists.htm#tab-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marriage and family therapists <\/a>and 324,500 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/community-and-social-service\/school-and-career-counselors.htm#tab-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">school and career counselors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Who-Should-Consider-a-Post-Master\u2019s-Certificate-in-Music-Therapy.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17930\" src=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Who-Should-Consider-a-Post-Master\u2019s-Certificate-in-Music-Therapy.jpg\" alt=\"Who Should Consider a Post-Master\u2019s Certificate in Music Therapy?\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Who-Should-Consider-a-Post-Master\u2019s-Certificate-in-Music-Therapy.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Who-Should-Consider-a-Post-Master\u2019s-Certificate-in-Music-Therapy-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">IMAGE SOURCE: <a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/illustrations\/girl-violin-art-abstract-2431487\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pixabay<\/a>, public domain<\/p>\n<p>Rather than leaving the relative stability of these larger occupational groups, for a much smaller occupation, many of these counselors would rather learn how to integrate music therapy into their existing practices. They may work for community organizations and clinics, private behavioral health agencies or their own private practices, but they recognize the value that these additional types of therapeutic interventions would hold for their clients.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There\u2019s a considerable difference between a counselor encouraging a client to use music to cope \u2013 for example, by listening to soothing music to calm anxiety \u2013 and developing music-based activities as part of the client\u2019s treatment plan. <\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>A Post-Graduate Music Therapy Curriculum<\/h2>\n<p>Professional counselors are likely to already have a master\u2019s degree that covers the basics of clinical foundations and practices. Instead of rehashing what the student already knows about counseling theories and practices in general, a post-graduate certificate will usually focus on more specialized knowledge in music and in the clinical practice of music therapy. Students may study topics such as clinical musicianship and improvisation, musical analysis and the use of music therapy theories and methods with different client populations, including individuals and groups at all ages and stages of development. Post-master\u2019s certificate programs in music therapy are often lengthy, requiring three or more years of study, in part because of the demanding fieldwork requirements.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s beneficial for applicants to post-master\u2019s music therapy programs to have some background in music, even if they don\u2019t have a college degree in the subject. A musical audition is often part of the admissions requirements. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Additional Resources <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/counseling-degrees\/are-there-2-year-degrees-in-music-therapy-are-they-worth-getting\/\">Are There 2-Year Degrees in Music Therapy? Are They Worth Getting?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/counseling-degrees\/what-can-i-do-with-a-bachelors-degree-in-music-therapy\/\">What Can I Do With a Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Music Therapy?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/counseling-degrees\/should-i-get-a-masters-degree-in-music-therapy\/\">Should I Get a Master\u2019s Degree in Music Therapy?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.degreequery.com\/counseling-degrees\/will-a-ph-d-help-me-in-the-field-of-music-therapy\/\">Will a Ph.D. Help Me in the Field of Music Therapy?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As you explore your options for an education in the field of music therapy, you might find it puzzling how many levels of study [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":11583,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"mobius_hide_qdf":false,"mobius_hide_el":false,"mobius_limit":"","mobius_degree":"","mobius_category":"","mobius_subject":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17728","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Who Should Consider a Post-Master\u2019s Certificate in Music Therapy? 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