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MA

Music Therapy

Empowering students to recognise the approaches which resonate with them and is meaningful in the context of their lives and experiences.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Newport

  • Campus Code

    C

Fees

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Our MA Music Therapy training is the only blended learning course running in the UK. It is designed to be accessible and broaden access to the Music Therapy profession. We want to support you to develop into the Music Therapist that is the right fit for you and your clients.

DESIGNED FOR

This innovative, blended MA Music Therapy is accessible to musicians from a range of backgrounds who wish to pursue this career path alongside portfolio careers, performance commitments or caring responsibilities.

Career Paths

  • Music Therapist
  • School’s Counselling Service
  • Mental Health Practitioner
  • Researcher
  • Business Owner / Entrepreneur

Skills Taught

  • Therapeutic Improvisation
  • Clinical Reasoning
  • Critical Thinking
  • Employability
  • Collaborative Working

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

A student with shoulder-length bright pink hair listens intently to a fellow student while taking notes in a practice counselling session
A music therapy student concentrates while playing an old looking double bass in front of a white wall in a classroom at the Newport campus
A group of students are gathered around a sensory board containing sand and natural items like pinecones and wood in a therapeutic play classroom at USW

Course Highlights

Widening Access to the Profession

At USW we are committed to widening access to the profession and inclusive, accessible practice is at the heart of all we do.

Developing Your Therapeutic Identity

At USW we don’t teach one specific orientation of music therapy but support you to develop your own therapeutic identity.

Learning Through Real World Scenarios

We use real world issues and case studies to support your learning how to find the best way to work with your clients.

Preparing for Professional Practice and Employability

From the outset, we prioritise employability and the necessary skills and graduate attributes to enable you to pursue the career path that you’re passionate about.

Module Overview

The first year of study introduces students to models of engaging with wellbeing through music, before moving into an exploration of a range of models of music therapy and fundamental aspects of therapeutic process. Clinical improvisation skills are developed before engaging in a dedicated module to develop professional skills towards the placement experiences.

Health Promotion Through Music
During this module, students will learn about preventative approaches to exploring wellbeing through music. They will design, deliver and evaluate and arts in health project in their local community.

The Therapeutic Relationship in Music Therapy
This module introduces a range of models of music therapy and fundamental aspects of therapeutic process. Students will develop their clinical improvisation skills in applied and active learning.

 

Developing Professional Practice in Music Therapy
Students will develop the professional skills required for music therapy placements, including engagement with professional standards, risk assessment and safeguarding. They will shadow a music therapist for a minimum of 2 days, reflecting on these visits.

The second year of study involves a twenty-week placement which is embedded in the Professional Practice in Music Therapy 1 module, supported by the problem-based learning approaches included in the Clinical Reasoning Skills module. Students engage in the Contemporary Music Therapy Skills module to enhance their repertoire of musical techniques and methods to work with clients in music therapy practice.

Contemporary Music Therapy Skills  

This module builds on students’ clinical improvisation skills and introduces contemporary methods utilised in the profession, such as receptive music therapy, songwriting, use of technology and more.

Clinical Reasoning Skills

This module enables students to develop skills they will need to respond to clinical cases they are engaging with on placement. Students will work collaboratively and inter-professionally to expand their knowledge and understanding.  

Professional Practice in Music Therapy 1

Students will engage in a twenty week placement where they develop their own clinical practice while engaging in clinical supervision and reflective practice. This is an opportunity to apply the learning from the course and develop students’ therapeutic identity.

The third year involves a second, twenty-week placement in a contrasting context with increased complexity. Students will also develop research skills of relevance and of interest to their evolving therapeutic identity. The year concludes with students engaging in advanced music therapy skills and consider how to develop employability skills post-qualifying.   

Developing Research Skills in Music Therapy

Students will develop research skills of relevance and interest to their practice through the construction of a detailed research proposal and ethics application.  

Professional Practice in Music Therapy 2

Students will engage in a second twenty-week placement of increasing complexity where they develop their own clinical practice while engaging in clinical supervision and reflective practice.   

Advanced Music Therapy Skills and Employability

This module will offer perspectives on advanced practice in music therapy to further develop their clinical skills. They will receive a Level 3 safeguarding training to further ensure readiness for work and will use challenge-based learning principles to enhance their employability. 

Accredited by HCPC

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

The demands of the Music Therapy course and the Music Therapy profession require you to demonstrate a suitable level of life experience and maturity.

You will usually require an undergraduate degree in a relevant field of study, an equivalent professional qualification, or extensive experience in a related field, plus evidence of substantial experience of musical practice, including exposure to and skill in utilising a variety of styles of music. We have a widening of access agenda that means we can map experiences against entry requirements if you do not have an undergraduate degree – we welcome conversations about this entry pathway.

Applicants must be able to perform on their main instrument or voice to a high standard. You need not have completed any formal examinations on your instrument(s). The reading of musical notation is not a requirement on this training. We value lived experience, musicality and diverse musical experiences on this training, recognising that there will be many musicians from eclectic backgrounds who will bring richness and insight to the profession and workforce.

 2025 intake interview dates:

  • 12 February 2025
  • 25 March 2025
  • 6 May 2025
  • 3 June 2025
  • 14 July 2025
  • 18 August 2025

Additional requirements include:

You will need to upload 2 references with your application, one of which should be academic, if possible, with the other relating to your musical experiences. The reference must be on letter headed paper or the referee can send it directly from a professional/work email address to [email protected].

You will also need to upload film of you performing with your application. We would like to see a current musical snapshot of you. Youtube films, audio recordings, filmed performances of any kind will be welcomed. It is important that we can clearly hear your part if it is a group/band performance.  You should demonstrate that you have at least one main instrument and at least one other on which you are competent. Ideally, we would like to see some evidence of skill on an accompanying instrument such as guitar or other similar stringed instrument, and keyboard/piano, if one of these is not your main instrument. Use of voice is also important in music therapy, so please feel welcome to share any examples of using your voice musically. This need not be formal or classical singing.

Through your application and at interview, we will be looking for significant practical experience (voluntary or paid) in a relevant setting, or with clients or service users, to demonstrate that you are receptive to working with a range of client groups. This could include personal or professional experiences and may or may not include working musically. Please be prepared to discuss examples at interview of your experiences of connecting with others.

An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check on the Child & Adult Workforce and Child & Adult Barring List and subscription to the DBS Update Service is required. (Overseas equivalent required for non-uk applicants).

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

Further Information

2025/26 UK Part-time fee: £1,850 per 20 credits*

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

 Students will be expected to pay for a DBS or certificate of good behaviour from their home country. The DBS fee includes £49.50 for the enhanced DBS certificate, the Post Office Administration fee and the online administration fee

Cost: £64.74

Subscription required for each year of the course for a yearly fee of £16. Please note the service has to be joined within 30 days of receipt of your enhanced DBS certificate

Cost: £16

Students must ensure that they have professional indemnity insurance in place for the duration of their studies.

Cost: £45 -£75 per year

Cost will be dependent on location of placement and travel options

The total cost of this will be in the region of £200-£500 per academic year.

Cost is per session for a minimum of 10 sessions per academic year

Our professional body (British Association for Music Therapy) offers a student rate which enables you to access this valuable professional network and associated opportunities.

Cost: £55

You will need access to a camera or device to record your work on placement. This can be loaned, rented or bought and some settings may have equipment you can borrow/use. Cost varies.

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

The MA Music Therapy course is delivered as a blended learning curriculum. This means that you will be on campus approximately every fortnight for a day packed full of practical activities and discussions. Material will is provided online in a range of formats, and  you will need to engage with in advance of the on-campus days.

Assessments are varied in type, with some offering a student choice of assignment so that you can choose the one best suited to your preferred submission style. We have some written essays, presentations, practical musical assessments and portfolios of evidence of your learning.  

Teaching Staff

All core teaching staff are HCPC registered Music Therapists: 

  • Dr Liz Coombes, Course Leader, specialises in challenge based learning and professional practice. 
  • Dr Beth Pickard, Senior Lecturer, is an expert in disability studies and anti-oppressive practice. 

We also have a range of guest speakers and lecturers to ensure our students are able to benefit from a wide range of experiences from the UK and beyond.

Placements

Work placements take place in each academic year of study. In Year 1, as well as an arts in  health project, there will be contextual visits to music therapists so that students understand how  music therapy works in various settings.  In Years 2 and 3 students will deliver supervised music therapy work to a range of client groups. Placements are quality assured by our placement department to  ensure relevant policies are in place and the placement can provide what is needed for our students. 

Facilities

We have two dedicated, dual-purpose music therapy spaces at USW Newport Campus, where students have access to a wide range of instruments including multiple pianos, guitars, tune and untuned percussion. Some of the whole group teaching happens in nearby teaching spaces, and practical, role play or break out activities are often held in the dedicated music therapy spaces. Students have access to the physical library on campus as well as all of its digital resources. The course works closely with USW Study Skills to induct students into this service which the course thoroughly recommends that students engage with during their studies.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Once graduated from this course students are eligible to apply to the HCPC for registration as a music therapist. This opens a range of possible careers.  We have very high levels of graduate employment from our course, with USW alumni working in schools, NHS, charities, project-based work for local authorities as well setting up their own businesses.  

There are opportunities all over the UK music therapy work, so whether you want to stay local to where you currently live or venture into a different part of the UK, the world is your oyster.

Possible career paths

Students progress into a wide range of roles and career trajectories following their studies at USW. Recent graduates have progressed to PhD study, to set up their own businesses, to local, national and international music therapy posts, to work for charities or organisations or to create roles within other organisations. Some students conduct music therapy related practice within other roles such as school-based counselling services, mental health practitioners, wellbeing practitioners. Some combine arts in health practice, music therapy and performance in a successful portfolio career. 

Careers support

The course team engage with the USW Careers and Enterprise teams to ensure students are equipped with the necessary skills to launch their professional careers, whether through application and interview preparation, applying for business funding or setting up as a freelancer. Alumni of the programme as well as local and national colleagues also support students to develop a holistic understanding of employability and entrepreneurial considerations within the profession.

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Life at USW

Halls are a big part of your student experience and there’s accommodation at all three of our locations. If you don’t want to live near the campus, there are great transport links to keep you connected.

A student sat smiling and talking to friends off camera in Treforest Student's Union
Student Life
University of South Wales Newport Campus.
Newport Campus
A double room at our Pontypridd accommodation featuring a large window.
Accommodation

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

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