Eastern Michigan University Bachelor of Music Therapy ranked in top 20 in U.S. for affordability

EMU Music Therapy Program boasts highest graduation rate on the list at 91.36%, and lowest attrition rate on the list at 4%; post-graduation employment rate of 96%

File photo of a students playing instruments in a circle in music therapy class
(File photo)

YPSILANTI — Eastern Michigan University’s Bachelor of Music Therapy has been ranked as one of the Top 20 Most Affordable Music Therapy Degrees in 2021 by Bestvalueschools.org, which rates various university programs throughout the country. The program ranked eighth on the list, making it the only university in Michigan to rank in the top 10. The recognition can be found in the 2021 rankings.

EMU provides $53 million a year in financial aid support and offers the Education First Opportunity Scholarship (EFOS) for academically qualified students with need, which covers students’ full tuition Pell Grants are factored. .

Believed to be one of the nation's most rigorous undergraduate programs in music therapy, and one of only two programs in Michigan, EMU’s music therapy graduates fill positions in hospitals, psychiatric units, school districts, hospices, community mental health settings and private practices. Many graduates go on to graduate school or obtain advanced practice certifications.

The curriculum includes four semesters of improvisation ensemble and six semesters of hands-on clinical fieldwork that is supervised weekly by a board-certified music therapist. The nationally-known program teaches students skills and training to help a variety of people with special needs. Studies in the program include coursework, performances and 1,200 hours of clinical training that makes students eligible to sit for the national Music Therapist board certification examination. The EMU Bachelor of Music Therapy program is fully approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA).

To compile the list, Bestvalueschools.org gathered data for the best colleges for music therapy programs from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and ranked them on a 100 point scale. The list includes schools that are affordable, accessible, and exhibit a good rate of graduation success.

Data collected for EMU’s program shows that the program has a 91.36% graduation rate (the highest on the list), only a 5% attrition rate (the lowest rate on the list), a post-graduation employment rate of 96% within six weeks of graduation, and a 100% pass rate of the Certification Board for Music Therapists Board Certification examination, which allows students to receive their Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC) credential.

For more information on the EMU Music Therapy program, visit the program homepage, the program website, or visit the program Facebook page.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 16,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.

September 08, 2021

Written by:
Morgan Mark

Media Contact:
Morgan Mark
mmark@emich.edu
734-487-4402