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2026-2027 Graduate Catalog
Music Therapy (MMT)
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The Master of Music Therapy program at Purdue Fort Wayne offers an immersive degree designed to broaden your understanding of music as a clinical, evidence-based treatment. Here, you will dive deep into theory and research, and learn to transfer academic concepts into advanced, evidence-based clinical practice. Through coursework that challenges you to engage in rigorous self-inquiry, you will sharpen your professional identity and clinical intuition needed for advanced practice. You will do this alongside a dedicated cohort, building a lifelong community of peers who will support you long after graduation. Most importantly, you will elevate the care you provide. By mastering nuanced, culturally sensitive techniques, you will better serve your clients while finding renewed satisfaction and fulfillment in your work.
Admission Requirements
After meeting general requirements for admission to the PFW Graduate School, applicants for this program must meet the following requirements:
- Completion of an undergraduate degree in music, or a closely related field with a music minor of 18 credits or more
- Submission of an application essay to demonstrate written communication skill
- Successfully pass a functional music skills audition, including performance on a primary instrument or voice, and demonstration of functional guitar, keyboard, and vocal skills at professional entry-level competency as defined by AMTA
- Successfully complete an interview with music therapy graduate faculty to assess verbal communication skills, social interaction skills, and understanding of the program demands
- For applicants without an undergraduate degree in music therapy, a minimum of 15 credits of undergraduate course work in human and social sciences, including courses in elementary psychology, abnormal psychology, and human biology
- The required undergraduate GPA for an applicant with no previous graduate study is 2.8 (A=4) The required GPA for applicants with previous graduate study is 3.0 (A = 4)
- Two thirds of the required course work credit must be completed in residence, including a minimum of 3 credits in research, the Advanced Practice courses, and the thesis or clinical project.
- Up to 12 graduate transfer credit hours from other institutions is applicable to this degree program’s requirements after acceptance of the credits by the Graduate School and subsequent review by the student’s academic advisor to verify that curricular content is parallel to that of required PFW course work. Exceptions to acceptance of transfer credit are those courses noted above.
- The minimum number of semester credit hours required beyond the baccalaureate for this degree program is 32 semester hour credits for the MMT degree, or 40 semester hour credits for the MMT degree with equivalency.
Degree Requirements
Students will be required to attain a minimum grade of B- in all coursework, and a minimum grade point average of 3.0 for successful completion of degree requirements and conferral of the MMT degree. One must also complete background checks, meet medical vaccination and testing requirements, and may need to meet other community agency requirements for placement in order to complete clinical practice and internship courses for this degree program.
Accreditation
Purdue University Fort Wayne is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the American Music Therapy Association.
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College Scorecard
The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs. The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings. Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program. That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?151102-Purdue-University-Fort-Wayne&fos_code=5123&fos_credential=5 Program Requirements: Credits 32
The Master of Music Therapy (MMT) program academically and clinically prepares professional music therapists who wish to expand their clinical music therapy skills to an advanced level. In addition, the program will also serve the student without an undergraduate degree in music therapy by academically and clinically preparing them for board certification as a music therapist through the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) and entry into the healthcare field as a clinical music therapist with advanced level clinical skills. To this end, specific objectives for the program include: the development of professional and advanced levels of competency, as defined by the American Music Therapy Association, Inc., in the assessment, treatment and evaluation of infants, children, adolescents, and adults in music therapy within a healthcare context; the development of advanced level clinical skills in a specialied curriculum area; and, the acquisition of knowledge of current research literature in music therapy and related fields and of skill in clinically-based research. The primary objective of this degree program is the development of depth and breadth beyond entry-level competency into the profession. This will be achieved through several pathways: - A deep dive into theory and research related to clinical practice;
- Extensive use of the most current professional research and clinical literature in music therapy and related areas of practice;
- The application of theory, research and literature to actual clinical practice in a variety of settings.
Core Curriculum: Credits 22
Requirements for students with a completed undergraduate degree in music therapy, MT-BC credential, or the completion of the MT internship for Equivalency students. Specialized Curriculum: Credits 10
We champion a personalized approach to graduate study. We empower our students to shape their own professional trajectory by selecting specialized coursework that directly aligns with their career goals. To complete the MMT, students curate ten credit hours of advanced music therapy or cognate courses, tailored specifically to their interests and approved by the Director of Music Therapy. Ten credit hours of a specialized curriculum in advanced music therapy courses or cognate areas as approved by the director of music therapy. Examples are provided below: Requirements for those without an undergraduate music therapy degree: Credits 53
The Master of Music Therapy Equivalency track is designed for students who hold a bachelor’s degree in a related music field but do not yet possess a music therapy degree. This program includes 21 credit hours of equivalency coursework followed by a six-month clinical internship. Successful completion of the internship qualifies students to sit for the Board Certification Examination (MT-BC) and grants seamless entry into the 32-credit MMT curriculum. For equivalency students, the MMT degree is only conferred after completing all equivalency and MMT curriculum requirements on the above page. Please note: depending on your undergraduate transcript, foundational courses in psychology, clinical skills, or guitar may also be required. All Master of Music Therapy Equivalency track courses must be completed prior to enrolling in the MMT Core Curriuclum or Specialized Curriculum courses. Equivalency Courses: Credits 21
Core Curriculum: Credits 22
See course list above. Specialized Curriculum: Credits 10
See course list above. MMT with Equivalency Total Credits: 53
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