Doctor of Philosophy in Music Therapy

The PhD program at Temple University is a true PhD in Music Therapy. Rather than having music therapy as a minor or elective track within another field, or as merely the main topic for the dissertation, the program has Music Therapy as the major area of study with its own core curriculum of advanced Music Therapy courses, supported by studies in research, music and related health disciplines. The goal is to prepare skilled and experienced clinicians to become competent scholars who make significant contributions to research and theory in the field by:

preparing individuals to conduct research and develop theory, with opportunities to study both quantitative and qualitative research paradigms, and
providing for the development of expertise and skill in college-teaching and clinical supervision.
The program has undergone extensive review and has been granted plan approval by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). It is the first of its kind in the United States. The program in Music Therapy is led by four world-renowned music therapists.

Master's Degree in Related Discipline: A master's degree in Music, Music Education, Music Therapy, Creative Arts Therapy, Health Studies, or Psychology is required.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A baccalaureate degree in any music-related field is required.

Statement of Goals: Share your professional goals, which must be clearly articulated, feasible, relevant to the needs of the profession, and appropriate to the program at Temple.

Standardized Test Scores:
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master's degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

TOEFL iBT: 100
IELTS Academic: 7.0
PTE Academic: 68
Prescreening Video and Audition: Applicants submit a prescreening video via Acceptd. This recording may contain representative movements of the audition material, with the majority of the material having been recorded within the last 12 months. Video recordings of accompanied works must have piano or orchestral accompaniment.

If preliminary approval is granted, an in-person live audition is arranged. Audition repertoire requirements include:

Two major works in a major performance medium.
Two standard or popular songs sung with own piano accompaniment.
Two standard or popular songs sung with own guitar accompaniment.
Sight-sing and sight-harmonize tunes from a fake book, using both piano and guitar for accompaniment, and sight-read simple piano pieces.
Note that video recordings alone are not acceptable for admission, except in the case of students living outside the United States. In this case, applicants must submit a video recording of complete works.

Resume: Current resume required.