Bachelor of Music Therapy | Academic Advising Handbook

The Bachelor of Music Therapy Degree shares many of the same courses as the other music majors offered at Pacific University. Each student entering the Music Therapy program will need to work closely with the Director of Music Therapy for advising into the correct course sequence based upon the student’s prior musical experience in order to meet the proficiencies outlined for certification and licensure. For general information about music courses, please refer to the Music section of the Advising Handbook.

For specific questions about the Music Therapy Program, please contact:
Brea Murakami | murakami@pacificu.edu | ext. 3122

Unique to the Music Therapy Major

Many entering students will already be proficient in the clinical instruments required for competency. These are piano, voice, and guitar. Thus many students may not need to take these 1-credit courses. The suggested timeline assumes that the entering students have competency on one of these three instruments. Additional coursework or private lessons may be required for individual students to reach functional competency on piano, voice, or guitar.

Music therapy students’ functional musicianship is evaluated via the Music Therapy Functional Music Skills Exam, which outlines 60+ individual music skills that students must pass before beginning their clinical internship. A subset of these skills (Functional Skills Exam 1) is required before a student begins practicum rotations. More information about the Functional Music Skills Exam can be found in the latest edition of the Pacific University Music Therapy Handbook.

Students are required to participate in one large ensemble every semester (orchestra, band, concert choir, or chamber singers) for 0-1 credits. Currently, typical music majors take about half of these for 1 credit and half for 0 credit. The suggested timeline below assumes the same for Music Therapy majors.

Two courses devoted to core or electives are suggested each winter to complete core requirements.

Annual Class Planning Guide

This planning guide shows the predicted offerings for certain courses in this program. Use the guide to help you think about future terms. For a list of classes currently offered and how they fulfill core requirements, please see BoxerOnline and cross-reference this page as needed. Meet with your advisor and/or reach out to the department if you have questions.