How to Apply

MA, Music Therapy

You are required to upload a copy of your most recent résumé or curriculum vitae as part of your application.

You are required to upload a typed, double-spaced, two- to three-page statement explaining your purpose in undertaking graduate study in this particular program as part of your application. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and to inform the admissions committee about your goals, interests, and career plans as they relate to your intended academic pursuits.

List and upload a copy of an official transcript from every postsecondary institution (college/university) you have attended or are attending. Please note: This includes transcripts from institutions where you received transfer credits or did not complete a degree.  Make sure to request an official transcript(s) in advance of the deadline.

• Transfer Credits: We understand accepted transfer credits may be clearly listed on your degree awarding institution’s transcript. The Office of Graduate Admissions still requires a transcript from the initial credit-granting institution where you took the course(s). Delay in listing and uploading these transcripts can significantly delay the application review process.

Institutions Outside the US or Canada

If you completed or are completing a degree at an institution outside of the US or Canada, you are required to provide a WES, ECE or TEC/SpanTran international credentials evaluation. Please review our requirements for translation and a course-by-course evaluation of your transcripts.

See detailed instructions on submitting transcripts.

Two letters of recommendation are required. We prefer letters from academic instructors; letters from employers, employment supervisors, or supervisors of volunteer work are also acceptable if your position involved a human service component. 

Not required.

See testing requirements.

All applicants to the Music Therapy program are required to submit pre-screening materials to the portfolio section of the online application. 

Please upload videos of yourself to the portfolio section of your online application playing a few brief pieces on your primary instrument that show the range of your musicality. These can be short compositions or excerpts from longer works. In addition, on your primary instrument please improvise on a theme or emotion and afterwards discuss your improvisation on the recording.

We would also like you to play both piano and guitar and accompany yourself singing on both instruments. If possible, choose songs to play in a few different styles.

While you can have some latitude in the length of what you play, the total time of the recording should be no more than 30 minutes.

We would like you to talk about yourself on the recording:

• Tell us about your music background and professional experience.
• Please answer the following questions as well:
  • Why are you interested in music therapy? 
  • Why would you like to study music therapy at NYU specifically?
• Please include any other information about yourself that you would like to share with us.

A select number of applicants will be invited to participate in an interview with the full-time faculty members of the music therapy program. The meeting will last no more than one hour and will be conducted online over Zoom.

You will receive a Zoom invitation and your specific interview time from the interview committee. Please inform us of your time zone for the day of the audition. All times provided will be in Eastern Standard Time (New York City time).

While brief musical demonstrations may be requested, the primary focus of this session will be the interview portion. Most musical competencies — such as technical ability, stylistic range, and instrumental skills — will already have been assessed through your pre-submitted
recordings.

The interview will focus on the following topics:

• Your educational and professional background
• Experience working with individuals both with and without disabilities
• Understanding of the field of music therapy
• Readiness and motivation for advanced training in music therapy

During the meeting you may be asked to demonstrate basic musical skills (e.g., accompanying yourself while singing or interacting musically with a committee member), or sightread a short passage (material will be sent to the email you provide at the beginning of the meeting).

Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis once your application is complete and we have received links to the recordings of the musical portion of the application.

Contact the program at music.therapy@nyu.edu or at 212-998-5452 for additional information.

Start your application now

After you fill in and upload the required information, you can submit your completed application. Your application must be completed, dated, electronically signed, and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST of the stated deadline.

You will be prompted to pay a $75 application fee, payable by major credit card only. After submitting your payment, you will see your application status change from “saved” to “submitted.” Please print this screen for your records, as it confirms that your application has been successfully sent to our school. If you have problems submitting your payment, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Learn more about our fee waiver policy.

Most application materials can be successfully submitted via the online application.

If you plan to send application materials, transcript(s) or international credentials evaluation(s) to NYU Steinhardt Office of Graduate Admissions, please review these instructions.  Materials sent to other divisions of NYU may not be obtainable by our office and will significantly delay processing.

You will be notified about your decision by email. Typically, decisions will start going out in late November for Spring semester enrollment and in late March or early April for Summer or Fall enrollment. You may learn of your decision before or after this timeline.

• Learn more about applying for financial aid.
• Learn more about scholarship opportunities.
• Learn more about cost of attendance and tuition and fees.