MA in Art Therapy Program

The MA in Art Therapy program at NDMU is a cohort model and admits students each fall (end of August).  There are no spring or summer admissions or cohorts.

The enrollment season begins in late September with initial reviews of any early applications for the following fall entry.  The earliest that a prospective graduate student might interview for admissions consideration would be October.

When corresponding with the graduate program via email, please include each of the following emails in order that we may most efficiently respond:

Darian Barton, dbarton@ndm.edu, Administrative Assistant, Art Therapy Department

Julia Andersen, jandersen@ndm.edu, Graduate Program Director

Prospective students are recommended to make application beginning in November through March 1. The MA in Art Therapy Program admits only 16 in a given year in keeping with NDMU’s commitment to individualized, supported learning, and high-quality instruction.

The MA in Art Therapy program will continue to receive and consider applications through May 31 of each calendar year for fall admission should the cohort census not be met earlier in the enrollment cycle. Should an application be made June through August, those applications are considered for the following fall, not the immediate fall of that year.

While participating in regular NDMU enrollment virtual information sessions, the MA in Art Therapy program hosts a unique, in-person Shadow Night in late October/early November each year, as well as a specific Art Therapy Information Sessions on campus in March and July each year. These three enrollment events provide the most robust student “feel” for our time-and-self-intensive, art-centered, community-engaged graduate training program.

The typical enrollment process for the MA in Art Therapy program is as follows:

1. Making an inquiry and completing the free application to the program, which connects a student with our enrollment specialist.  The enrollment specialist can answer a student’s initial questions about the program, pre-requisites, the application, and can connect you with the program director for more granular questions about the field, our course of study, and program outcomes.
    
2. A complete application includes the NDMU Processing Center’s receipt of official transcripts from all of the institutions a student has attended. Once all are in hand, the application and transcripts are officially reviewed.
    
3. A positively reviewed application is followed up with an email from the Art Therapy Grad program director, inviting a student to submit their materials for further review:
   - Resume
   - Statement of Purpose (APA formatted)
   - 15-piece art portfolio highlighting different works and medium
    
4. Following this further review of Statement of Purpose, resume, and art portfolio, a student receives a second email from the program director and/or the departmental administrative assistant inviting them to coordinate time for an individual admissions interview with art therapy faculty. During this email, the two letters of recommendation are also requested sent to the program director via email.
    
5. The student interview is not a guarantee of admission to the program, as there are occasions when this interview has supported a program decision of deferred entry or denial if a student’s preparation does not seem complete and the student might benefit from further study, self-exploration, and/or field-adjacent experience.
    
6. Following the interview, the program director and faculty meet and provide an emailed decision to the students within four weeks.  The program director also reengages the enrollment specialist, who issues the official letter of acceptance.

Full Time Course Progression, Fall Entry

Part Time Course Progression, Fall Entry

* Choice of studio/clay/photography

Note: Fall/Spring courses TUES-WED-THURS evenings; Internships require on-site of 16 hours per week minimum; Target accrual of 250 internship hours each semester