Music Therapy bachelor degree programme
Improve people’s health using targeted musical interventions. The Music Therapy bachelor programme at IMC Krems will equip you with the fundamental expertise you require.
You will learn about the targeted implementation of key evidence-based music therapy techniques and methods used to treat clients within a therapeutic relationship. After completing the three-year programme, you will be qualified to assume joint responsibility for the treatment of your clients.
This is the tuition fee for EU and EEA citizens. In addition, the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) dues amount to EUR 22.70. Please note that different tuition fees apply for non-EU citizens.
The degree programme
IMC Krems’ Music Therapy bachelor programme stands out for its strong practical focus. You will receive comprehensive professional training which enables you to practise as an employed music therapist at a range of healthcare institutions.
Programme overview:
- Theoretical content encompassing medicine and psychology, music therapy models and methods, ethics and law
- Fundamentals of academic research methods
- Development of musical performance skills, such as for the harp, percussion instruments and use of the voice
- Self-experience
- Practical activities to develop skills in areas such as music therapy improvisation and music therapy techniques
- Clinical practice in fields such as neurology, psychosomatics and paediatric psychiatry
In the first year of the programme, the majority of the courses are music- and theory-based.You will have the opportunity to practise the basic skills you acquire in role plays, and develop them further under supervision on the practice placements which begin in semester 3. The specific issues and questions that present themselves during your clinical practice will serve as the basis for your bachelor paper – the results of the action research you conduct in semesters 5 and 6.
When you graduate, you can become a registered music therapist. As a registered therapist, you will be able to assume joint responsibility for the treatment of your clients.
The music therapy profession
Music therapy is a distinctive type of therapy which combines scientific, artistic and creative elements, and has been a legally regulated health profession in Austria since 2008.
It delivers targeted, systematic treatment for people suffering from behavioural disorders and conditions resulting from emotional, somatic, intellectual or social factors.
Music therapy interventions within a therapeutic relationship help to:
- prevent, relieve or reverse symptoms
- alter problematic behaviours or attitudes
- support, maintain or restore the client’s development, growth and health
The major goals of the music therapy profession are:
- prevention, including health promotion
- treatment of acute and chronic diseases
- rehabilitation
Overview of therapy options
There are basically two types of music therapy – active and receptive – which require different methodological approaches.
In receptive music therapy, therapists make music for the patient, while in an active setting the therapists and clients create music together, mainly using easy-to-play instruments such as drums and xylophones. Active music therapy seeks to create a shared experience. After therapy sessions, clients who are able to communicate verbally are usually invited to reflect on the pictures, thoughts and feelings that the musical intervention has evoked.
The power of music therapy lies in the diverse possibilities for communication that it opens up. As well as verbal reflection, many other non-verbal techniques are used to tailor the therapy to the client’s specific needs. This feature of music therapy has led to its application in fields such as intensive care, neurorehabilitation, neonatology and geriatrics to treat patients who can often only communicate non-verbally.
" Music therapy at Krems clearly stands out from other programmes in Europe for its focus on regulation and its anthropological approach – in other words, examining music therapy in relation to various cultural spheres – as well as the way we have embraced the concept of action research. "
Programme director Patrick Simon
A formula for success: theoretical knowledge + practical experience
The programme is built on three pillars.
Questions about the degree programme?
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Would you like first-hand information about the Musiktherapie degree programme? Contact Peter directly, he will be happy to answer all your questions about the study programme.
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