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Art Therapy Counseling Program
- Admission Requirements
- Requirements for Art Therapy Counseling Master of Science Degree
- Degree Candidacy
- Length of Program
Admission Requirements
Applicants to E.S.U.'s Art Therapy Counseling program must have:
- An overall 3.00 grade-point average on a four-point scale or a 3.25 on the last 60 semester hours for the undergraduate degree received.
- Three letters of recommendation from professionals (i.e., faculty) who can comment on your potential for graduate work.
- Graduate Record Examination.
- Must have attained a B.S., B.A., B.F.A., or B.S.E. degree.
- A portfolio of 20 slides must be submitted which demonstrates a range of media competencies and an area of artistic specialization. In addition, a personal interview will be conducted.
- A letter of application and a one-page statement describing your interest in the field of art therapy and your interest in being trained in this particular profession. If you have had any previous experience with any special populations, this information should be included in the letter.
- You must have completed 18 semester hours in studio art courses, including 2 or 3 hours in art education. In addition, you must have completed 18 semester hours in psychology. These hours must include courses in Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Theories of Personality. Statistics and Experimental Psychology are recommended.
When you are ready to apply:
a) Submit your application online at http://www.emporia.edu/grad/admissions/
b) Send letters of recommendation, GRE scores, official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work, letter of application, and application fee to:
Office of Graduate Studies
Emporia State University
1200 Commercial St., Campus Box 4003
Emporia, KS 66801-5087
c) Send your portfolio to:
Dr. Gaelynn Wolf Bordonaro, Director
Art Therapy Counseling Program
Emporia State University
1200 Commercial St., Campus Box 4036
Emporia, KS 66801-5087
If you are accepted into the program, you must return a postcard stating your intent to enroll in the program. Any applicants who may have been rejected for admission must 1) complete all background deficiencies and 2) repeat undergraduate courses to raise the GPA on the last 60 hours to 3.25.
Requirements for Art Therapy Counseling Master of Science Degree
A degree plan must be completed by the second semester. Students in the program have the choice to complete 1 of 3 requirements for graduation: a thesis, a written comprehensive examination, or a Master's Project.
If the thesis option is selected, a thesis committee consisting of two faculty members from the student's field and one member outside the field will need to be selected. In addition, oral examination on the thesis area and research must be successfully completed.
The Master's Project is a special option open to art therapy students. A student selecting this option shall complete a project furthering the growth of the art therapy field. In addition, a paper shall be written to justify the creation of the chosen project. There are a wide variety of choices with this option. Past and current students have completed such projects as assisting special populations in the creation of murals, developing educational resources such as books and CDs, or the organization of art therapy resources.
Degree Candidacy
In addition to the requirements of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, you must be a degree candidate before enrolling in thesis, practicum, internship, or sitting for the comprehensive exam.
Length of Program
The M.S. in Art Therapy Counseling is designed to be completed in two academic years, but part-time students are welcome. Students must enter the program in the fall semester and can use other enrollment periods (spring and summer) to either eliminate background prerequisites or to pick up non-sequence courses. Students with background deficiencies, should plan extra time to complete degree requirements.