Certificate in Art Therapy
- 24 required credit hours
The art therapy certificate covers the prerequisites established by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). The purpose of the certificate is to introduce students to the field of art therapy, to enhance their personal use of arts processes, and to prepare them to utilize art education methods and fine arts skills in therapeutic arts environments such as children's arts camps, retirement homes, and community arts agencies.
Students should petition to become art therapy candidates at their regularly scheduled major acceptance review and begin keeping their art therapy journal under the supervision of the art therapy program advisor. (Regulated by the AATA, art therapists must complete a master's degree in order to become registered and certified. The certificate in art therapy provides an initial stage of preparation for further training.) Students seeking this certificate are required to adhere to the Ethics and Standards of Practice guidelines of the AATA.
In addition to all requirements for the BA in studio art or a BFA in the various studio emphases, art majors can attain the certificate in art therapy by successfully completing the following courses:
Course Requirements
Art therapy courses — 9 credit hours including:
| ART 3200 Art Therapy: Introduction | 3 hours |
| ART 4200 Art Therapy: History and Theory | 3 hours |
| ART 4810 Professional Internship in Art Therapy | 3 hours |
Psychology courses — 15 credit hours including:
| PSYC 1100 Introduction to Psychology | 3 hours |
| PSYC 2300 Lifespan Development | 3 hours |
| PSYC 3125 Abnormal Psychology | 3 hours |
| PSYC 3550 History, Philosophy, and Systems of Psychology | 3 hours |
| PSYC 3775 Personality Theory | 3 hours |
Art Education course (recommended):
| ART 3910 Art for the Elementary Grades | 3 hours |
Art Therapy Journal
Similar to an art portfolio, this journal must be kept throughout the course of studies once the student has been identified as a candidate for the art therapy certificate. The art therapy journal review takes place at the end of each semester in the program with a final review prior to graduation.
In addition to the required course sequence, students in the art therapy certificate program are encouraged to take courses in education, multicultural studies, religion, and social science methods.
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