The program is designed for students who demonstrate a high level of maturity and academic potential. Essentially an honors program, the integrated program demands that students be able to achieve the academic rigor of graduate education by the time they reach their junior year of traditional undergraduate study. Students in this accelerated program must be able to achieve a level of introspection and cultural awareness necessary to engage in clinical work at a relatively young chronological age. Qualified students apply in the fall of their junior year and must be accepted for admission into the Expressive Therapies Division, Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences. This deadline may be altered for students who transfer to Lesley.
The qualities looked for upon admission include, but are not limited to:
- Ability to empathize and be compassionate within a therapeutic environment
- Demonstrated psychological strength to work with different clinical populations
- Well-organized, independent, motivated, takes initiative
- Ability to handle complexity
- Works well under stress
- Ability to integrate theory and practice
- Demonstrated conceptual literacy
- Willingness to take creative risks in studio work
- Proficiency and disciplined commitment in art making
- Evidence of a range of experience using a variety of art materials and processes
Students are advised jointly in their junior and senior year by the coordinator of the undergraduate Art Therapy program and a graduate school advisor designated for the dual degree program.
ADMISSIONS CRITERIA FOR DUAL DEGREE ART THERAPY CANDIDATES
Students will apply for the Master's program in the fall of their junior year. Transfer students may follow an alternate timeline.
- 3.3 GPA
- 12 credits in psychology, including Abnormal Psychology and Developmental Psychology with grades of B or better
- 18 credits of studio art courses
- A Portfolio on DVD with 15 slides of their artwork. The slides should represent a variety of media, including two- and three-dimensional works demonstrating the applicant's technical abilities and the range of their self-expression.
- One 3 credit course in Principles of Art Therapy or an art therapy course that includes the history and survey of the profession, different theoretical approaches to art therapy, and its application to various populations.
- Letter of academic support from undergraduate faculty advisor or the Art Therapy undergraduate program coordinator, or from core faculty in your division in consultation with the Art Therapy program coordinator.
- Successful completion of an admissions interview and review process through the Expressive Therapies Division.
Faculty Spotlight
Nancy Jo Cardillo
Instructor of Expressive Arts Therapy
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Jane Ferris Richardson
Assistant Professor of Art Therapy
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