Admission

Students must satisfy admission requirements of the University, the School of Music and Dance and the Music Therapy Program. Please note that an audition is not required unless students want to take applied music lessons on their principal instrument while completing this certificate. Applied music may be required in secondary instruments to prepare the student to pass the EMU Music Therapy Competencies. Students must be admitted into the music therapy post-baccalaureate certificate program before enrolling in required course work. Requirements for admission into this certificate program include the following:

1. Submission of the completed application, nonrefundable application fee and all official undergraduate and graduate transcripts to undergraduate admissions in the Office of Admissions.
2. The earned equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree in music from an accredited college or University.
3. Submission of a 3-page double-spaced essay on the topic of “Why I wish to pursue a degree in music therapy.” Include personal perspectives and motivations as well as current understanding of the field of music therapy and how you see yourself within the field. All essays are to be saved as a Word (.doc or .docx) document and sent as an attachment to Dr. Theresa Merrill, Director of Music Therapy at tmerril1@emich.edu.
4. A personal interview with the coordinator of music therapy is required. This interview will explore the applicant’s (1) interest in and general knowledge of music therapy, (2) music skills and (3) personal potential for being a successful music therapist.
5. Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency.

School Information

Music & Dance, College of Arts and Sciences

W. Doug Baker, Ph.D. | Director (Interim) | N101 Alexander | 734.487.4380 | wbakerii@emich.edu

Advisor Information

Theresa R. Merrill, Ph.D., MT-BC | N101 Alexander | 734.487.4380 | tmerril1@emich.edu

Critical Undergraduate Certificate Information

Undergraduate certificates are only offered in conjunction with, or after, a baccalaureate degree. They cannot be “stand-alone” certificates, offered to students who are not pursuing or do not have a bachelor’s degree. 

Students pursuing an undergraduate certificate in conjunction with a baccalaureate degree must declare this using the major/minor declaration form. Students are awarded the undergraduate certificate upon graduation.

Students not pursuing an undergraduate certificate in conjunction with a baccalaureate degree are required to apply to the certificate program through the Office of Admissions.

Certificate Requirements: 31–43 hours

• The Post-Baccalaureate Music Therapy Equivalency Certificate Program must consist of all music therapy courses required for the bachelor of music therapy degree.
• Courses in the sciences and in other areas to meet the American Music Therapy Association’s educational standards are required.
• Students must successfully demonstrate the EMU music therapy competencies in guitar, piano and voice before being eligible to enter the required clinical training (internship). Copies of the criteria for the competencies can be obtained from the coordinator of music therapy.
• A specific program of study will be developed by the coordinator of music therapy, in consultation with the student, once the student is admitted into the equivalency certificate program
• The number of required hours for the certificate depend upon the student’s undergraduate degree.

Recital Attendance Requirement

• Each undergraduate music major must attend a total of 80 recitals/concerts (events) during their time of undergraduate studies; they will receive credit for no more than 25 events per academic year. Students who fail to meet this requirement will not be permitted to graduate.
• The number of events that transfer students and students seeking a second bachelor’s degree must attend will be prorated, based on the number of semesters of work remaining at the time of their matriculation.
• Normally, each semester the student will attend at least ten musical events, of which five are usually the School of Music and Dance weekly student recitals.
• Credit will be received for attendance at any School of Music and Dance event.
• Students must be present for an entire event to receive credit. The cards are collected at the end of the program. A student who is performing in an event may receive recital attendance credit for that event if the student performs in less than 50 percent of the event.
• Attendance at many non-school musical events may be credited toward the recital attendance requirement. To obtain credit, bring a ticket stub and program to the School of Music & Dance office. The Director of the School of Music and Dance will determine whether or not the event qualifies for recital credit.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for the fulfillment of the requirements or their equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult the online catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

• Earn a minimum total of 124 credits at the 100-level and above. Courses with numbers below 100 will not be counted toward this degree requirement. At most 8 credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses will be counted toward this requirement.
• Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below).
• Complete a Writing Intensive (GEWI) Course in your major.
• Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement. (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details.)
• Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
• Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
• Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor; students should check requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
• Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits in excess of the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 124 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
• Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
  • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
• Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; the internal review of such courses is conducted by individual departments/schools within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used in the calculation of an EMU GPA.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU in order to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses taken at EMU and those applied to a student’s major or minor will be used in the calculation of their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or with similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.