Student Satisfaction with Music Therapy Education Programs in the United States of America

Abstract

Music therapy education is unique in that it includes academic coursework, practicum, and internship. Due to the gap in the literature regarding students’ satisfaction, this is an important topic that must be assessed to improve future music therapy education. The purpose of this exploratory survey study was to investigate the educational satisfaction of final year undergraduate music therapy students, music therapy students who have finished undergraduate coursework but not started internship or are in a master’s equivalency music therapy program one or two semesters immediately before internship in the United States of America. The aspects of students’ satisfaction studied include academic experiences (e.g., coursework, practicum, internship), interactions with faculty/supervisors, and available resources (e.g., information, financial aid, availability of instruments). Findings showed that students were satisfied with their university experience, especially with the diverse client experiences and clinical work-related coursework. The largest concerns were excessive non-music therapy related courses, limited practicum supervision, and overabundance of outside work which led to students feeling overwhelmed. As the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected the level of participation and respondents’ responses, I will use this study as a baseline by which to compare the results of a future replication study. Educators may be able to use the findings when creating or making changes to educational policies, which may lead to higher students’ satisfaction.