Music Therapy - University of Houston
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Moores School of Music

Music Therapy Division

Ed Roth
Alice and Fletcher Pratt Endowed Professor of Music Therapy
Aspire Initiative Endowed Director of Music Therapy
Professor, Moores School of Music and Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine
E-mail: earoth2@central.uh.edu 

Our BM in Music Therapy program aspires to onboard our first cohort in the Fall of 2025 pending final accreditation
Discover the Power of Music Therapy at the University of Houston 
The University of Houston's Music Therapy program offers a unique opportunity to combine your passion for music with a commitment to improving the health and well-being of others. Following successful completion of the program and national board certification exam, as a Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC), you will utilize music to address a wide range of physical, emotional, and cognitive needs, improving the lives of your clients. 
Our rigorous curriculum equips you with the knowledge and skills necessary to become a highly effective music therapist. You'll draw on your musical development in music theory, history, and performance toward building expertise in the application of therapeutic music experiences. Through coursework in psychology, communication disorders, neuroscience, and other health-related fields, you'll develop robust discipline-specific skills within a strong interprofessional frame of reference. 
Beyond the classroom, our program offers a wealth of opportunities for hands-on experience. Engage in research with faculty and students across campus, gain valuable clinical experience in various treatment settings, and explore international perspectives through study abroad programs. 
The University of Houston's Music Therapy program is committed to providing a comprehensive education that prepares you for a rewarding career in a broad health and human services context. Students will leave equipped to work as a music therapist in a variety of settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, outpatient clinics, schools, private practice, and many others. 
Ready to unlock the therapeutic potential of music? Join us at the University of Houston's Music Therapy program. 

Academic Programs

The Bachelor of Music Therapy is an exclusive four-year degree program, accompanied by a six-month internship, offering graduates a comprehensive foundation in music and invaluable clinical experiences.

Distinctively, only a few select institutions in the state provide such a program, and among them, the University of Houston stands out. Situated in the largest Medical Center in the world, our program is uniquely positioned with an on-site medical school, setting it apart from all others.

As an allied health profession, music therapy utilizes evidence-based interventions to bring about neurological, physiological, and psychological changes in individuals' health. Graduates are equipped with a distinctive skill set and profound knowledge, allowing them to effectively harness the healing power of music. This preparation empowers them to make a meaningful impact on well-being in diverse healthcare and educational settings, including hospitals, school districts, private practice, and beyond.

  • Bachelor of Music

    The Bachelor of Music in music theory emphasizes aural skills, music analysis across a diverse range of musical repertoires, and writing. Incoming music students take a diagnostic exam to determine which courses will best meet the needs of the student. In order to be fully admitted to the music theory major, students must complete all freshman- and sophomore-level theory and aural skills courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Please refer to UHin4 for academic maps. 

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for students at all levels of study who demonstrate outstanding accomplishment and promise. For nonresident students, merit-based scholarships may make a student eligible to receive a tuition waiver resulting in a Texas resident tuition rate. A variety of teaching assistantships is available for qualified graduate students.  

Graduate Teaching Assistantships 

For qualified students, these positions grant valuable professional experience teaching classes in the core undergraduate music theory program under the guidance of a faculty mentor. All graduate teaching assistants receive a stipend and scholarship. For nonresident students, merit-based scholarships may make a student eligible to receive a tuition waiver resulting in Texas resident tuition rate. A variety of Teaching Assistantships is available for qualified graduate students.  Interviews for these positions are held on all audition days, during which time applicants also take the graduate theory placement exam. 

Faculty

  • Ed Roth

    Professor of Music Theory

Partnerships

The music therapy program at UH maintains educational partnerships with several health-related departments within the university, including Psychology, Social Work, and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences. These collaborations provide students with a comprehensive understanding of related disciplines and enhance their interprofessional clinical training. The program also partners with various clinical training sites, such as the Center for Performing Arts Medicine at the Texas Medical Center, RISE School, the Center for Music Therapy of Houston, and the Houston Aphasia Recovery Center, to name only a few. These partnerships offer students valuable hands-on clinical training experiences in diverse settings in preparation for their internships and equip them with the skills necessary to provide effective music therapy services to a wide range of populations. 

Courses