Home / Academics / Find a Program / Undergraduate Art Therapy Degree Program | Ursuline - Liberal Arts College in OH
Harness the healing power of art to prepare for an art therapy career.
Ready to take the next step? Apply online and receive a decision within two weeks.
Do you love to help and create? Art therapy is a mental health profession that uses art making to promote wellness and facilitate change. In the art therapy major at Ursuline College, you’ll learn both theoretical foundations and practical experience while learning the diverse applications of art therapy.
Built upon a dynamic, broad-based liberal arts foundation, the undergraduate art therapy program will help you develop the competence and compassion needed to become an effective human service professional in contemporary society.
Earn your bachelor’s degree in art therapy and master’s in counseling through the Bridge Program at Ursuline College. Students can choose between the Traditional Bridge Program and the 3+3 Bridge Program.
Because Ursuline is the only institution in Ohio that offers a dual counseling and art therapy master's degree program, we have created the innovative and student-focused bridge program, which allows undergraduate art therapy students to begin taking graduate courses their senior year and graduate with both degrees in less time.
Bridge from the Bachelor of Arts in Art Therapy program into the Master of Arts program in Counseling and Art Therapy by completing all of the requirements for the undergraduate major plus four additional graduate-level courses during senior year (nine credits): CAT 501, 505, 591, and one CAT 1-2.
The 3+3 Bridge Program requires three years in the undergraduate program followed by three years in the graduate program. Students complete nearly the entire first year of graduate coursework (28 credits) during their senior year. To discuss pursuing this, please contact undergraduate Art Therapy Department Chair Jennifer Schwartz, MAAT, ATR-BC, ATCS
Traditional Bridge: Moderately accelerated
3+3 Bridge: Highly accelerated
Traditional Bridge: Up to 9 graduate credits
3+3 Bridge: 28 graduate credits (equivalent to the first year of the CAT program)
Traditional Bridge: Combination of undergraduate coursework and graduate classes
3+3 Bridge: Majority of electives replaced with graduate-level coursework
Traditional Bridge: Students may apply for early admission after completing the Field Experience
3+3 Bridge: Students must meet all CAT admission requirements prior to enrolling
The minimum degree required to become an art therapist is a master’s degree. Because of this, your undergraduate coursework in art therapy will build a foundation for graduate study.
After earning your Master of Arts in Counseling and Art Therapy from Ursuline through the Bridge Program, you’ll be eligible for licensure as both a professional clinical mental health counselor and credentialing as an art therapist.
Our art therapy program graduates go on to work in a wide variety of clinical, educational, and human service institutions, such as:
If you choose to go right to work after earning your bachelor's degree, you’ll be ready to hold any position that uses art media in the service of people. You can access positions providing direct care in places like
Alumni of Ursuline’s art therapy program have gone on to bring healing and hope in therapeutic settings across different organizations. Employers of our alumni include:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, art therapists (categorized as “therapists, all other,” of which 11,770 were earn a median annual wage of $55,900.
To apply to the undergraduate degree in art therapy at Ursuline College, you must submit:
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, but we encourage you to apply by our priority deadline of November 1 for the best access to scholarships and financial aid.
