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  • Program Overview

    As an art therapy major, you'll learn to use the creative processes to promote positive change in the healing of others.

    We're proud to offer one of the few Art Therapy BFA programs in the nation. Art therapy is a four-year, pre-professional degree program integrating three areas of study: studio art, psychology, and the creative arts therapies. Primarily based in the visual arts, you may choose to augment your coursework with opportunities in drama, music, and creative writing. Through foundation courses, you'll grow increasingly comfortable working in a variety of media, and you'll be encouraged to develop your own toolbox of personal creative resources that you can share therapeutically with others.

    Endicott alumni have been able to secure meaningful positions in relevant fields, by becoming registered art therapists (ATR), which requires completion of an advanced degree with post-graduate supervised experience. Board certification (ATR-BC) is granted to registered art therapists who complete a master's program and pass a written examination.

    an arts therapy student in front of her portrait
  • Curriculum

    Curriculum Requirements - Total Credits Required: 127

     

    First Year - Credits: 32

    • AET 100 - Foundations of Creative Therapies (Cr: 3)
    • ART 101 - Visual Art and Cultural Values I: Prehistory to c. 1310 (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies Aesthetic Awareness and Creative Expression General Education Requirement
    • ART 102 - Visual Art and Cultural Values II: Early Fourteenth Century to the Present (Cr: 3)
    • ART 105 - Drawing and Composition I (Cr: 3)
    • ART 106 - Drawing and Composition II (Cr: 3)
    • ART 115 - Two Dimensional Design (Cr: 3)
    • ART 207 - Color Theory and Light (Cr: 3)
    • ENG 111 - Critical Reading and Writing I (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies the Writing Designated Core requirement.
    • ENG 112 - Critical Reading and Writing II (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies the Writing Designated Core requirement.
    • INT 100 - Internship I (Cr: 2)
    • PSY 100 - General Psychology (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies General Education Elective

    Second Year - Credits: 32

    • AET 200 - Methods and Materials in Arts and Expressive Therapy (Cr: 3)
    • AET 201 - Populations, Assessment, and Intervention (Cr: 3)
    • ART 121 - Ceramics I (Cr: 3)
    • ART 201 - Painting I (Cr: 3)
    • ART 202 - Painting II (Cr: 3)
      or
    • ART 222 - Ceramics II (Cr: 3)
    • ART 205 - Three-Dimensional Design (Cr: 3)
    • ART 238 - Modern and Postmodern Art: from the 1870s through the 1970s (Cr: 3)
    • INT 200 - Internship II (Cr: 2)
    • MTH 126 - Applied Statistics (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies Quantitative Reasoning General Education Requirement
    • PHT 116 - Introduction to Photographic Imaging (Cr: 3)
    • PSY 200 - Child and Adolescent Psychology (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies Individual and Society General Education Requirement
    • ART 241 - Figure Drawing: Anatomy for Artists (Cr: 3)

    Third Year - Credits: 33

    • Global Issues General Education Requirement    (Cr: 3)
    • Literary Perspectives General Education Requirement    (Cr: 3)
    • Upper Level Art History    (Cr: 3)
    • Art Therapy Electives    (Cr: 6)
    • General Education Elective   (Cr:6) (Recommended PSY 335)
    • AET 300 - Counseling Practices in the Expressive Therapies (Cr: 3)
    • ART 302 - Portfolio (Cr: 3)
    • ART 340 - Advanced Art Studio (Cr: 3)
    • PSY 212 - Psychopathology and Clinical Science (Cr: 3)

    Fourth Year - Credits: 30

    • Art Therapy Elective (Cr. 3)
    • Science and Technology General Education Requirement    (Cr. 3)
    • World Cultures General Education Requirement    (Cr. 3)
    • AET 480 - Semester Internship (Cr: 12)
    • AET 489 - Senior Research (Cr: 3)
    • AET 490 - Senior Thesis (Cr: 3)
    • PSY 320 - Theories of Personality (Cr: 3)
      Satisfies the Values and Ethical Reasoning General Education Requirement

    Art Therapy Electives:

    • AET 205 - Music Therapy Foundations (Cr: 3)
    • AET 206 - Guitar for Expressive Therapies (Cr: 3)
    • AET 207 - Drumming for Healing (Cr: 3)
    • AET 210 - Therapeutic Writing (Cr: 3)
    • AET 215 - Dance/Movement Therapy Foundations (Cr: 3)
    • AET 225 - Jung and Art Therapy (Cr: 3)
    • AET 305 - Cross Cultural Practices of Art Therapy (Cr: 3)
    • AET 306 - Drama Therapy and Psychodrama (Cr: 3)
    • ART 331 - Art and Social Action (Cr: 3)

    Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Requirements

    Students take the following:

    • DEI course attribute at any level
    • DEI course attribute 200 level and above
    • AET 201 - Populations, Assessment, and Intervention (Cr: 3)

    Learning Outcomes

    Upon completion of the art therapy program, students will:

    • Demonstrate the critical inquiry and analysis skills needed to engage constructively in intellectual discourse within the art fields.
    • Demonstrate knowledge of and competency with computer technology as it is used in the artistic processes.
    • Demonstrate a strong handling of perceptual skills in drawing.
    • Experience the relationship of academic studio practices to professional applications.
    • Discuss and write about the historical context for the visual arts.
    • Communicate effectively in written form within the conventions of the discipline.
    • Exhibit a competency with a variety of materials, associated with the development of creative expression.
    • Exhibit advanced skills in one or more studio art disciplines.
    • Apply the elements and principles of design.
    • Apply sophisticated use of color theory.
    • Engage verbally in intellectual discourse within the discipline.
    • Demonstrate willingness to go beyond the original parameters of an assignment, introducing new materials and forms, including tackling controversial topics.
    • Discuss and present an awareness of the personal creative process.
    • Deconstruct concepts, applying and carrying them out in a sophisticated and unique visual solution.

    View academic catalog and learning outcomes
  • Internships and Careers

    An Endicott education means you'll graduate with a degree and a resume.

    Whether you pursue graduate school or embark on your career right away after graduation, we believe that your time at Endicott will prepare you for the next step. Take a look at what our graduates have been up to lately.

    View Internships and Careers

    Recent Internships

    • Dana Farber Cancer Institute
    • Express Yourself, Inc
    • Massachusetts General Hospital
    • The Artful Life Counseling Center and Studio
    • North Shore Education Consortium
    • Care Dimensions “Hospice”

    Alumni Employment

    • South Bay Mental Health
    • Riverside Community Care Day Treatment of Norwood
    • Capitol Ridge at Providence
    • Playworks New England
    • Beacon ABA Services

    Graduate School Acceptances

    • School of the Art Institute of Chicago
    • Hofstra University
    • Lesley University
    • Northeastern University