Skip to main content
Kraena Pre-Health
Career Library

Therapy & Rehab

Music Therapist (MT-BC)

Uses music clinically to reach cognitive, emotional, and physical goals — especially where words fall short.

Years after high school

4-6

Degree

Bachelor's or master's degree

Entrance exam

Music audition for program admission

Median pay

BLS does not publish a standalone national median for music therapists. Compensation should be checked by location and setting rather than inferred from a broader therapy or arts occupation.

What the job is actually like

Sessions might involve songwriting with a teenager in psychiatric care, rhythmic cueing to help a stroke patient walk, or playing at a hospice bedside for a family keeping vigil. You are a clinician who happens to work through music, not a performer.

The path

  1. 01Bachelor's degree in music therapy (audition required)
  2. 021200 hour supervised clinical internship
  3. 03MT-BC board certification through CBMT
  4. 04Master's degree for advanced or supervisory roles

Good fit if

  • You are already a capable musician and want clinical work
  • You are drawn to hospice, dementia, or pediatric settings
  • You can tolerate an unconventional career structure

Think twice if

  • You need a stable full-time salaried position immediately
  • You are not already comfortable performing on an instrument and voice
  • Piecing together contract work would stress you

Similar paths worth comparing

Physical Therapist (DPT)

Restores movement and reduces pain after injury, surgery, stroke, or chronic disease.

View profile

Occupational Therapist (OT)

Helps people regain the ability to do the everyday activities that matter to them.

View profile

Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)

Treats communication and swallowing disorders across every age group.

View profile

All salary figures here are median annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 — the most recent full national dataset. 'Median' means half of workers earn more and half earn less. Three things to keep in mind: (1) pay varies enormously by state, city, setting, and experience — a nurse in California and a nurse in rural Alabama earn very different salaries; (2) training lengths are typical, not guaranteed, and programs differ; (3) these numbers change every year. Always verify current figures at bls.gov/ooh before making a decision. For context, the BLS median wage for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations had a median of $86,530 — one of the reasons health care is such a stable field.