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Deutsch Who is the Bachelor's Degree in Music Therapy at MSH Hamburg Suitable For?
The Music Therapy (B.A.) programme is aimed at individuals who want to work at the intersection of music, health, education, and social work. It is especially targeted at high school graduates as well as professionally qualified individuals who have a strong interest in therapeutic, educational, or social fields of work and want to professionally learn music therapeutic methods. Typical target groups include future professionals who wish to work in psychosocial institutions, clinics, rehabilitation centres, schools, senior and care facilities, or in disability support. This degree course is also deliberately designed for those interested in artistic therapy professions seeking academically sound and practice-oriented training.
What Admission Requirements Apply to the Music Therapy Degree?
To be admitted to the programme, you need one of the following qualifications:
- General university entrance qualification (Abitur), subject-specific university entrance qualification or university of applied sciences entrance qualification according to § 37 HmbHG
- Professionally qualified individuals may be admitted via an entrance examination according to § 38 HmbHG (MSH entrance examination regulations)
- Ideally a four-week preliminary internship in a social or healthcare institution
- Participation in an individual admission procedure in which personal motivation and musical aptitude are assessed
- With an international degree: proof of equivalence and, if applicable, German language skills according to MSH requirements
You should bring basic musical knowledge (instrument or voice and music reading) as well as the willingness to actively make music. Important personal prerequisites include empathic sensitivity, enjoyment of working with people, openness to different life situations, and the ability to reflect. You should have an interest in medical, psychological, and educational issues and be open to creative as well as scientific methods of working. Additionally, reliability, communication skills, and the willingness to work in teams in interdisciplinary settings are advantageous.
Course Content in Detail
In the Bachelor's degree programme in Music Therapy at the Medical School Hamburg, you will learn to apply music therapy methods purposefully in various therapeutic settings. The degree combines concepts from music, psychology, medicine, education and social sciences and links them with practical musical skills. The content is diverse and reflects the interdisciplinary orientation of the field:
- Fundamentals of Music Therapy – theories, scientific approaches and models in music therapy
- Musical Practice – instrumental playing, improvisation, voice and sound-educational work with instruments from various styles and cultures
- Therapeutic Competencies – relationship work, conducting conversations, reflection and dealing with personal and group dynamic processes
- Psychological, medical and developmental foundations – developmental psychology, clinical pictures, somatic and psychological disorders, basics of health and prevention
- Philosophical and ethical issues in the context of music therapy
- Fields of application – practical units and case work in childhood, youth, old age, rehabilitation, education, social work and clinical care
- Interdisciplinary exchange – specialisation through elective modules and collaboration for example with humanistic, systemic or psychodynamic approaches
Through the close link between scientific theory and practical application, you will develop the ability to independently plan, conduct and critically reflect on music therapy. Important competencies are self-experience, empathy, methodological diversity and creativity in the therapeutic process.
Course Structure
The programme is designed as a full-time course with a standard duration of six semesters (180 ECTS). The start is possible each year in the winter semester (1 October). The on-site sessions usually take place at the Campus Arts and Social Change of the MSH in Hamburg-Harburg. The course is divided into the following phases:
- Basic Semester – introduction to music therapeutic principles, musical practice, self-reflection and scientific work
- Advanced Semester – deepening of medical, psychological as well as social and cultural scientific content, first practical projects
- Practical Phases – internships in cooperating institutions (including clinics, schools, social institutions) to test music therapy professional practice
- Application and Specialisation Phase – focus on specific target groups, concluded with a scientific bachelor thesis
The course organisation includes seminars, project-based group work, practical exercise units and supervised practice modules. Intensive support and exchange with experienced music therapists and practice partners are part of the programme.
Career Prospects & Employment Opportunities
The bachelor's degree opens up diverse professional perspectives in the health, social and education sectors. Graduates are in demand in a wide range of fields:
- Hospitals, rehabilitation centres and clinics – for example in psychosomatics, psychiatry, oncology, paediatrics and geriatrics
- Child and youth welfare institutions, special education kindergartens, special schools
- Senior and nursing homes, hospices, palliative care
- Facilities for integration and youth welfare
- Refugee assistance, non-profit initiatives and self-help projects
- Cultural and educational projects with specific target groups
The degree also allows entry into Master's programmes such as Intermedial Art Therapy, Social Work or related subjects to specialise or, for example, to pursue further psychotherapeutic training. Artistic therapies are now firmly established as part of interdisciplinary treatment concepts.
Study Location
The course takes place at the Campus Arts and Social Change of the Medical School Hamburg in the Harburg inland harbour. The premises offer large studios, modernly equipped seminar rooms and a practice-oriented infrastructure with the Psychotherapeutic University Outpatient Clinic and practice partners in the region. Its location in Hamburg-Harburg enables a direct exchange with the cultural and social life of Hamburg and close contact with cooperation partners from various therapeutic fields.
Costs and Financing
The monthly tuition fees amount to €550. For the entire programme (six semesters), the total is €19,900. Additionally, a one-time enrolment fee of €100 is charged. Since this is a private on-site course, you can explore various financing options, e.g.:
- BAföG – if the requirements are met
- KfW student loan and other study loans
- Scholarship programmes and gifted student funding organisations
- Part-time jobs in therapeutic or cultural environments
The Medical School Hamburg supports you in finding an individual financing solution and regularly provides information about current funding opportunities.
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