PhD - Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Arts Therapies

The PhD in Creative Arts Therapies is a research degree program for art therapists, dance/movement therapists, and music therapists who are interested in pursuing advanced scholarship and academic leadership in their discipline. The primary mission of the program is the cultivation of scholars and academic leaders for the purpose of generating and disseminating substantive and rigorous research that ultimately contributes to theory building, best clinical practices, and the evidence base in the arts therapies fields. The PhD program consists of four interactive learning modules. Interdisciplinary-The seminars challenge students to study, explore, critically evaluate and synthesize areas of collective knowledge that contribute to the articulation of the interdisciplinary philosophical and theoretical foundations for the fields in the creative arts therapies Research- The purpose of the research module is to educate the doctoral students in the traditional and innovative approaches to research that will contribute to the generation and dissemination of substantive research in the students’ respective fields. Self/Other Artistic Knowledge- The self/other artistic learning module introduces the exploration of the intrinsic inter subjective therapeutic processes emergent through artistic inquiry and parallel to the actual arts therapies experience. Practicum- The emphasis on the transformation of theoretical knowledge to practical application and specialization is accomplished through the practicum requirement. All students are required to complete a teaching practicum for one term. Beyond that students are required to complete a specialization practicum in: 1) academia/teaching; 2) research; 3) clinical supervision; or 4) applied clinical research and practice. The practicum helps students position themselves as they prepare for graduation. Dissertation-The dissertation is an original, rigorous research project the content of which directly relates to the development of and contribution to the theory and practice of the student’s creative arts therapy specialization