Program Overview

Arts Therapist (Degree Apprenticeship) MSc

Overview

Our course is the only MSc Art Psychotherapy Degree Apprenticeship in England and has the potential to offer a dynamic, exciting, and personally rewarding career. The course offers a broad understanding of art psychotherapy, covering a range of clinical, theoretical, and practical components.

Course Details

Year 1 Core Modules

• Integration of Theory and Practice: Apprentices develop and integrate their critical and theoretical awareness of art psychotherapy practice. They explore and expand on key theories and practices, both historical and contemporary, developing investigative research, analytical and communication skills through practice-based learning, theoretical studies, clinical work, and experiential learning.
• Preparation and Theory of Practice: Your apprentice develops their understanding of art psychotherapy in preparation for practice. The nature of the art psychotherapeutic relationship between client/patient, their artwork, and the art psychotherapist is explored.

Year 2 Core Modules

• Professional Practice: Apprentices demonstrate an extended and competent professional art psychotherapy practice to a level of distinction. They further develop their research enquiries through a dissertation or expansive portfolio of research and contextual information.

How You Learn

• The apprentice learns through intensive week-long sessions of seminars, lectures, workshops and group activities on campus at Teesside University for each of the three modules.
• Research-informed teaching is embedded throughout and delivered by professional art psychotherapists within the programme team, key speakers and experienced academics.

How You Are Assessed

• The apprentice is assessed through reports, project research and development work, presentations, and their engagement in art-making for personal and professional reflection.
• There are no formal exams.

Entry Requirements

• To be accepted on to an apprenticeship course you must have support from your employer and meet the course entry requirements.
• Apprentices need to be proficient in art before applying to this apprenticeship, for example, they must hold a degree or have experiential equivalence.
• In order to meet the HCPC requirements apprentices must be able to communicate in English to the standard equivalent to level 7 of the International English Language Testing System, with no element below 6.5, prior to entering the degree programme.

Employability

• On completion of the course, apprentices will be able to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a qualified and professional art psychotherapist, ready for practice.

Part-time

• Fee for UK applicants: £19,000
• The cost of the apprenticeship is covered through the Apprenticeship Levy Fund. Businesses that do not pay the apprenticeship levy will pay a maximum of 5% towards the cost of training an apprentice.
• Length: 2 years + 1 month EPA
• Attendance: Block and online delivery
• Start date: January 2026