Program Overview

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MA Art Psychotherapy Practice

Course summary

This full-time Masters-level Art Psychotherapy Practice course provides you with specialist training, qualifications and opportunities to help you embark on a diverse and exciting career. Allowing study over a longer period which supports students with other responsibilities.

How you learn

The course is designed to promote a critical and proactive approach to learning, which will enable you to become an effective and autonomous practitioner. There is a mixed mode of experiential and theoretical learning and teaching adopted in this programme. You are expected to engage fully in the learning process and in some of the modules you will learn with, from and about students from other health and social care courses in the School of Health and Social Care as part of the integrated curricula. This approach will ensure you have strong roots in your chosen profession of art therapy.

This approach will ensure you have a strong identity as an art therapist but are also able to deliver person centred care with an understanding of service integration and working within a multidisciplinary team to support the person's journey through health and care services.

The focus of the integrated curricula will prepare you for working in an integrated working environment with multidisciplinary teams and organisations working effectively together to enhance the quality of care to the service user. These attributes will enhance employability not only for graduate employment, but will support career progression to senior positions within the NHS, social care, third sector, education and private organisations.

A detailed induction programme aims to facilitate students’ transition into studying at Masters level and introduces students to a range of support mechanisms to which they have access within the art therapy team and across the University.

You will experience a blended approach to learning and teaching both on campus and in practice placements including:

• art-making in fully-equipped learning spaces
• a mix of individual and group sessions
• experiential creative groups
• workshops
• placements
• field trips where available, such as visits to talks and exhibitions
• practice-based learning

Alongside art-making you’ll learn about client-centred approaches in psychotherapy – enabling you to use models to adapt to different service settings. You’ll experience an integrated placement, which runs throughout the course. You’ll also have access to specialist support services to help with your personal, academic and career development.

Modules

Year 1

• Art Therapy Creative Studios (20 credits)
• Art Therapy Practice Experience A
• Theoretical Approaches (20 credits)

Year 2

• Art Therapy Practice Experience B (Pt)
• Contextualising Art Therapy Practice (20 credits)
• Evaluating Complexity In Practice (20 credits)
• Evaluating Research Methodologies (20 credits)

Final year

• Art Therapy Practice Experience B
• Creating Original Practice (40 credits)
• Thresholds Towards Practice (40 credits)

Future careers

This course prepares you for a career in:

• Hospital and community NHS services for adults, children and families
• Working with physical, mental health issues and learning disabilities
• Educational art therapy in schools
• Bereavement support
• Art Therapy research
• Social enterprises and charities
• Services for children and young people, and families
• A range of community and social service settings
• Third sector services
• Mental Health preventative work

Previous graduates of this course work for:

• Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Trust
• Other UK NHS Trusts
• Spectrum People, Wakefield
• Ashgate Hospice Care, Chesterfield
• Psychotherapy Manchester CIC
• Brantwood School, Sheffield
• Private practices

Equipment and facilities

The teaching spaces are equipped with a variety of creative supplies, including art materials and facilities for digital art making. There’s also access to support a range of art-making through alternative means – such as clay sculpture, photography or clay animation.

On this course you could have opportunities to work with:

• Creative art spaces
• Reflexive art making
• Environmental art

We'll also notify you about relevant online events and digital gallery exhibitions.

Where will I study?

You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Entry requirements

To apply for the course, you must normally have a degree (2:2 or above) in a relevant area, such as Fine Art, Arts Therapies, Humanities, Psychology or Social Sciences.

Whatever degree you have, all applicants are expected to have a portfolio of current art work at the time of application that demonstrates a continuing interest in art making. You will be asked to submit examples of artwork as part of the application process once your initial application has been reviewed.

Applications from professionals working in caring professions such as Social Workers, Nurses and Teachers, are also welcome.

All applicants need to show evidence of relevant pre-courses experience in a related field. It is also an entry requirement that applicants must have, at the time of application, at least a year’s experience of paid or voluntary work in a caring setting. (The BAAT web pages state that this should be the equivalent of a year's full-time work but can be accumulated over a longer period.) In interview we will ask about your art practice and what it means to you, as well as any psychological insights that your art practice provides.

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 7.0 overall and a minimum of 6.0 in all skills, or a recognised equivalent. If your level of English language is currently below IELTS 7.0 we recommend you consider an appropriate Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve the required level of English. Please note that the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) require IELTS 7.0 with no element below 6.5 for registration.

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time study in 2026/27 is £17,150 for the course. For part-time study the fee will be calculated pro-rata each year based on the number of credits studied. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time.

International students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting part-time postgraduate study in 2026/27 is £23,100 for the course. The tuition fee displayed above is for the full course. If the full course is more than one year in duration, the fee will be divided into annual payments which will then be rounded. This may mean the total fee you pay is slightly higher than the fee stated above. If you take a break in study or have to re-take part of the course, you may also be charged an additional fee and will be notified of this at the time. For information the tuition fee per year for the course in 2026/27 is £7,700

Postgraduate student loans

Up to £12,858 is available in 2025/26 for home students on most masters courses.

Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Health and Social Care (PDF, 277.7KB)