Master of Creative Arts Therapy

Give back to the community through dance and drama with industry training.

The Master of Creative Arts Therapy is a unique blended learning program offering you a specialisation in either drama or dance movement therapy. You will undertake supervised industry placements in various contexts including community, health and education.

The creative arts therapies are a form of psychotherapy utilising creative modalities, including drama, dance, music and visual art-making within a therapeutic relationship to improve and inform physical, mental and emotional well-being.

The course provides you with studies in theory, methods, research and professional practice across health, educational and community contexts. There is an emphasis on how each artistic modality is employed in teams with groups and individuals. The teaching method incorporates experiential, theoretical and practice-based learning approaches.

Who is this course for?

The Master of Creative Arts Therapy has been developed specifically for arts educators, community arts workers, health workers and therapists who are interested in training to practice as a drama and dance movement therapist.

What is dance movement therapy?

Dance movement therapy is the relational and therapeutic use of dance and movement to further the physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and cultural* functioning of a person. Dance movement therapy is based on the empirically-supported unity of body and mind. It recognizes that change and growth in one supports change and growth in the other.

What is drama therapy?

Drama therapy is an embodied, action based form of psychological therapy using various aspects of drama and theatre within the therapeutic process. This approach uses playful and creative methods in order to address a wide range of personal challenges and facilitate insight and growth for individuals and groups in different professional settings.

Professional registration

Graduates of this program are eligible for professional registration with appropriate professional associations. In Australia, this is the DTAA (Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australasia) and ANZACATA (Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association). Our course has been approved by ANZACATA.

Delivery mode

This course is delivered using Blended Learning. This involves online study, two intensives per year on Southbank Campus, as well as an industry placement of 40 days per year (2 days per week throughout the course, in addition to your day of classes).

English language requirements

All applicants to the University of Melbourne must satisfy the English language requirements. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including recognised previous study taught and assessed entirely in English or an approved English language test. If you are from a non-English speaking background, the required standard of English for this degree is one of the following English proficiency test scores:

• English language test score requirements

• If you need to undertake an English language test, you must meet one of the scores* below:

  IELTS

  6.5

  ---

  with no band less than 6.0

  TOEFL

  79+

  ---

  with writing 21; speaking 18; reading 13; listening 13

  PEARSON

  64+

  ---

  with no communicative skill below 60

  CAMBRIDGE

  176+

  ---

  with no skill less than 169

  *Accepted tests: IELTS (Academic English Only); TOEFL Internet-based test; Pearson Test of English Academic; Cambridge English: Advanced/Certificate of Advanced English (CAE). If a test displays N/A, it means it is not accepted for this course.

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