MA Art Therapy
Singapore, Singapore
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
30 Mar 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
SGD 10,764 / per semester
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
Become a culturally informed, competent and ethical art therapist.
The highly selective MA Art Therapy programme is a global leader in blending Eastern and Western approaches, methodologies and perspectives to train art therapists who are culturally relevant and progressive in a fast-changing world.
A first of its kind in Southeast Asia, it develops credentialled art therapists who help people effect change and growth through art materials in a supported and safe environment. Drawing on a range of world-class medical and mental health options available in Singapore, this practice-based clinical programme emphasises experiential learning through art making, reflection and research.
Aligned to national mental health mandates and informed by international best practices, the programme is Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA) approved, preparing you to become a professionally credentialed Registered Art Therapist (AThR).
You will purposefully facilitate an art-making process to create self-expression, reflection, understanding and change with people and/or communities who encounter a range of stress, trauma, physical, mental or societal challenges and experiences. Through taught modules, a deeply researched thesis and rigorous clinical placements, you will learn a range of psychotherapeutic concepts, theories and practices, and acquire critical knowledge and understanding of the philosophy of the modality itself. You will also be required to undergo a substantial period of highly supervised clinical practice placements.
Art therapists develop a range of professional competencies to work with the populace’s life cycles effectively. Graduates are successfully placed as therapists in various medical, social services and community-based organisations and in emerging settings such as educational, online and museums in Singapore and internationally. Our students' research theses contribute to furthering art therapy discourse and carving a niche for Singapore and the discipline.
Why apply
Professional education: Learn from established art therapists, mental health practitioners, and topic specialists from within Singapore, the region, and internationally.
Industry practice: Study alongside accomplished, innovative and pioneering practitioners who use art and creativity to enhance mental health, wellness and well-being.
ANZACATA-approved training: Engage in progressive discourse around core debates and emerging trends within art therapy practice, art therapy education, and research.
Career-ready professional competencies: Develop skills and knowledge set to local and international best practices, standards, and ethics that are socially responsive, relevant, context-specific, and culturally informed.
Career Opportunities
Art therapist, artist, advocate, mental health practitioner, researcher or community leader.
Gallery
Curriculum
Full-time
- Introduction to Art Therapy (15 credits)
- Methods and Materials in Art Therapy (15 credits)
- Group Training 1 (15 credits)
- Human Development and Clinical Theory (15 credits)
- Child and Adolescent Art Therapy (15 credits)
- Clinical Placement 1 (15 credits)
- The Agora (30 credits)
- Adult, Geriatric, and Family Art Therapy (15 credits)
- Clinical Placement 2 (15 credits)
- Final Research (60 credits)
- Group Training 2 (15 credits)
- Clinical Placement 3 (15 credits)
Modes of assessment
- Written Assignment
- Seminar Presentation
- Thesis or Project Work
- Student Designed Assessment
Curriculum framework
The LASALLE MA framework aims to provide graduates with a competitive edge that will meet the demands of the dynamic cultural and creative sector.
The MA framework has the following common structure:
Core modules
You will study three core modules* according to your chosen programme of study. These modules aim to equip you with discipline-specific skills relevant to your area of research inquiry.
*For the MA Art Therapy and MA Music Therapy programmes, there will be additional modules for clinical placements.
Common module – the Agora
The common module, the Agora, has been designed to prepare you for the intensely collaborative experience of a creative career. You will be guided to reflect on the ‘place’ of your particular discipline in society, the economy, and the environment. You will consider and experiment with combining your discipline with others (multidisciplinary), blending your skills and knowledge with those of other disciplines (interdisciplinary) or even discovering new ways of working together (transdisciplinary).
The Final Research module
Research methods will be embedded into the Final Research (thesis) module. Within this module, formal and dedicated ‘research weeks’ will occur in the first and second semesters. The research weeks will be distinctive points within your programme to allow you to concentrate fully on your research. The spread of its delivery is intended to provide you time to reflect, synthesize and consolidate your learning, and develop your research questions. You will also be provided six hours of supervision of your research.
Besides the immersion in the postgraduate research culture built through shared learning modules, the MA framework provides a transformative educational experience designed to shape you into a future-ready professional, equipped with the skills and expertise demanded by the industry.
Sustainability and care
LASALLE recognizes the important role of artists and designers in creating a sustainable and caring world. The curriculum provides opportunities for students to identify and explore issues around sustainability (from ecology and global climate change to the sustainability of their creative practices and wider cultural communities) and care (for the well-being and advancement of oneself and others).
The College actively encourages students to engage with and investigate these crucial contemporary issues as part of their studies, including through their projects, and critical and creative outputs. Through interdisciplinary learning and strong engagement with these topics, the aim is to empower students to lead the way toward sustainable practices and caring communities within the cultural and creative industries.
Materials
Basic learning materials are provided by the College.
As a developing artist, you are required to have certain items that are personal to you and cannot be shared. Such items include books, dance shoes, rehearsal clothes, safety boots, portable musical instruments, paints, canvas, basic tools, design software, cameras, etc., that will support you through your three-year learning journey. The College does not encourage the purchase of extravagant or costly materials or equipment. Our lecturers can provide you with affordable suggestions.
You are also encouraged to have your laptop for education. If you do not own one, computer labs are available on campus with the requisite software for you to undertake your work.
There may be opportunities for you to undertake extra-curricular study trips to enhance your overall learning. Trips are not compulsory and may incur additional costs.
Admissions
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
In recognition of outstanding academic excellence, leadership potential, and a passion for creativity and innovation, LASALLE offers a variety of scholarships to new and current students.
Application dates for scholarships will be reflected in the various scholarship pages. Other externally sponsored scholarships are also available to students. Enquiries and applications may be directed to the respective organisations.