### SUMMARY

 Majoring in Art Therapy is a valuable choice and usually a required first step for undergraduates seeking to begin a career as an art therapist, a recovery counselor, or a marriage counselor. In fact, art therapy is a very rare degree ranking as the 352nd most popular degree. In the last year, there were 202 art therapy diplomas received. In-state tuition for art therapy at private schools is, on average, Infinity times more pricey than their public counterparts.

 With only 52 colleges offering art therapy there might be limited options as to the institutions that will have an option for you. If you're looking to surround yourself with other art therapy undergraduates, consider institutions in Massachusetts which have the most undergraduates admitted to art therapy annually. Zooming out, the top region to pursue art therapy is in the Great Lakes region with [Capital University](/colleges/capital-university), [Edgewood College](/colleges/edgewood-college), and [Mount Mary University](/colleges/mount-mary-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our selection for the best conference to major in art therapy is the New England Collegiate Conference with [Lesley University](/colleges/lesley-university) representing the conference. That said, our choice for the best college for art therapy is [Cedar Crest College](/colleges/cedar-crest-college), and here you can find our comprehensive list for the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges).

 The objectively 'best' school does not have to be the best school for every student. There might be lots of facets to consider when selecting school. External stuff such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food might sway one's choice on where to go to university. At authority.org, we evaluated the pros and cons for you. If, as an example, you are interested in which art therapy university is home to the top campus, the answer is [Lesley University](/colleges/lesley-university). If, for example, you are mostly interested in which college is home to the best campus, we have an entire list [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more in order to compare each major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our comprehensive list for the universities with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and our selection of the university with the best student life for art therapy is [Marywood University](/colleges/marywood-university). Are you curious why? Keep scrolling to discover more about Authority's top recommendations. Many of our picks will probably shock you.

 If cost is a primary deciding factor in your decisions, you might consider avoiding [Emmanuel College](/colleges/emmanuel-college-ma). [Emmanuel College](/colleges/emmanuel-college-ma)&nbspappears to be the most expensive school for art therapy, at least for out of state students. That being said, we have a list of the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that might put the price tag of [Emmanuel College](/colleges/emmanuel-college-ma)&nbspinto perspective. You could also be interested to know that art therapy is the 167th most expensive degree in the US, with an average expense of $32,700. On a broader scale, the most costly state for art therapy in the nation is Pennsylvania with expenses at the main three colleges Cedar Crest College, Marywood University, and Seton Hill University of $39,774, $34,154, and $34,154 respectively. Even more broadly, the most costly region of the U.S. for art therapy is the Mid East region which is best demonstrated with [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university) with a cost of $36,452, [Cedar Crest College](/colleges/cedar-crest-college) with a cost of $39,774, and [Seton Hill University](/colleges/seton-hill-university) with a cost of $36,306.

 Our cheapest region for art therapy is the Great Lakes region which is represented by [University of Indianapolis](/colleges/university-of-indianapolis) with a cost of $29,844, [Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion](/colleges/indiana-wesleyan-university-marion) with a cost of $27,296, and [Alverno College](/colleges/alverno-college) with a cost of $28,656. On the bright side, the most affordable school for art therapy is [Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion](/colleges/indiana-wesleyan-university-marion). Our comprehensive list of the most affordable schools can be explored [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state learners can anticipate paying about $0 for a degree in art therapy. That cost increases dramatically to an average of $0 for an out-of-state public-school undergrad. Our pick for the school constituting the best value for art therapy: [Emmanuel College](/colleges/emmanuel-college-ma). On this page you can see our comprehensive list for the universities we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. Bear in mind, this discussion is predicated on being an out-of-state student. A discussion of value changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but as we do not know what state(s) you might qualify for in-state tuition, we are approaching this discussion through out-of-state tuition costs.

 Earnings for art therapy majors can differ, but two-years after finishing the degree students will often earn in the neighborhood of $49,000. There can be much variation in earnings potential; highest paid earners can rake in up to $89,600. Right out of college, the lowest end jobs within the art therapy field make $27,100, which could be worse. The top earning graduates for art therapy studied at [Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion](/colleges/indiana-wesleyan-university-marion)&nbspand if you want to find the universities with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), Authority has that too.

 The all-around diversity of art therapy sits subpar, falling within only the 9th percentile of majors nationally. The school with the highest composite diversity for art therapy is [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university)&nbspand here you can find our general list for the schools which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The overall financial diversity of Art Therapy only sits in the 76th percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is even lower in the 20th percentile. White undergraduates make up the largest proportion at 75% of students majoring in art therapy. Additionally, 95% of undergraduates pursuing an art therapy degree are women.

 We have insufficient professors data for art therapy to make the conclusions we normally would have made in this sentence. As we incorporate data beyond simply rankings it becomes clear that the school possessing the overall best professors for art therapy is [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university). One can find more detail on our evolving ranking methodology of the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), along with many of the finest examples of instructors in the U.S.

 Finally, the most difficult college to get into for art therapy is [Mount Mary University](/colleges/mount-mary-university). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a general page of the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we hope you understand that looking at university from context mainly derived from superlatives could be said to be the root of many of higher education's fundamental problems. We at Authority hope you explore our other pages on different schools and peruse a couple of our background pages on beneficial things to consider as you continue your school search.



 ### POPULARITY

 Art therapy is the 352nd most popular degree in America, with 202 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #353 [Stringed Instruments](/rankings/best-colleges-for-stringed-instruments), and narrowly lost to #351 [Data Modeling and Database Administration](/rankings/best-colleges-for-data-modeling-and-database-administration).

 The degree is offered at a total of 52 colleges across the nation, and is the 272nd most widely offered degree. It is not offered at any of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America.

 It is also worth noting that 12% of colleges offering art therapy are public making it a quite inaccessible field.

 The great lakes produces the most art therapy graduates, largely led by [Capital University](/colleges/capital-university), while it’s the New England Collegiate Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, Massachusetts ranks highest, with particular help from [Anna Maria College](/colleges/anna-maria-college) and [Lesley University](/colleges/lesley-university).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more art therapy graduates than [Ottawa University-Phoenix](/colleges/ottawa-university-phoenix), which graduated 34 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study art therapy). More students studied art therapy as a percentage of total students at [Lesley University](/colleges/lesley-university) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Art therapy is the 167th most expensive degree in the US, with a median cost of $32,685 amongst the top 50 programs (just ahead of #168, [Theatre Management](rankings/best-colleges-for-theatre-management), with a median cost of $32,572).

 The Mid East has the most expensive schools with top 50 art therapy programs led by [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university) with an annual cost of $36,452. Pennsylvania is the most expensive state for art therapy led by [Cedar Crest College](/colleges/cedar-crest-college) and [Marywood University](/colleges/marywood-university).

 Public schools with solid programs typically charge 100% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 100% less than your average private school. So, if you're hoping to attend a state school, make sure you're eligible for in-state tuition sooner rather than later.

 The most expensive top 25 college for art therapy is [Emmanuel College](/colleges/emmanuel-college-ma). The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion](/colleges/indiana-wesleyan-university-marion). It costs just $27,296 per year and is ranked 7th for its art therapy program. Another more affordable pick would be #3, [Lesley University](/colleges/lesley-university) in Middlesex County, MA with a cost of $28,500 for in-state students and $28,500 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 College is a major investment for most students. It is important to be assured you justify your investment. With that in mind, we hope the following earnings and career info help you in deciding your major at college.

 Right out of university, Art Therapy students earn $61,154 a year on average, which is the 45th highest of any major. After some experience in their careers, they can earn as high as $89,576 per annum to as little as $27,054, but average close to $49,020. For context, that's 27% north of the U.S. average.

 The most popular work position for an Art Therapy graduate is Account Executive, which usually earn close to $36,000; next are Sales Consultant and Consultant, which for the most part make close to $36,000 and $56,000 respectively.

 The Great Lakes has the highest grossing Art Therapy graduates. The highest earning state for Art Therapy graduates is MI. The best paid conference for Art Therapy graduates is Patriot League.



### STUDENTS

 College is a supremely meaningful period of one's life; it is an occasion for personal growth and evolution. Undergrads continue to find out who they hope to become and learn many of the required skills to be a flourishing member of society. But growth isn't entirely confined to a classroom environment - the campus dialogue, the life lesson gained from an eccentric professor, the exposure to a different way of looking it. As such, a diverse campus vastly enriches what you gain from your time at school.

 Art Therapy is a less racially diverse focus than average\*. 75% of America's Art Therapy majors are white students, followed by latino students (11%), students of other races\*\*(7%), and asian students (5%). The most ethnically diverse college\* in the top 100 is [St. Thomas Aquinas College](/colleges/st-thomas-aquinas-college)&nbspin Sparkill, NY.

 Furthermore, Art Therapy is the the 10th most female dominated focus, with 95% of students identify as women. The most gender balanced school in the top 100 is [Long Island University](/colleges/long-island-university) in Brookville, NY.

 Another significant type of diversity is economic diversity. Art Therapy ranks in the top 24% of subjects for economic diversity. 29% of its students come from households who make above $110,000 a year, 18% are from upper middle income homes, and 23% grew up in households that take home less than $30,000 a year. [Ursuline College](/colleges/ursuline-college) has the most fiscally diverse students in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall NY is the most diverse state for Art Therapy. The New England is the most diverse region, and the East Coast Conference is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 5%
* Black: 3%
* Latino: 11%
* White: 75%
* Other: 7%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 5%
* Female: 95%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 23%
* 30k - 48k: 14%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 18%
* Over 110k: 29%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 77%
* Out of State: 21%
* International: 2%


2023 Art Therapy Salary

There are about 1,639 students enrolled in Art Therapy in the USA.

SALARY