Any advice on studying Art Therapy as a master degree and moving away from home?

I'm planning on applying to study an art therapy masters degree next year (September 2025) and I'm struggling to make a decision. I'm also questioning if this route would be right for me in terms of financial stability etc..
I was initially torn between getting my PGCE to become an art teacher but I'm feeling that the art therapy route is calling me, it's more the fear of the unknown that is putting me off as I know what to expect from a PGCE, i know i would study the year and then become a teacher. I'm more unsure of what the path of an art therapist entails in regards to employment etc.

I live in Northern Ireland, I have a degree in fine art and I have over 2 years of experience working as a one on one classroom assistant with SEN children and im ready to take the next step...

The thing is, I don't know which university would be best for me and which course is the best route to take. There is a few universities that offer the course but they seem to vary.
For example, Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh offers an Msc in art psychotherapy and University of Chester offers an MA in art therapy...
Would somebody be able to clarify the difference between art therapy "Msc" and an "MA"

Has anybody been to university to study an MA or Msc in art therapy/psychotherapy who would be able to offer some insight into what it's like and if you would recommend it.

There is also the issue of financing as I'm unsure if I would be eligible to receive student finance as I received 4 years of student finance when I completed my HND and BA in art a few years ago.
I'm scared I'll move away and essentially "shoot myself in the foot" with regards to finances, I haven't much money saved up. I would get a part time job of course but I don't know if this would be enough..
This will be my first time "properly" moving away on my own and I'm feeling nervous!

If anybody has any advice or personal experiences studying art therapy/working as an art therapist or university recommendations, that would be great!
Im feeling quite overwhelmed at the minute!!!!

Reply 1

ArtsUniPlymouth

Official Rep

hi @Ellross

I'm not going to answer all you're questions, because I don't have all the answers to them . However, I can answer a couple.

Financing a Masters through SFNI comes from a different availability pot than your undergrad funding. The 4 years rule is just for undergrad.

The second bit of the Masters Degree title is to do with what field the degree is in, so MAs tend to be from Arts and humanities. This like Fine Art, Social Sciences, etc. The MSC is for Science based subjects. I would def contact the courses you're interested in and ask them what they cover. They might be able to put you in touch with current students who are studying the subjects you are interested in.

Hope that helps

Andrea. 3rd year student.
Arts University Plymouth Rep
Aup.ac.uk
Talk to our students -
💻 Email us at [email protected]⁠
☎️ Call us on 01752 203402⁠
📱 Whatsapp us at 07722 744184⁠

Hope that helps

Reply 2

University of Chester

Official Rep

Hi

It's great the hear that you're interested in an Art Therapy degree! 🙂 It sounds like you have some great experience and qualifications behind you already.

This recent thread may be of interest to you as another prospective Art Therapy student asked some questions and we had a current student give their unique perspective of studying at Chester.

There is a section about fees and funding on our Art Therapy MA course page - https://www.chester.ac.uk/study/course-search/art-therapy-ma/. Additionally, we'd recommend contacting Student Finance directly to seek some further guidance regarding options available to you.

I would agree with Andrea above in regards to the main differences between MA and MSc degrees.

Feel free to ask us any questions below about studying at Chester - we'll do our best to help 🙂

Best wishes,
Becky