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Movement Therapy & Education

A program that prepares individuals to use functional and expressive integration strategies to help promote somatic awareness and optimal psychophysical functioning. Includes instruction in skilled touch techniques, kinesthetic awareness processes, movement observation, patterning, client assessment and guidance, verbal and nonverbal communication, practice management, professional standards and ethics, and specific therapeutic and educational modalities

Types of Degrees Movement Therapy & Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Movement Therapy & Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	49
Master’s Degree	20
Doctor’s Degree	6

What Movement Therapy & Education Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Movement Therapy & Education develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Movement Therapy & Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Movement Therapy & Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Fine Arts — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Movement Therapy & Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Movement Therapy & Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Movement Therapy & Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.9 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.7 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Movement Therapy & Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Virtual instrument software	Music or sound editing software	—
Avid Technology Pro Tools	Music or sound editing software	—
Musical instrument digital interface MIDI software	Music or sound editing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Appointment scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Movement Therapy & Education graduates include:

• Therapist
• Creative Arts Music Therapist
• Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
• LCAT (Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)
• Creative Music Therapist
• Hospice Music Therapist
• Neurologic Music Therapist
• Music Therapist
• Music Art Therapist
• Community Music Therapist
• Public School System Music Therapist
• Music Therapy Specialist
• Music Dance Therapist
• Music Rehabilitation Therapist
• Expressive Music Therapist

What Can You Do With a Movement Therapy & Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Movement Therapy & Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Music Therapists	4.9%	$71,670	$59,577–$83,764
Therapists, All Other	-2.9%	$121,750	$95,414–$148,085
Art Therapists	1.6%	$40,748	$32,327–$49,169

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Movement Therapy & Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	59.0%
Master’s degree	29.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	9.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
Post-doctoral training	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Movement Therapy & Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72% of Movement Therapy & Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	54	72.0%
Men	21	28.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Movement Therapy & Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	40	53.3%
Hispanic or Latino	16	21.3%
Black or African American	8	10.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	1.3%
Two or More Races	5	6.7%
Race Unknown	4	5.3%
International Students	1	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Movement Therapy & Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Movement Therapy & Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$26,390
4 years	$24,770
5 years	$33,461

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $33,461 — roughly 27% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Movement Therapy & Education Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Movement Therapy & Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Movement Therapy & Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Movement Therapy & Education graduates earn a median of $24,770 four years after completion — about 35% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Art Therapy/Therapist	768
Music Therapy/Therapist	651
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Other	621
Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education	575
Hypnotherapy/Hypnotherapist	399
Yoga Teacher Training/Yoga Therapy	98
Animal-Assisted Therapy	93
Play Therapy/Therapist	65
Dance Therapy/Therapist	48
Horticulture Therapy/Therapist	15
Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education, Other	3
Drama Therapy/Therapist	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.