In a recently published report by Best Value Schools, CSUN’s BA program in Music Therapy ranked number 2 nationwide in terms of quality and value for tuition costs. The ranking engine aggregates data from the National Center for Education Statistics to determine best choices for students pursuing academic and professional degree fields, making recommendations based primarily on program affordability, accessibility, and graduation success rates.
The Department of Music at CSUN established its Music Therapy program in 1984 under the leadership of Professor Ron Borczon, who continues to direct the program today. Aimed at educating students who will go on to earn board certification as clinicians and educators in the field, cohorts are relatively small, with low student-to-instructor ratios, high interpersonal interaction, and capstone field internships. Only around 50 programs nationwide prepare students to meet the growing demand of this allied healthcare field, and CSUN is one of just two institutions offering music therapy BAs in the state of California. An associated Music Therapy Wellness Clinic was established in 1996, also under Borczon's leadership, to serve children and adults with intellectual and physical challenges and disabilities throughout the greater Los Angeles area.