After 166 years of offering only undergraduate degrees in the liberal arts, Wartburg College is beginning a master’s program in 2018. The first graduate-level degree for the school in Waverly will be in music therapy.
Administrators at Wartburg have been considering a master’s program in one of its specialty areas of study for the past five years. They say the music therapy profession is moving toward a master’s as the entry-level degree for future music therapists. The dean of faculty at Wartburg, Brian Ernsting, says the move opens the possibility for more master’s degree programs at the school, but not right now.
“This is a really important step for us, our first master’s program, and we’re really excited about executing this well,” he says.
Ernsting says there are no specific plans for future graduate degrees at Wartburg.
“Right now, we’re really focused on delivering an excellent Master of Arts in music therapy, but it does open other horizons for us,” he says.
The addition of a graduate degree path at the school in Waverly does not change its status. It remains Wartburg College.