Belmont University
AC-4: Graduate Program

Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.

Health care is one of Nashville’s leading industries and has as its purpose the sustainability and enhancement of the quality of human life. Courses that are part of the Health Law concentration include: Biomedical Ethics; Employment Law; Global Health and Human Rights; Health Care Business and Finance; Health Care Fraud and Abuse; Mediation; Medical Malpractice; Mental Health Law; and Non-profit Organizations. In addition to course work, students concentrating in Health Law also must complete a faculty-supervised, law-review quality paper on an approved health law topic, which provides them with an opportunity to engage in detailed research.

The College of Pharmacy has created a concentration (minor) in the curriculum that enables a student to amass up to 30 credit hours in missions and public health. In these courses, the student learns of community health issues, population health, national and international health data, endemic disease, and episodic disease situations that effect patient outcomes, wellness, and changes necessary in health care systems. Students participate in Nashville area clinics that serve US Veterans, the homeless, the underserved and uninsured, and refugees. Students are also involved in various community care incentives, feeding the hungry, serving in food collections, and clothing. Students participate in collections of dangerous and out of date prescription medications to remove them from homes. And participate in legislative days to bring health issues to the attention of leaders, both in the state of Tennessee, and in Washington, DC.

On an international basis, student pharmacists and pharmacy faculty volunteer their time to serve the underserved in Haiti, Honduras and other countries during spring break and in the summer months. The student pharmacists participate in 10-14 one-week-long periods to travel to Guatemala City, to partner with surgery teams, providing surgical corrective treatment for children who have scars, orthopedic abnormalities, oral malformations, cosmetic abnormalities, and eye abnormalities.

The School of Occupational Therapy provides comprehensive graduate education within a Christian, learning environment to enable students from diverse backgrounds to positively impact the community at large and enhance the human condition through appreciation of diversity, problem-solving, and utility of meaningful and purposeful occupations.