TESC Lerner Designatied Area of Study

[JohnnyHeck]

Has anyone out there got any experience with this angle? My 25 year old ADD son has just finished his Capstone for his BA Music and has discovered a huge hole within the competency training of music therapists regarding the design and implementation of medically qualified trials to gain scientific acceptance and funding outside their traditional psychosocial bailiwick. He is interested in a second degree in this specific area. He is having a difficult time with TESC just getting Advising to comment on the 100 level courses that he would pursue at our local CC. Math wise, he is basically starting from scratch. But as a former aerospace engineer and his mother an MD, we have reason to believe his goal is not unreasonable within the 33 hr. second degree requirement. However, due to his ADD, silly pedantic reqs. would kill his interest asap. e.g. he doesn't really need calculus. But if he could design the whole thing with directly practible courses and PLA experience, his goal is doable. Let's here those great ideas out there! Perhaps, he doesn't need a degree. How about: just learn the skills and publish the papers? Can this work without credentials? How would someone without credentials crack open the door in any field?

[sanantone]

He should just get a master's degree in music therapy, counseling, psychology, rehabilitation counseling, or recreation therapy. There are also graduate certificate programs in clinical trials management. Having a degree in learner-designed area of study is not going to do anything for his credibility. He can take courses and study on his own for PLAs to earn credits to add to his transcript or just to learn new skills. That would be just as good as having a BA or BS in LDAS. If he wants to be taken seriously as a researcher, then he's going to need a graduate degree and/or experience.

[JohnnyHeck]

You are quite right concerning the big picture. I'm just groping for some way to help him stay in the game. Without a clear "brass ring" in view, he just can't do it. There is actually a very fine totally online Masters at Texas A&M in this statistics field, but that's going to be just a "bridge too far" for my son. You are probably correct that the best approach is self study and then entry into a Music Therapy (MT) program which we have available here. Unfortunately, even the non MT degree requirements cannot be done by CBE, so this then probably presents a hill too high. Formal classroom academics are just too much torture for my son to bear, no matter what the prize. His 70 page capstone paper "Can Music as therapy meet the evidenced based standards of scientific medicine?" has turned on some kind of light deep in the recesses of his addled brain. If there were just some way to stoke this flickering flame, I'd sure like to find it. As always thanks for your input.

[NAP]

I'm not sure that another degree should be the next step for him. Why not help him find some established research groups and make some connections into the field that way? Find out what each of the members of the teams do. For instance, he doesn't have to be the doctor/researcher or the biostatistician, and they don't necessarily perform the music part of the studies. He could see practical application of his current degree and skills. They can help him find out if he needs any more training or not. I'm very impressed by his capstone paper!

[mrs.b]

In any other field?

Second for sanantone's graduate certificate suggestion. They provide more forward momentum than just an undergrad degree to signify more focus, but are far more abbreviated than a full Masters or PhD for students who do not want to go the whole 10-miles. Using those connections (i.e., aim to shine in a few courses and open direct communication with the professors, in addition to classmates) for openings to intern.

Volunteering creates a name for oneself, networking opportunities, and a resume bullet point that can be helpful in most fields, and while it requires the front-end sacrifice of free time, the payoff can be huge. Children's after-school groups, perhaps?

Also, it is perfectly alright and helpful in many fields to take supplemental courses not attached directly to a degree and list them on the resume as additional information.

Not that any of that necessarily applies to his chosen direction - I wouldn't even begin to claim knowledge of what opens doors in the therapeutic field - but that is what I usually suggest for other, more general fields.

[KayV]

You mentioned the Texas A&M Masters in Statistics as being too much at the moment, so what about one of their 12-hour graduate certificates in stats?
Online Learning at Texas A&M | Get Online Learning Statistics Certification

[JohnnyHeck]

I'm ignorant here. What is an established research group? And, where you would go find one? Do these exist outside of the corporate and/or academic world? Are they hobbyists? Sounds intriguing though.

[JohnnyHeck]

Glad you brought up the online certificate program idea. Tx A&M is a bit pricey, but there may be others out there. Just four courses in experimental stats would put my son way, way ahead of the practicing music therapist and even the clinical medical practitioner. He could be an exceptionally important member of that team. Finally they would have a chance that all their hard work would not be labeled "low quality" and "more research required" by the Cochrane Collaboration!

[NAP]

I'm ignorant here. What is an established research group? And, where you would go find one? Do these exist outside of the corporate and/or academic world? Are they hobbyists? Sounds intriguing though.

I'd start with google. Check your area first; hopefully, there would be someone nearby that he could actually meet soon. Can you find a group at a research hospital? Is there an association? Are there research articles, so you can contact the authors? I found this internship and the people who run it may be able to help with a starting point:

Music Therapy Internship | Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Try to make a list of his likes and dislikes. What does he think he wants to do with his degree and talents? For instance, I thought I wanted to do the math part of research studies, but I did not know what that was called. I explained it to a doctor at a research hospital, who told me it is called "biostatistics", which led me to the degree program at Texas A&M. He was also able to introduce me to a biostatistician, and we have had a very productive conversation about the ins and outs of the job and degree. I have also gotten to talk with another student in the program, which has been helpful, too. To me, you need to find someone who is doing what he wants to do or close to it. That will help him find and keep that passion, especially if more school is needed. More importantly he could get some experience and contacts that show him the way to his goal.

[NAP]

I should add:

Try phrases like - clinical research team

Also, this site could help find some contacts in the field:

Search of: music therapy - List Results - ClinicalTrials.gov