AFFILIATION AGREEMENT

The Vancouver Art Therapy Institute is pleased to announce that Athabasca University (AU) accepts up to 12 VATI course credits for transfer. Historically (since 2002) our institutions have had a collaboration agreement in which students enrolled in both programs could earn a VATI Diploma along with an AU, MC:AT (Master in Counselling: Art Therapy Specialization) degree. Graduates were both art therapists and counsellors.

However, in 2020 the decision was made to move our collaborative relationship to a more streamlined, and easier to navigate credit transfer system. This means that the two programs are now completely separate. You will see on the AU website that it currently reads that the MC:AT program is suspended. What this means is AU is no longer offer an MC:AT degree, but only an MC. Students can still do an AU MC and the VATI diploma concurrently.

Students wishing to take advantage of this credit transfer would do so as if they were taking two separate programs, and this can be done in 3 different ways:

1) Students can complete the VATI diploma first and then can transfer 12 VATI credits to AU’s Master of Counselling (MC) Program. Please see the AU website for more information about their application process and program pre-requisites. Only after acceptance to the AU MC program will VATI student then transfer their credits;

2) Students can take the AU MC program first and up to 12 AU transfer credits to the VATI diploma. Please ask VATI about which AU MC courses are eligible for transfer to the VATI diploma;

3) Students can take these two programs concurrently and transfer credits between the two programs during the time of study. VATI is happy to help you navigate the overlapping transfer credit process between these two programs if completing these programs concurrently is a good choice for you.

The advantage of doing these programs concurrently is it will save students time and money, vs. doing these two separate programs consecutively.

For further information about how to take advantage of this transfer credit agreement, please contact Director of Distance Programs: laura@vati.bc.ca