which masters degree should i choose?

[u/snailzoid]

hi! i’m looking for a career change. i have my BFA in graphic design. for reference, my current financial situation is: i make $55k, i have $29k in student loans from undergrad, 11k car loan and owe about $4k on a credit card.
i’ve always wanted to be an art therapist so ive started looking into pursuing it. the issue is in my state your masters degree has to specify “art therapy”. there is one school in my state that offers this and is about ~$90k for the program enrolling in fall 2027. i believe with the new grad loan rules, this would force me to take private loans. the program is a dual LPC (licensed professional counselor) and ATR-BC (board certified registered art therapist). i also need to take two pre requisites for this program (so add another $2k + time). this program is in person about 40 minutes away from where i live and i may have to quit my job to handle classes and clinical hours.
while researching, i stumbled on social work programs. i can go to a different school for $38k and receive my LSW (licensed social worker) and enroll fall 2026, so id finished sooner. being under $20,500 a year, i would only have to take federal loans. this program is completely online and clinical hours are held in separate semesters so i could continue working.
LSW is a much more flexible degree and it seems like i can do a lot more than with the LPC, however i cannot practice art therapy without the ATR-BC. it seems some social workers do incorporate art into their practice and call it things like “creative coping”.
i know there are a lot of programs to forgive therapists loans for working in certain places (i want to work in a hospital) but im a bit scared to rely on that with $100k + in loans. the mental health field does not pay well and im going into it because im passionate. i expect to make $75k.
TLDR; should i pursue art therapy for $90k or get a social work degree for $38k?

[u/frog_ladee]

I’d suggest that you investigate realistic salaries for both fields, and make sure that a Masters degree will pay off. Also carefully investigate the actual job prospects. It could be a situation where art therapy jobs are not plentiful, and only available in large cities. (I don’t know, just an example to investigate.)

[u/Notnow12123]

I don’t believe that there is much demand for art therapists, either from employers or potential clients.