In early 2023, NOAH will launch a new professional development opportunity: the NOAH Essentials of Arts in Health. This certificate of completion is designed to demonstrate a person’s foundational competency in the arts in health field. This certificate is intended for artists and administrators who are using the arts to support health and well-being outcomes in healthcare and community settings.

The NOAH Essentials of Arts in Health Certificate will designate an individual as having successfully completed a rigorous online test on the Core Curriculum for Arts in Health Professionals book publication.

Any high school graduate over the age of 18 will be eligible to take this online, asynchronous test. The English-language test will be available to anyone, anywhere, at any time. The online test will be administered by Assessment Systems Corporation (ASC), and the test will be proctored. Those who successfully pass the test will receive a certificate of completion from NOAH.

This certificate will provide employers with documentation that you have demonstrated your understanding of a comprehensive body of knowledge (that is, the entire Core Curriculum for Arts in Health Professionals). This certificate does not assess your artistic skill or substitute for formal education or other professional certification in the arts in health field. The NOAH Essentials of Arts in Health self-study opportunity and certificate of completion are expected to serve as an inclusive and accessible “on ramp” to the growing arts in health field, nationally and internationally. Future educational materials and professional credentials to be created by NOAH will continue to professionalize the field.

Established arts in health professionals and people who have already completed a rigorous program of study (either in an academic institution or through a professional development program) are encouraged to broaden and demonstrate their knowledge of the field by taking the test when it first becomes available. Those who are new to the field may wish to wait for additional introductory educational materials (textbooks and trainings) that NOAH will be creating in the next few years.

The information on this page will be updated as additional details about the NOAH Essentials of Arts in Health become available.