Master’s and Doctoral Programs in MFT

Our master’s and doctoral program in Marriage and Family Therapy are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Completing your degree in a COAMFTE accredited program has several advantages, including facilitating licensure in most states and ensuring high quality training as a family therapist.

The MFT masters and doctoral programs have gone through significant advancements over their 20-plus year history -- the programs consistently informed by:

• The values, beliefs, and mission of the faculty, the School, and the University.
• The standards of the MFT Profession and the COAMFTE accrediting body.
• Advances in the MFT profession's knowledge base and methods of knowledge application and advancement.
• Advances across mental health professions.
• An understanding of the work of the MFT profession within the context of a changing mental health enterprise, citizenry and social structure, and global society.

Ideally, our work to translate the meaning and influence of these factors to the educational and training environment provides a program that advances generations of MFT professions with:

• The qualities and competences necessary for professional MFT practice in response to the needs of their clients and communities.
• The commitment to regularly examine what they know and believe, and
• The willingness to expand the perimeters of their knowledge base as terrains and conversations change.

The masters program is normally completed in two years, although there is some flexibility to accommodate to individual student needs. Courses focus on the acquisition of conceptual knowledge and the clinical and research skills required of professionals in the 21st century. To facilitate the integration of theory and practice, students complete supervised clinical practicum experiences of 500 supervised clinical hours. The accredited Masters program in Marriage and Family Therapy socializes students to the MFT profession and its knowledge base and provides the personal balance of knowledge, experience, awareness, and skills necessary to develop a professional identity and role, and a relevant and effective approach to therapy. The intention is to account for the full range of learning proficiencies now thought to be necessary to develop the competences required for professional practice within an increasingly pluralistic and technologically advanced society. Toward that end, the faculty infuses innovative course designs and experiential learning opportunities to facilitate the development of professional skills, knowledge, and dispositions.
Master’s Program Required Course Sequencing

The Ph.D. program in Marriage and Family Therapy is an individualized curriculum intended to facilitate competence in areas desired by particular students, to conform to the requirements of the COAMFTE accreditation standards, and to meet the clinical and research needs of today’s MFT profession. The program emphasizes the importance of understanding and using cultural and contextual influences to improve the quality of research and practice. A core component of the program for all students is training in the provision of supervision that can be tailored to the unique clinical and developmental needs of MFT therapists. All students must complete a nine-month internship in Marriage and Family Therapy as well. Our doctoral program typically takes 3-4 years to complete depending on previous courses and the length of time it takes you to complete your dissertation Doctoral students typically have a number of opportunities to engage in research and/or teaching.

Doctoral students are expected to develop a plan of study in conjunction with their major advisor and academic advisory committee and to comply with all requirements established by the Doctor of Philosophy Program in the School of Family Studies (see Graduate Handbook ). Doctoral students in the Marriage and Family Therapy Program must also fulfill additional requirements indicated in the present Handbook.