Marriage & Family Therapy MFT Degree Graduate Programs

What Is an MFT Degree?

Graduate MFT degree programs explore families and relationships. You’ll learn how relationships affect well-being. And you'll discover what you can do to help.

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Graduate MFT programs include core coursework. Plus, practicum experiences and an internship. They help students prepare for Marriage and Family Therapist career paths. And, they may prepare students to pursue state licensure.

written by Shannon Fandler

What Could You Do with a Graduate MFT Degree?

Marriage and family therapy - an MFT Degree could prep you to be Marriage and Family Therapist. These pros can work in diverse settings. For instance, they may have career paths at:

• Substance abuse treatment centers
• Outpatient care centers
• Hospitals
• Governments
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
• Others' private practices
• Their own private practice

MFT roles are projected to grow 22% by 2029, a rate much faster than average. (That's per the Bureau of Labor Statistics) Demand for therapists may be due to the growth of integrated care. That’s when a group of specialists work together. This lets them address diverse patient needs. So, MFTs could work alongside other kinds of mental health professionals.

You could also pursue various counseling career paths. Like, Substance Abuse Counselor. Counselors are most needed to work with under served populations. Like military veterans. Education requirements may vary widely in the counseling field. So, make sure you meet licensure criteria in your state.

Dr. Paul Hokemeyer Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Expert Insight

Expert Insight We asked: How did earning an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy kick start your career? Earning a marriage and family therapist degree taught me to think systemically. No longer do I view things in isolation. I view them as interconnected to three levels of a person’s existence. Intrapersonal, interpersonal and social cultural.

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What Kind of Degree Do You Need To Be a Marriage and Family Therapist?

Marriage & Family Therapists need to earn a Master’s in Marriage & Family Therapy. Or, you could earn a grad degree in psychology or a related field. Some students earn a dual degree in social work and marriage & family therapy. Note that an MSW or Master of Social Work could let you pursue a clinical social worker role. That could involve family counseling. But this degree is not the same as a Master's in MFT.

What Jobs Can You Get with a MFT Degree?

Earning your degree could help you pursue a career path as a marriage & family therapist. These pros help patients cope with relationship problems. Like issues with family members. That said, they treat individuals as well as couples and families. Along with that, you could pursue other human services career paths. Check out salary and employment for MFT roles, along with related career paths.

Marriage & Family Therapies may work in several different industries – from religion to health care. The industries that employ the most MFTs include:

• Individual and Family Services
• Offices of Health Practitioners
• Outpatient Care Centers
• State Government
• Residential Mental Healthcare Facilities

Why Choose a Popular MFT Degree?

Marriage and Family Therapy degrees are reported by NCES. Look under the category of health professions and related programs. Let's look at the most recent update of the data (2013). Across the U.S., 2,920 MFT degrees were awarded to grad students. The majority (97%) were Master’s degrees.

MFT Degree vs Masters in Clinical Psychology

A Master’s in Marriage & Family Therapy focuses on therapy strategies. These are used to help couples and families thrive. So this program could help you pursue an MFT career path. You’ll study areas like counseling, assessment, and treatment planning.

A Master’s in Clinical Psychology has a different focus. The program covers foundations in the field of psychology. But it may not include the clinical hours needed for counseling career paths. That said, there are exceptions. Some Master’s in Clinical Psychology programs offer a marriage and family track. This may help students prepare to become licensed therapists.

What about earning a Master’s in Clinical Mental Counseling? These programs cover counseling in a more general sense. But, many offer concentrations in Marriage & Family Therapy. And, these programs may be structured to help students meet state licensure requirements.

Whichever program you choose, note the requirements for your state and career path. Make sure your program is designed for your goals. Whether that’s launching an MFT career or pursuing more education.

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What is the Curriculum for a MFT Degree Program?

These programs explore the theory behind how families and relationships work. They also cover how to help patients resolve family challenges. You could study topics like psychotherapy and sex therapy. Plus, counseling people from diverse backgrounds.

Master’s in MFT programs are a common path for aspiring Marriage & Family Therapists. Coursework in a Master’s program covers standards and ethics for this profession. It also covers behavioral sciences. And you’ll study stressors that affect families. Like marital dysfunction. Or parenting concerns. And the main thing: you’ll explore ways to address these issues in therapy.

Courses you could take in marriage & family therapy Master’s programs include:

• The Counseling Process. This course covers counseling techniques and strategies. You’ll learn how to communicate with patients to get to the heart of their lives and relationships.
• Family Assessment. This course covers how to evaluate family dynamics and dysfunction. You’ll study characteristics of families, plus diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders that impact relationships.
• Couples Therapy and Treatment Planning. This course delves into the specifics of working with partners. You’ll learn models and techniques for counseling couples. And, you’ll learn how to put together an effective treatment plan.
• Counseling Children and Adolescents. Counseling children and teens calls for special approaches and considerations. This course covers the theory and practice of working with younger patients.
• Human Sexuality Counseling. This course considers aspects of human sexual identity and behavior. You’ll learn how personal attitudes and cultural values can impact sexuality. And, you’ll study sexual disorders.

What Do I Need to Know About the MFT Licensing (LMFT) Exam?

In all states, MFTs must pass a state-recognized exam to earn a license. The Association of Marriage & Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) creates this exam. It covers domains, tasks, and knowledge areas important for MFTs, including:

• Managing crisis situations
• Designing and conducting treatment
• Ethical, legal, and professional standards
• Models of marital, couple, and family therapy
• Theories of personality
• Divorce
• Substance addiction
• And more

To take the exam, you must first apply to your state board. The board will determine your eligibility. Then it will send you an approval code. At that point, you can complete an online application. Then, pay your testing fees. And of course, schedule your exam. If you don’t pass the first time, you can try again. That said, you can’t take the exam more than three times in a 12 month period.

How Long Does It Take to Get an MFT License ?

The time it takes to get an MFT license varies by state. For example, in California you need two years of supervised clinical experience. Within those two years, you must complete at least 3,000 hours. And, 1,700 of those hours must be completed after you’ve earned your grad degree.

Other states have different requirements. But generally you’ll need to complete 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. Some or all of the experience must be post degree. And, don’t forget to factor in the time it takes to study for and pass your license examination.

What Should I Know About COAMFTE Accredited Programs?

Graduating from a COAMFTE accredited program could be required or recommended for earning your therapist license. Certain employers, like the Veterans Administration, may need your program to be accredited.

The abbreviation stands for the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. They accredit the following marriage & family therapy graduate programs:

• Master’s Degree Programs
• Doctoral Degree Programs
• Post-Graduate Degree Clinical Training Programs

Choosing an accredited program could help you be confident in the quality of your education. Accredited programs offer potential benefits to students, including:

• They uphold the standards of the Marriage & Family Therapist profession
• Faculty members actively contribute to the field
• The curriculum is designed to prepare you for licensure and national/state examinations
• Coursework and requirements may be transferred to other accredited programs
• If you move, you may more easily meet qualifications for licensure in other states

How Long Does It Take Earn an MFT Degree to Become a Marriage & Family Therapist?

MFT Master’s programs usually call for 60 to 66 credits. The degree may take two to three years for full time students to earn. Besides earning a graduate degree, you’ll need to spend time on other requirements for licensure in your state. That includes post degree supervised clinical experience. Looking for more flexibility? Consider online programs. Earning an online degree could help you fit your studies into your schedule.

How Much Does it Cost to Get an MFT Degree?

The average cost of earning a graduate degree from a public institution is $11,617 per year. You may find programs that are more affordable than the average. And more costly, too.

Below, we’ve put together graduate tuition costs for 4 institutions. (All have Marriage & Family Therapy Grad Programs.) These are reported by the NCES. We then compared those costs to the typically most affordable college options. And the most costly. (These are also reported by NCES.)

Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy Costs per Credit

Cost per credit varies for each college or university. State universities may also have in-state costs vs. out-of-state costs. Below are a few examples of the cost per credit as reported by schools offering marriage and family therapy Master’s programs.

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Popular Schools with Marriage & Family Therapy - MFT Degree Programs

GradSchools.com offers 131 Top MFT Degree - Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Programs