MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY GRADUATE PROGRAM COMPONENTS AND DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students must meet the following requirements to complete a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Marriage and Family Therapy:
- Completion of required 51 credit hours with a with a cumulative B average (3.0 GPA) or better
- Completion of all clinical requirements with a minimum of 500 direct client contact hours, with at least 250 of these hours being with couples and families (in at least 12-months of clinical practice)
- Completion of all clinical supervision requirements with a minimum of 100 clinical supervision hours, with 50 hours of observational data (video or live supervision).
- Passing of the MFT Program Comprehensive Exam
DEGREE TIMELINE: Students typically complete their M.S. degree in an average of two-years. The normal course load for MFT students is 9-12 hours in the Fall/Spring semesters and 9 hours in the Summer term. The UA Graduate School states that students have a maximum of six years to complete their degree.
CLINICAL TRAINING
During clinical training students are required to conduct at least 500 hours of therapy, with individuals, couples and families. Students receive at least 100 hours of supervision from approved supervisors while they are in clinical training. The supervision consists of individual, group, and live observations.
Throughout the clinical portion of their training, students carry a caseload at the Capstone Family Therapy Clinic, the MFT Program’s on campus, state of the art, training clinic. The clinic has four therapy rooms that are fully equipped with one-way mirrors and digital recording equipment to facilitate supervision and student learning. In addition, after demonstrating clinical competence in the on-campus clinic, advanced students will be assigned an off-campus clinical placement in the community.
REQUIRED COURSEWORK
The curriculum includes coursework in human development, marital and family studies, marriage and family therapy, professionalism and ethics, cultural diversity, research and statistics, and supervised practicum. Students are required to follow an organized sequence of study, in which academic and practicum coursework are integrated. Total semester hour requirement for graduation is 51 hours.
| YEAR 1 | YEAR 2 |
|---|---|
| Fall I, (12 credits) HD 500 (3) Life Span HD 567 (3) Prepracticum HD 664 (3) Family Therapy HD 641 (3) Ethics and Professional Issues in MFT | Fall (9 credits) HD 562 (3) Dynamics of Family Relations HD 668 (3) Internship BER 540 (3) Stats I |
| Spring I, (12 credits) HD 665 (3) Advanced Family Therapy HD 568 (3) Practicum I HD 640 (3) Couple and Sex Therapy HES 509 (3) Research Methods | Spring (9 credits) HD 668 (3) Internship Elective Course (3) Elective Course (3) *one elective must be a HD graduate course |
| May Interim (3 Credits) HD 642 (3) Systemic Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychopathology in MFT | |
| Summer Semester I, (9 credits) HD 645 (3) Cultural Diversity in MFT HD 667 (3) Practicum II |
MFT PROGRAM COURSES
HD 500 – Lifespan Human Development
HD 562 – Dynamics Of Family Reltn
HD 567 – Pract Marriage Family Therapy
HD 568 – Pract I Marriage Family Therapy
HD 640 – Couple and Sex Therapy
HD 641 – Ethics and Professional Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy
HD 645 – Cultural Diversity in Marriage and Family Therapy
HD 665 – Advanced Family Therapy
HD 667 – Pract II Marriage Family Ther
HD 668 – Intern Marriage Family Therapy
HD-642 – Systemic Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychopathology in MFT