Marriage and Family Therapy

The ASU School of Social and Family Dynamics and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a Master of Advanced Study in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAS-MFT) program.

Program Objectives

The purpose of this self-contained accelerated program is to provide high quality coursework and supervised internship experiences that meet the degree requirements for licensure in the State of Arizona to practice marriage and family therapy as determined and defined by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. The degree requirements are specified by the board and the program is designed to train practitioners who wish to practice marriage and family therapy.

This 39-credit hour program will prepare the student to:

1. Use appropriate written, verbal and nonverbal communication skills with therapy clients and professionals.
2. Apply ethics to marriage and family therapy incorporating the rules and regulations of the profession, critical thinking and compassion.
3. Conduct marriage and family therapy with clients of diverse backgrounds based upon an awareness and appreciation of diversity.
4. Apply knowledge of systems theory to practice.
5. Apply knowledge of marriage and family therapy models to practice.
6. Provide reasoning in support of diagnosis and treatment interventions.
7. Completion of the educational requirements for master's in family therapy licensure eligibility as defined by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (BBHE).

Faculty

Courses will be taught by state-licensed marriage and family therapists.

Program Requirements

Program of study: A Master’s of Advanced Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy requires the successful completion of a minimum of 39 semester hours, including required coursework and completion of 300 client contact hours in a community internship placement approved by the MAS-MFT faculty. Internships are expected to last approximately 12 months. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.00 in all coursework and satisfactorily meet the expectations of the agency supervising their internship.

Foreign language requirements: While there is no foreign language requirement for this degree, students for whom English is a second language will need to take and pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exam as specified by the Graduate College.

Thesis requirements: None.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores: GRE scores are waived for this program.

Transportation: For the internship, students are required to have a vehicle, a valid Arizona driver’s license, and proof of automobile insurance.

Internship examination: An examination to demonstrate readiness for internship placement will be held at the end of the first eight-week semester.

External employment: Because of the demands of any accelerated clinical graduate program, students can expect to accommodate, at most, flexible part-time employment. Both coursework and internships require that students be available during week-day hours.

Coursework

This is a self-contained 18-month program, which means that only the students admitted to this program will be permitted to attend the MAS-MFT classes. Classes outside this program can not be used to meet the requirements for this degree, i.e. there are no elective courses, and courses taken elsewhere, either within ASU or at another institution, cannot be substituted for any of the courses required for this degree. Courses must be taken in the semester listed below.

Courses, with the exception of practicum*, will meet twice a week during daytime hours for eight weeks (except for summer semesters (schedule to be announced) within the following schedule:

Tentative Course Schedule

Fall, Year One

FAS 570 Intro. To Marriage and Family Therapy (August-October) (3)
FAS 581 Professional Issues and Ethics (August-October) (3)
FAS 571 Assessment in Marriage & Family Therapy (October-December) (3)
FAS 576 Applied Issues in Human Development: Psychopathology (October-December) (3)

Spring, Year One

FAS 580* Practicum, concurrent with Internship (January-May) (3)
FAS 573 Dysfunctional Families (January-March) (3)
FAS 577 Applied Issues in Children and Adolescents (January-March) (3)
FAS 572 Advanced Techniques in Marriage and Family Therapy (March-May) (3)

Summer, Year One

FAS 575 Applied Issues in Couple’s Therapy (First Five Week Semester) (3)
FAS 578 Applies Issues in Sexuality (Second Five Week Semester) (3)
FAS 580 Practicum, concurrent with Internship (Eight Week Semester) (2)

Fall, Year Two

FAS 574 Family Theory for Marriage and Family Therapy (3)
FAS 579 Applied Research Issues in Marriage and Family Therapy (3)
FAS 580 Practicum, concurrent with Internship (1)

This concludes the required coursework. If the student has not yet accumulated the required 300 client contact hours in the internship, it will be necessary to register for practicum hours for the spring semester.

*Practicum, which is held concurrent with the student’s internship placement, will meet once per month for the duration of the internship. Entrance into practicum is contingent upon the student passing the entrance exam in October.

Students are required to remain in practicum until the semester ends in December, even if they complete their 300 hours while the semester is in progress.

Practicum (Concurrent with Internship)

Students who successfully complete the first two eight-week semesters AND satisfactorily pass an examination held at the end of the first eight-week semester will be eligible to interview for an internship placement at a mental health agency in the Valley beginning in January and continuing for 12 months or until the student completes the required 300 hours of client contact. Approved internships sites are selected by faculty members; sites are located throughout the Valley. All students will be supervised by a state-licensed marriage and family therapist.

Students must have their own car, a valid Arizona driver’s license and proof of automobile insurance (out-of-state students with a valid driver’s license will be able to obtain an Arizona license once they have moved to Arizona).

Tuition and Fees

Students pay graduate tuition (in-state or out-of-state), fees, and a per semester hour program fee of $475. Residency status is determined by the Graduate College.
Because this is an applied accelerated program, assistantships and other funding are not available. Students are encouraged to pursue scholarships or other forms of financial aid independently.

Admission Criteria/How to Apply

The first step in applying to a graduate program at ASU is completing the application to the Division of Graduate Studies at ASU at: http://graduate.asu.edu/admissions/index.html.

In addition to the graduate college application form and materials, the following supplemental information must be submitted:

Official transcripts of the student’s academic record
1. A personal statement
2. A current resume or curriculum vitae outlining the applicant's employment history, volunteer activities, and any academic or civic awards
3. Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s academic background

All supplemental materials must be submitted directly to School of Social and Family Dynamics:

Sandra Balistreri, Graduate Secretary
School of Social and Family Dynamics
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 873701
Tempe, AZ 85282-3701

The application deadline is January 15. Candidates selected to proceed to the next stage in the admission process will be invited for a personal interview with faculty. Our program does not have rolling admissions, students are admitted for the fall semesters only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here for FAQ’s (Word, 34KB)

Questions should be directed to:

Mary Doyle and Karissa Greving
School of Social and Family Dynamics
Arizona State University
E-mail: Mary.Doyle@asu.edu and Karissa.Greving@asu.edu