Marriage and Family Therapy

A degree in Marriage and Family Therapy is an applied degree designed to train students to work with individuals, couples, and families with a wide range of problems, including anxiety, depression, relationship issues, and parenting. HDFS offers a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT), Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies (MS) with a Marriage and Family Therapy specialization and a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies with a Marriage and Family Therapy concentration. Utah State University’s MFT program is accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and meets all the requirements for licensure in the state of Utah.

Students are provided with opportunities to achieve the basic academic and initial clinical practice requirements for Utah state licensure as marriage and family therapists and for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.  This degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. Graduates in the MFT specialization are competitive for positions as therapists in state and private therapy agencies and in residential treatment facilities for adults and adolescents.

MS Program

A Master of Science with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy means that a student participates in a Master’s thesis (Plan A), and is only available to students who have been accepted into the Marriage and Family Therapy program. The MS and MMFT specializations complete the requirements to be a Marriage and Family Therapist. This specialization provides professional and research development for students who are primarily interested in marriage and family therapy as a career.

MMFT Program

Students who choose to pursue a Master of Marriage and Family Therapy are NOT required to write a thesis. Instead, these students complete a culminating experience in place of the thesis. Students who typically go through the MMFT program are those who will primarily go into professional practice.