PsyD in Marital and Family Therapy
PsyD in Marital and Family Therapy Overview
When you’re ready to advance beyond your master’s degree, our COAMFTE-accredited PsyD in Marital and Family Therapy degree, offered online or on-campus, will help expand your clinical practice and ability to treat your clients holistically. This field of psychology, couples and family therapy, focuses on each aspect of who we are as individuals and as members of our families, and various communities.
The PsyD in Marital and Family Therapy is a professional doctoral program designed to prepare advanced clinicians, educators, and leaders in the systemic and relational field of couple and family therapy. Grounded in multicultural, ethical, and social justice frameworks, the PsyD integrates rigorous academic training with supervised clinical practice, research, and professional development. Students in the PsyD program develop advanced competencies in assessment, diagnosis, systemic intervention, supervision, and leadership, preparing them for licensure, clinical leadership roles, and meaningful contributions to the evolving practice of marriage and family therapy.
Our COAMFTE-accredited, 114-credit post-baccalaureate program is offered online and on campus. The standard graduation program completion time for full-time students is 5 years, with a maximum of 8 years. We also offer an on-campus and online COAMFTE-accredited, 69-credit post-master’s program.
Admissions to the PsyD program were paused for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. The program will resume admitting students in Summer 2026.
Program Mission
The mission of the Couple and Family Therapy graduate program is to provide high-quality education, training, clinical experience, scholarship, and service grounded in systemic and relational perspectives. The programs prepare clinicians to understand and address psychological concerns within the context of relationships, families, and broader social systems, emphasizing interactional patterns and cultural and contextual influences. We train ethical professionals to foster the well-being and mental health of individuals, children, couples, families, organizations, and communities primarily through improving relationships.
Our CFT programs specifically focus on the understanding and respect for the diversity of human relationships across different populations from a variety of multicultural, socioeconomic, and international backgrounds. CFT students are encouraged to respect the many dimensions of human diversity, develop a mature personal and professional identity in couple and family therapy field, stay current with professional knowledge and practice in relational and systemic perspectives, and make a positive difference for clients and society.
Offered at These Locations
Program Manuals
Master’s Level Practicum Clinical Training Manual
Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines
Admissions
Learn About Admissions Requirements
Faculty
Get to Know Our Diverse Faculty
Degree Information
Concentrations
Chemical Dependency Concentration
The Chemical Dependency concentration is available to 114-unit doctoral students who complete practicum training through the university.
This concentration will prepare students to work with individuals, couples, and families who have experienced addiction. This concentration area includes the 39 units that the California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators (CAADE) requires for their accredited Chemical Dependency Certificate program. Students who select this concentration will receive this certificate upon completion of the master’s program and may include it on their resume or CV. Students who choose this Concentration will be prepared to work with families facing addiction, and they will understand the best clinical care practices for treating chemical dependency in the family from a systemic perspective in the current managed care market. Students in this concentration must choose a practicum site that allows them the opportunity to obtain a minimum of 250 hours working with clients who experience addiction (i.e., a residential treatment center or intensive outpatient program). These 250 hours can be included in the total 300 hours required to complete the MFT master’s degree.
Medical Family Therapy (MedFT) Concentration
This MFTC program prepares you to work in and with the medical health care system to help those struggling with medical issues. You will be trained to work with the complex biological, psychological, relational, social, and spiritual dimensions of health care.
Links and Downloads: PsyD Program
School Performance Fact Sheets
Disclaimer Regarding Program Outcomes Data:
The employment and licensure data provided in the School Performance Fact Sheets (SPFS) is required by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and is based on limited survey responses from graduates. Due to low response rates, this data may not fully or accurately represent the outcomes of our graduates.
For a more comprehensive and representative overview, please review our Graduate Achievement Data reported to the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), which includes graduation, job placement, and licensure rates.
San Diego Graduate Achievement Data (MFT PsyD)
Los Angeles Graduate Achievement Data (MFT PsyD)
Sacramento Graduate Achievement Data (MFT PsyD)
Irvine Graduate Achievement Data (MFT PsyD)
Online Graduate Achievement Data (MFT PsyD)
We provide the diversity composition of our student body, faculty, and supervisors. Please follow the links below for the related data. We hope this information will help you make an informed decision regarding your graduate study.