Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy Overview
Apply today to start earning your PhD in MFT.
When you're ready to advance beyond your master's degree, our PhD in marriage and family therapy degree offered online or on-campus will help expand your clinical practice in professional psychology and ability to treat your clients holistically. This field of psychology focuses on each aspect of who we are as individuals and as members of our various communities through the lens of human sciences.
A doctorate in counselor education strengthens your professional credibility. Through a model of scholarship and hands-on practice, the PhD marriage and family therapy education program will provide you with the skills you need to make a difference in the lives of individuals, couples, families, and the societal constructs which bind us all together. Whether your goal is pursuing a career in social work or choosing a family counseling and couple therapy profession, this challenging yet rewarding couples and family therapy program will equip you with the tools and knowledge to succeed in couple family therapy and mental health counseling practice.
Some of the topics covered in the PhD in marriage and family therapy program are; behavioral science, advanced couples therapy, diversity and the family, sex therapy, psychopharmacology, and more.
In addition to our 114 credit post-baccalaureate program offered on-campus, we are now offering an on-campus and online 69 credit post-master's program. Learn more about our course offerings below.
Program Highlights
Hands-on Training
Get 300 hours of direct client contact, 100-plus supervision hours, and at least 100 professional development hours in the 114 unit PhD, giving you 600 to 1,300 hours to apply towards your license after earning your marriage and family therapy degree. Six Steps to a Successful Practicum
Service and Investment
If qualified, you can receive up to $50,000 of loan reimbursement from the National Health Services Corps in exchange for two years of work in an underserved area.
Concentrations
Chemical Dependency Concentration prepares you to work with those 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.
Medical Family Therapy (MedFT) Concentration, a CFT 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.
Cultural Competency
This doctorate in marriage and family therapy program has cultural competency at its core, and consistently adds culturally and linguistically qualified mental-health professionals into the health science workforce.
Compelling Coursework
In the marriage family therapy graduate program with therapy specialization, you will explore courses such as: advanced couple therapy, social basis of behavior, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and more.
Location Options
You can choose from four of California’s most desirable locations, each with a different focus, as the home for your PhD studies: Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, or online.
Admissions
Learn About Admissions Requirements
Faculty
Get to Know Our Diverse Faculty
Degree Information
Continuing a Legacy of Impact
MFT programs at CSPP have a long and storied history of esteemed faculty and industry luminaries that have passed through its doors to share knowledge to the next generation of family therapists. For the last 50 years, these doctoral programs in marriage and family therapy education have worked to produce the best marriage and family therapists and the most-respected thought leaders in the field.
Read more about our storied legacy
Links and Downloads
School Performance Fact Sheets
San Diego Graduate Achievement Data
Los Angeles Graduate Achievement Data
Sacramento Graduate Achievement Data
Irvine Graduate Achievement Data
Online Graduate Achievement Data
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.
Career Prospects in the Field of Marriage and Family Therapy
- Integrated healthcare
- Higher education and other educational institutions
- Charitable organizations
- Clinical management
- Solo or Independent practice
Frequently Asked Questions
What will I learn in the family therapy degree program?
The program can sharpen your knowledge on family dynamics and relationship issues. With the PhD family counseling degree in particular, you will be exposed to a range of counseling psychology topics, including applied counseling theories and instructional methods. Your knowledge in human development can provide valuable insights into the challenges that patients face at different stages of their lifespan.
What scholarship and financial aid options are available?
Private and public scholarships can help you meet the cost of your higher education, and Alliant International University offers institutional scholarships for many of our doctoral students. Learn more about these scholarship opportunities here. Additional financial aid is available for those who qualify in the form of loans, grants, federal work study, and military aid. Learn more in our Financial Options Guide.
When does the program start?
The MFT PhD degree program is offered as a semester-long program and is open for enrollment during the spring and fall enrollment periods. You can find a copy of our academic calendar here.
How long does it take to complete the program?
The PhD degree program can take as few as 69 credits (three years) if post-master’s, and as many as 114 credits (five years) if post-baccalaureate. Talk to an admissions counselor to find the best option based on your level of education.
Can I enroll in individual courses at Alliant?
Alliant only offers full academic programs. If you're interested in taking individual courses, or specific courses for licensure, we recommend exploring our Lifelong Learning and Professional Development program, which may offer what you need. You can contact them directly at ce@vahnet.net for more information.
Why Alliant
At Alliant, our mission is to prepare students for professional careers of service and leadership and to promote the discovery and application of knowledge to improve lives. We offer an education that is accredited, focused on practical knowledge and skills, connected with diverse faculty and alumni, and aimed at the student experience.
Why CSPP
Founded in 1969, CSPP was one of the nation’s first independent schools of professional psychology. Today, CSPP continues its commitment to preparing the next generation of mental health professionals through graduate-level degree programs in clinical psychology, marriage and family therapy, clinical counseling, organizational psychology, psychopharmacology, and more.
