The CACREP Accredited Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy Master's of Arts program is designed for the student planning to seek licensure in Marriage and Family Therapy and to practice in agencies, private practices, and other settings.
As part of the program's pragmatic approach to preparing professional counselors, in addition to classroom studies, students in the Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy program complete their first clinical experience (practicum) in the UCF Community Counseling and Research Center. Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy students then complete their internship/clinical experiences in a program-approved clinical setting in Central Florida, earning 600 total hours, 240 of which must be direct service hours.
The UCF Community Counseling and Research Center serves as a hub for training and research in the Counselor Education program, with graduate students providing counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults through the provision of individual, couples, and family therapy. The CCRC annually serves more than 1400 individuals, couples, and families in the Central Florida community.
The CACREP Accredited Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy Master’s of Arts (MA) program prepares students for licensure as a marriage and family therapist. As such, students must be formally admitted to the program to take any program area courses. The Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy MA program requires a minimum of 63 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree, including 6 credit hours of core courses, 45 credit hours of specialization courses (including 3 credit hours of an elective), and 12 credit hours of professional clinical experience.
Total Credit Hours Required: 63 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
The CACREP Accredited Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy Master's of Arts program prepares students for licensure in Florida as a Marriage and Family Therapist in order to practice in agencies, private practices, and other settings. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please view the licensure disclosure for the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy MA program.
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
51 Total Credits
Core
6 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- EDF6155 - Lifespan Human Development and Learning (3)
- EDF6481 - Fundamentals of Graduate Research in Education (3)
Specialization
45 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- MHS5005 - Introduction to the Counseling Profession (3)
- MHS6430 - Family Counseling I (3)
- MHS6431 - Family Counseling II (3)
- MHS6440 - Couples Counseling (3)
- MHS6070 - Diagnosis and Treatment in Counseling (3)
- MHS6220 - Individual Psychoeducational Testing I (3)
- MHS6400 - Theories of Counseling and Personality (3)
- MHS6401 - Techniques of Counseling (3)
- MHS6420 - Foundations of Multicultural Counseling (3)
- MHS6450 - Addictions Counseling (3)
- MHS6470 - Human Sexuality and Relationships (3)
- MHS6500 - Group Procedures and Theories in Counseling (3)
- MHS6702 - Ethical and Legal Issues (3)
- SDS6347 - Career Development (3)
- Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: One approved elective course. The elective course needs to be approved by the assigned faculty advisor, be graduate level courses, and align with students’ future professional goals.
Professional Clinical Experience:
12 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- The clinical experiences are comprised of two sections, Practicum and Internship. Both are experiential in nature and are independent learning activities that take place in authentic settings in which students must apply, reflect on, and refine knowledge and skills acquired in the program to their work with actual clients. The practicum is conducted on campus in the UCF Community Counseling and Research Center and the internship is conducted at various clinical sites around Central Florida.
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- MHS6803 - Practicum in Counselor Education (3)
- Prerequisites for MHS 6803 Practicum in Counselor Education are the following: MHS 5005, MHS 6070, MHS 6400, MHS 6401, MHS 6500, and MHS 6702. A minimum of 27 credit hours are required prior to beginning the practicum.
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
- MHS6830 - Counseling Internship (1 - 6)
- The prerequisite for MHS 6830 Counseling Internship is a "B" or better in all sections of MHS 6803 as well as MHS 6420.
Grand Total Credits: 63
Application Requirements
Application Deadlines
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
Additional Program Requirements
- Achieve at least a GPA of 3.0 in counseling specialization courses.
- Achieve a "B" or better in MHS 5005, MHS 6401, MHS 6803, and MHS 6803.
- Complete a total of 800 hours of clinical experiences, 200 of which will be in the UCF Community Counseling and Research Center and 600 of which are field-based experiences in the community.
- Students in the Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy program must complete 180 hours of marriage and family therapy services (within the 800 total hours of clinical experiences over the course of their practica and internships) in a marriage and family therapy setting.
- Submit all required documented evidence in a Canvas Graduation Portfolio and be approved by the assigned faculty advisor or Counselor Education faculty.
- Complete a professional exit examination (the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination [CPCE]).
- Given the experiential, competency, and performance-based nature of the courses taken by Marriage, Couple and Family Therapy students, students are limited to taking a maximum of three (3) courses per semester. However, if students believe they can verify a need to take more than three courses, they should consult with their academic advisor for approval guidelines.
Independent Learning
Practica and internships are independent learning activities that take place in authentic settings in which students must apply, reflect on, and refine knowledge and skills acquired in the program. The internship experience provides students with the practical experience of providing hands-on services for a variety of clients and presenting concerns. Such services may include, but are not limited to, individual, couple, family, and group counseling with children, adolescents, and adults. Client concerns range from developmental and relational concerns to more severe pathology. All clinical experiences are performed under the direct supervision of a licensed/certified professional counselor and include both individual and group supervision on a weekly basis.
