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- Master of Arts (MA) in Family and Marriage Therapy – Online MFT Degree
- Admission: Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy
- Home
- Master’s Degrees
- Master of Arts (MA) in Family and Marriage Therapy – Online MFT Degree
- Admission: Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy
Admission: Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy
- Online MFT Degree
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Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy Admission Requirements
- Apply online or call an Admissions Counselor at (800) 424-9596.
- A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required).
- Fax/scan unofficial college transcripts. Please Note – Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a transcript request form.
- Mail official college transcripts (sealed, unopened copies or via a direct electronic transcript system). Admission requires a regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.7 for admission in good standing. Applicants who have earned a master’s degree or at least 12 graduate credits from an accredited institution will be assessed on the basis of the master’s level degree work. Please note: students without three credit hours in Statistics (this can be MATH 201) on their undergraduate transcript will be required to complete it upon admission to the program.
- Admission to this program also requires:
- Contact information for 2 recommenders (login required). As a part of the application process, we require contact information from two professional sources (i.e., not family/friends). These individuals should be qualified to address the applicant’s ability to complete graduate-level coursework, their disposition and ability to become a counselor, and their maturity, motivation, and ethics. Some examples of individuals that may be suitable include professors, employers, or leaders in an organization where the applicant volunteers. Please note: This contact information must be less than 1 year old.
- Statement of Purpose
- Please describe in 200-250 words why you desire to become a counselor and indicate the type of counselor certification you plan to seek after graduation.
- Describe in 200-250 words an occasion in which you have interacted with an individual or a group of individuals from another culture. Identify the cultural differences which were present and how you demonstrated respect for those differences.
- Describe in 200-250 words how you form effective interpersonal relationships with others in individual and group settings.
- Complete the form agreeing to the Department of Counselor Education and Family Study’s Mission and Diversity Statement. Please see the program handbook for more information.
- A signed International Disclosure Agreement for students seeking admission into this program who plan to finish it outside of the U.S.
- Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy.
Alternate Pathway for Admission
Students who do not meet the required 2.7 GPA can potentially be placed into the Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Studies.* Upon successful completion of this certificate with at least a 3.0 GPA, these students can be reevaluated for the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program.
*In order to be eligible for the alternate pathway, admission requirements for the graduate certificate must still be met.
Department of Community Care and Counseling’s Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy Mission and Diversity Statement
Mission
The mission of the Department of Community Care and Counseling (DCCC) is to produce ethically and spiritually aware marriage and family therapists who possess the knowledge, values, skills, and personal disposition to promote the mental health and holistic wellness of clients across diverse populations with unique worldviews.
The DCCC purpose is to accomplish this mission by the professional development of the student across the following domains:
- Attainment of scholastic competency in all coursework,
- Acquisition of, and ability to, apply marriage and family therapy skills with a diverse population to a standard acceptable by licensed marriage and family therapists,
- Demonstration of emotional and mental stability and maturity in interaction with others including the ability to maintain healthy boundaries, communicate appropriately, successfully manage personal anxiety or uncomfortable feelings, work collaboratively with others and resolve interpersonal conflict
- Adherence to the Professional Identity and Standards outlined by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and Liberty Graduate Student Code of Honor, and
- Demonstration of the ability to integrate faith and spirituality into marriage and family therapy where appropriate in an ethically competent manner
Commitment to Diversity
Liberty University is a school founded upon fundamental Christian values like grace, truth, and love for all persons. As believers in Christ, we must demonstrate our commitment to loving others (cf. Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28).
We approach marriage and family therapy as a profession that fosters holistic human growth and development in the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, relational, and spiritual domains of life. Our marriage and family therapy approach also supports the worth, dignity, potential and uniqueness of others who are made in the image of God. This means for us that all persons possess dignity and worth because they are unique subjects of Divine Creation. Our vision is focused on nurturing an academic community of diverse people and ideas and assuring that diversity enhances academic excellence and individual growth.
Our faculty and students are comprised of persons that represent various national, ethnic, spiritual, and denominational backgrounds. Learning to be respectful and appreciate other cultures will add to each student’s experience at Liberty. For that reason, we are committed to nurturing and training a diverse student body in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation of differences.
The DCCC provides an academic community for students, faculty, and staff to teach and learn from the experiences of others and to submit personal values and assumptions for reflection and critical examination. Student learning, professional and personal growth occur in a climate that encourages a deepened appreciation of differences. Therefore, we do not discriminate in our educational and counselor or MFT training programs on the bases of: race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national/ethnic origin, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disability.
While recognizing the importance of all dimensions of diversity as mentioned above, the DCCC adheres to the following initiatives:
- To increase, through recruitment and retention measures, the diverse representation of students, faculty, and staff;
- Promote full implementation of professional standards of practice and multicultural therapy competencies across the curriculum and in specialized courses;
- To include issues of diversity throughout the instructional programs and professional development activities;
- To develop graduate assistantships opportunities to serve diverse student groups;
- To provide departmental opportunities for students and faculty to engage in the exchange of ideas and information related to diversity; and
- To maintain ongoing educational opportunities and equality of access to our academic community.
- To equip students to ethically utilize spirituality as a force for healing when and where appropriate.
Students in the MFT program must exhibit the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy standards and ethics of the marriage and family therapy profession regarding sensitivity to and celebration of diversity.
Preliminary Acceptance
If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:
- Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
- Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcripts must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
- If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application.
- Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment.
Disclosure Statement
Enrollment in one of the M.A. licensure programs does not guarantee a degree from Liberty or qualification for professional licensure. Students are responsible for meeting all academic and professional requirements for graduation. Further information regarding these academic and professional requirements is outlined in this handbook. Further, it is the sole responsibility of the student, not the program, to obtain information regarding prerequisites for licensure as outlined by their particular state board of counseling or marriage and family therapy.
Unofficial College Transcript Policy
Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of acceptance and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.
Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:
- Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
- Cumulative GPA
- A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
- Degree and date conferred (if applicable)
Licensure Information Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)
The 60-hour Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Counseling degrees are designed to lead to professional licensure as outlined by individual state boards of counseling. Before enrolling in a licensure program at Liberty University, students should consult the rules and regulations regarding Clinical Mental Health Counseling and/or Marriage and Family Therapy for their particular state.
More specifically, students should be aware of the following before enrolling in one of Liberty University’s counseling programs:
- State regulations regarding licensure opportunities if an applicant has a previous felony conviction.
- State regulations regarding the type and number of academic courses and practicum/internship hours.
- The state accreditation requirements for educational institutions.
- The state regulations and requirements for online graduate education programs.
Liberty University Admissions Contact Information
Call
(800) 424-9596
Fax
(888) 301-3577
Email for Questions
luograd@liberty.edu
Email for Documents
luoverify@liberty.edu
Mail
Liberty University Online Admissions Verification
1971 University Blvd.
Lynchburg, VA 24515