MA in Marriage And Family Therapy | MFT Degree Online

Credit Hours

Online* with required intensives

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026 | May 18, 2026

Help Individuals, Couples, and Families Thrive by Earning a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapist Degree Online

Do you have an interest in counseling families and individuals through difficult issues? Our online Master of Arts (MA) in Marriage and Family Therapy can help equip you to do just that. Individuals, couples, and families have the chance to find life-changing healing through well-trained, caring counselors.

With Liberty University’s master’s in marriage and family therapy, you have the opportunity to build a strong foundation in marriage and family therapy (MFT) principles. Our program teaches these strategies with the aim of equipping you to seek licensure as a marriage and family therapist.**

Courses within our MFT degree can sharpen your understanding of individuals, couples, and family counseling theory. This program can also hone your understanding of techniques for effective clinical practice. Additionally, we understand the importance of the relationship between the therapist and the client. Because of this, Liberty’s marriage and family therapy program includes an internship requirement that aims to provide you with guided, hands-on experience.

If you want to learn how to help people in a professional setting through experienced professors and training in the field, an MFT program could be the ideal next step. With Liberty’s master’s degree in MFT, you can learn professional, ethical, relational, and legal issues in counseling from a biblical perspective.

*Some exclusions apply. Please refer to our exclusions page for more information.

**Liberty maintains strict compliance with all licensure requirements for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Not a Virginia resident? We want to help find the best program for you! To view educational requirements and whether a specific program aligns with the licensure requirements for your state, please review our licensure/certification requirements webpage.

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600+ Online Degrees
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Transfer in up to 75% of an Undergrad Degree
Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Top 10 Reasons to Choose Liberty

Why Choose Liberty’s Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Degree?

As an accredited Christian university committed to the health and well-being of families, Liberty is invested in your success as a marriage and family therapist. A pioneer in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to design a strong academic program for busy people like you.

Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Liberty meets high academic and professional standards. Our faculty members are a crucial foundation of that success. Experienced in their fields, these professionals provide quality academic training from a biblical perspective. The faculty may also provide clinical supervision during field experience and partner with interested students in research.

The goal of Liberty University’s MFT program is to equip you with the knowledge, values, and experiences that can help promote the wellness of your future clients. We want to cultivate ethical, spiritually aware mental health professionals who can serve across diverse populations.
Another goal of Liberty University’s marriage and family therapy master’s is preparing you to meet Virginia educational requirements for becoming a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT).

Since we are a Christian university, we believe that Christ should be the center of a marriage relationship and the example to which families can look. If you’re looking for a degree in marriage and family therapy, Liberty University offers a unique combination of biblically rooted principles taught by recognized, accredited experts.

What Will You Study in Our Marriage and Family Therapist Degree?

Our online master’s in marriage and family therapy covers ethical and legal issues, human growth and development, multicultural counseling, and counseling techniques for cultivating helping relationships. From there, our online MFT degree will guide you through the integration of faith and counseling, as well as theories of counseling.

In the advanced core courses of Liberty’s online MFT program, you will study group counseling, research and program evaluation, and assessment techniques. Other topics include career development, advanced psychopathology, and theories of family systems.

As you prepare to engage in your internship, your courses will provide instruction in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning in family and couple counseling. Our online MFT program also requires you to complete the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam to help further prepare you for the field.

Hands-on training is vital to our program. Our MFT degree requires you to complete a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship over the course of 2 semesters. An elective course rounds out our MFT online program. The elective can be a class in human sexuality or substance abuse therapy.

The courses in Liberty’s master’s in marital and family counseling strive to teach you how to ethically integrate faith and spirituality into client care. This unique skill can help set you apart from your peers and provides a meaningful perspective for work in MFT.

Potential Career Opportunities

Our master’s in marriage and family therapy online degree program helps prepare graduates to pursue Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) status in the state of Virginia. Students from other states seeking this degree should check with their state board’s requirements to determine whether the program will lead to licensure in their state.

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), you may find rewarding employment in one of the following areas:

Church or ministry-related counseling programs
Counseling centers
In-patient or out-patient hospital programs
Mental health agencies
Private practice as a marriage and family therapist
Residential treatment facilities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

This program falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
View the Graduate Behavioral Sciences Course Guides (login required).
Two 3-credit-hour on-campus intensives are required.
This program requires a 1-semester practicum and a 2-semester internship.
Review information about the background check, comprehensive exam, and the National Counselor Examination.
The online MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program may lead to licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT). See which states have unique board requirements.

Additional Information

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.

Licensure

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.

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.

Degree Completion Plan

State Licensure Requirements

Individual state licensure requirements may vary and are subject to change without notice. View your state’s requirements here: licensure/certification requirements.

Speak to one of our admissions specialists to help you choose the program that best fits your needs.

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Tuition & Aid

At Liberty University, a private Christian education is less expensive than you think. Over the last 10 years, Liberty University’s Online Program has only raised its standard tuition costs by less than 5% – and most of our online tuition rates rank in the top 35% for affordability for 2025 when compared to our leading online competitors.

Graduate Full Time	$580/Credit
Graduate Part Time	$645/Credit
Military Graduate	$290/Credit

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

All Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial Aid Forms & Eligibility

Scholarship Opportunities

Admission Information for the Online MFT Degree

Admission Requirements

Apply online or over the phone with an admissions counselor by calling (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).
Send official college transcripts (mailed as sealed, unopened copies or sent via a direct electronic transcript system). A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with at least a 2.7 GPA is required 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.
- Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form.
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.

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.
Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript 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 in the new master’s degree.

Transcript Policies

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 the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, 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)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to luoverify@liberty.edu.

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

Submit your application online or over the phone.

Start Online Application

Apply by phone: (800) 424-9595

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe.

Who May Qualify?

Active Duty
Reserve/National Guard
Veterans/Retirees
Spouses of Service Members and Veterans/Retirees
Current Department of Defense Employees

Available Benefits:

Tuition discounts – $290 per credit hour for graduate courses
Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder*
8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

These rates are reflective of academic year 2025-2026. Tuition rates may change annually. For the most current information, please visit our LU Tuition Cost page.

View Military Benefits

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a master’s in marriage and family counseling worth it?

Marriage counselors and family therapists are a vital part of our society. Many families and couples will go through trials that require intervention of some kind. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) could be the person to guide them to success.

For many people, marriage and family therapy is a rewarding career that lets them make a real-world impact on the well-being of clients and their families. Burnout can be a concern in the field of counseling, but with the right preparation and training, a long-term, impactful career in MFT can be fulfilling and healthy.

If your passion and interests lie in counseling couples and families, Liberty University’s MFT degree can help you move forward on that path. To ensure you are providing quality care to your clients, obtaining a respected degree in the field – and a license – is a significant step.

Individual state licensure requirements may vary; please verify licensure requirements for the state in which you reside.

Is there a difference between LMFT and MFT in counseling?

LMFT and MFT are often different ways of describing the same kind of master’s degree program in marriage and family therapy. However, LMFT refers specifically to a program that prepares the candidate to fulfill licensure requirements in order to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. You may see MFT in cases that refer to an individual who has completed recognized training in MFT concepts and principles, but who has not yet earned a license from the state.

Liberty University’s online master’s of marriage and family counseling does aim to prepare candidates to meet state license requirements for the state of Virginia, so our program would fulfill the LMFT description. To see requirements specific to your state, review our licensure/certification requirements webpage.

Can you complete an LMFT program online?

You may want to become a counselor – but as a working person with responsibilities to your job, family, and community, maybe you’re worried about attending classes on a campus. Perhaps you’ve even started looking into online marriage and family programs. At Liberty, we understand that you can’t afford to put your life on hold to pursue a degree – which is why our MA in Marriage and Family Therapy is offered online!

While you may find a variety of online MFT programs, Liberty University’s degree allows you to complete the majority of your coursework in your home or office and your hands-on experience in your hometown. This program has 2 required on-campus intensives, which are courses that give you the opportunity to network with faculty and fellow students to build professional connections prior to graduation.

So, as you’re considering your marriage and family degree, rest assured that you can attend Liberty – a reputable and respected university – while receiving your degree online with minimal disruptions to your current schedule.

What degree is best for marriage and family counseling?

The degree you choose should be one that aligns with your career goals and private life. A master’s in MFT with requirements that prepare you to pursue licensure is often the avenue people take toward becoming a Licensed MFT.

Two other degree options to explore as you consider counseling for families or individuals are the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or MA in Addiction Counseling. Both of these counseling degrees can help you work toward licensure or certification as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC), or Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Provider (LSATP) in Virginia.

Individual state licensure requirements may vary, please verify licensure requirements for the state in which you reside.

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*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

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MA in Family and Marriage Therapy – Online MFT Degree Help Couples & Families

Help Individuals, Couples, and Families Thrive by Earning a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapist Degree Online

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) Degree?

What Will You Study in Our Marriage and Family Therapist Degree?

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

Additional Information

State Licensure Requirements

Not sure what to choose?

Tuition & Aid

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Admission Information for the Online MFT Degree

Admission Requirements

Alternate Pathway for Admission

Preliminary Acceptance

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

Ready to Apply?

Military

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a master’s in marriage and family counseling worth it?

Is there a difference between LMFT and MFT in counseling?

Can you complete an LMFT program online?

What degree is best for marriage and family counseling?

Are you ready to change your future?

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