Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy

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Credit Hours

Online,* 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Dates: January 19, 2026 | February 16, 2026 | March 23, 2026

Learn How to Help Guide People Toward Healthier Futures with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Online

Conferring Liberty University’s Master of Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) can help deepen your understanding of relationships as you explore ways to address emotional, mental, and interpersonal challenges in a variety of contexts. In this program, you can study advanced therapy concepts that are informed by both research and practical application, with an emphasis on helping clients improve their mental health and work toward building healthier relationships. Additionally, this degree is designed to help you pursue licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT).**

Throughout your courses, you can examine topics such as crisis therapy and trauma healing as well as research methods and legal issues. You’ll also have the opportunity to gain experience through an internship component, where you can connect classroom learning to real-world practice under the guidance of experienced practitioners. This combination of study and application can help you connect what you study in the classroom to situations you may encounter in professional marriage and family therapy (MFT) settings.

By pursuing this marriage and family therapy master’s program online, you can train to serve in settings such as private practices, community agencies, nonprofit organizations, or faith-based ministries. Our goal is to help you grow in your ability to approach each client with compassion, professionalism, and a commitment to supporting both individuals and the family unit as a whole.

*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 Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Program?

Whether you’re a parent, a working professional, or have other important responsibilities outside of school, we want to help you further your education without putting your life on hold. Liberty’s Master of Marriage and Family Therapy offers online courses that seek to help you balance your studies with work, family, and other commitments. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to complete your internship experience at an approved location near you.

In this online MMFT program, you’ll study under faculty who are both educators and experienced behavioral sciences professionals. They bring real-world perspectives into the classroom, drawing from their own work to illustrate how theory connects with practice. Their guidance can help you see how various therapeutic approaches can be adapted to meet different cultural, relational, and situational needs while allowing you to gain an insider’s look at the MFT field.

Not only that, but Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In addition, our MMFT program aligns with standards set by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). This means you can be confident that your online master’s in marriage and family therapy degree meets high standards of excellence.

What Will You Study in Our Online Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s?

In this program, you can deepen your understanding of marriage and family therapy by exploring the professional, ethical, and legal considerations that guide therapists in their work. You’ll also have the chance to study human development and relational transitions across the lifespan; the impact of culture, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status on relational dynamics; and the ethical and clinical integration of spirituality in MFT. Through your studies, you can grow to understand the many factors that shape how people relate to one another and how those dynamics can be addressed in therapy.

Our MMFT program will also introduce you to theories and practices that support effective, evidence-based therapy. You can learn about principles of systemic family therapy, approaches for working with complex family systems, and techniques for providing therapy to couples. Other topics of study include crisis therapy, addiction, human sexuality, and trauma-informed interventions – all within the context of working with families.

To round out your learning, you can bolster your skills by completing supervised internship experiences, where you’ll have the opportunity to work directly with individuals, couples, and families in real therapy settings. The program also includes elective courses, allowing you to choose from a list of approved MFT electives. That way, you can tailor your education to fit your unique interests and goals.

Potential Career Opportunities

Featured Courses

Degree Information

This program falls under the School of Behavioral Sciences.
View the Graduate Behavioral Sciences Course Guides (login required).
This program requires a 3-semester internship.
Review information about the background check.
The online Master of 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 a licensure program does not guarantee a degree from Liberty or qualification for professional licensure. Students are responsible for meeting all academic and professional requirements for graduation. To view educational requirements and whether a specific program aligns with the licensure requirements for a particular state, please review our licensure/certification requirements webpage.

Licensure

The 60-hour Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy 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 by reviewing our licensure/certification requirements webpage.

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 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

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Scholarship Opportunities

Admission Information for the Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy

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.
Submit 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 but individuals who have supervisory or evaluative knowledge of your work, volunteer, church, or academic experience). 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.
Submit a Statement of Purpose. Please address each of the following items:
- 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 Community Care and Counseling’s Mission and Diversity Statement.
A signed International Disclosure Agreement is required for students seeking admission into this program who plan to finish it outside of the U.S.
ACD – Department Admission Review approval required – upon all documents being received on the checklist, the application will be sent for admission review by the department. This review can take 1-2 full business days for review (24-48 hours).
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 Master of 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.

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

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.

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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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Online Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy (MMFT) Develop Clinical Expertise for Compassionate Therapy

Learn How to Help Guide People Toward Healthier Futures with a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Online

What Sets Us Apart?

Why Choose Liberty’s Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Program?

What Will You Study in Our Online Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s?

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 Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy

Admission Requirements

Alternate Pathway for Admission

Preliminary Acceptance

Undergraduate Enrollment in Graduate Courses Policy

Transcript Policies

Admissions Office Contact Information

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