MA Marriage And Family Therapy Degree
0
Credit Hours
Degree SACSCOC
SACSCOC
Class Type
Online* with required intensives
Transfer Credits
Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total
Next Start Date
May 13, 2024
Accreditation
Liberty University is accredited by SACSCOC

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

Are you interested in counseling families through difficult issues? A Liberty University marriage and family therapy master’s program online can prepare you to help individuals, couples, and families find healing through counseling. Build a strong foundation in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) principles and strategies that can equip 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, techniques, and effective clinical practice. With Liberty’s master’s degree in MFT, you’ll learn ethical, professional, and legal issues in counseling from a professional and biblical perspective. 

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

Why get a marriage and family counseling degree online?

Liberty University Master's in Marriage And Family Therapy

Are you considering a counseling degree for the first time? Maybe you’re thinking about furthering your career in marriage and family therapy. If so, you’ll need the right degree to gain the skills and knowledge to practice this profession with a license. That’s why at Liberty, we offer a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) degree. 

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. From the beaming engaged couple eager to start their marriage right to the family who feels worn down from their children’s behavioral issues, a marriage and family therapist (LMFT) could be the person to guide them to success.

If you feel called to counsel couples and families, a Liberty University MFT degree can help you get there. To ensure you are providing quality care to your clients, obtaining a respected degree in the field – as well as a license – is key to success. Partner with us for your MFT online and experience the power of a degree from Liberty University – both in yourself and in your clients.

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

Can you get 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.

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Why Choose Liberty’s Master’s of Marriage and Family Therapy Online Program (MFT 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. As a pioneer in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to design a strong academic program for busy people like you. Our LMFT degree is designed to enhance your life – not control it. 

The online marriage and family counseling program meets the highest level of academic and professional standards. Additionally, it is designed to help you meet Virginia educational requirements for marriage and family therapy licensure (LMFT).

Liberty University, a nonprofit, faith-based institution of higher education, was founded in 1971 and remains one of the leading Christian universities in the world. Our faculty members provide quality, professional academic training from a biblical perspective. In addition to providing mentorship, faculty also may provide clinical supervision during your field experience and partner with interested students on research.

It is our mission to equip you as an ethical and spiritually aware mental health professional who has the knowledge, values, skills, and personal disposition to promote the health and wellness of clients across diverse populations. By choosing our master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, you can prepare to pursue careers in a variety of mental health settings – including mental health agencies, public or private practice, faith-based counseling settings, or hospitals.

Choose a marriage and family masters program that is Biblically rooted and taught by esteemed experts. As a Christian university, we believe that Christ should be both the center of a relationship and the standard to which families strive. Our professors teach from a Biblical worldview – and they have a passion for helping you pursue your career goals.

Industry Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor projects a 16% growth for marriage and family therapists,* which is much faster than the average for all occupations. Insurance companies offer more coverage for mental health services than in the past, so the federal government, community clinics, and local hospitals are expanding their health counseling staff to provide effective treatment for patients.

BLS also reports that in order to become a marriage and family therapist, a master’s degree is typically required because it requires great care and expertise to nurture relationships and help heal broken or damaged ones.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, at Marriage and Family Therapists (viewed online Jan. 10, 2022). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.


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

Throughout our marriage and family therapy degree, you can gain the tools needed to understand and serve your clients. This knowledge can be applied regularly in your mental health career post-graduation.

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

In the advanced core courses of this MFT online, you will study group counseling, research and program evaluation, and assessment techniques in counseling. You will also study career development, advanced psychopathology, and theories of family systems. 

Additionally, our LMFT degree will guide you through assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning in family counseling, couple and marital counseling, and counseling children and adolescents. This online MFT program also requires you to complete the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam to ensure that you are prepared to enter the field with confidence. 

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Our MFT degree also requires you to complete a 100-hour practicum and a 600-hour internship, which will be taken over the course of 2 semesters. Rounding out our MFT online program is an elective course – which can be a class in human sexuality or substance abuse therapy. 

Each online counseling class in Liberty’s master’s degree program for marriage and family therapy can teach you how to ethically integrate faith and spirituality into client care, which is a unique skill that can help set you apart from your peers. You can then enhance awareness of diversity and provide holistic care for clients, incorporating spirituality into their lives as an important component.


Which counseling degree should I get?

The degree you choose should be one that aligns with both your career goals and your private life. With Liberty, you can complete our MFT degree or any of our counseling degrees listed below online, giving you the flexibility to stay active in your job, community, and family. Take a look at some of the similarities – and differences – of our online counseling degrees, and make the best choice for yourself.

Licensed Counselor Degrees

The MA in Marriage and Family Therapy can help prepare you to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), and the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling can equip you to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). Both degrees have the following requirements:

  • Online with required weeklong, on-campus intensives to interact with peers and professors
  • Practicum and internship requirements for hands-on experience
  • Comprehensive exam to test your knowledge for licensure

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

MA in Addiction Counseling
  • 100% online
  • Required internship for practical experience
  • Meets required coursework for licensure in most states
  • Preparation to become an addictions counselor
MA in Human Services Counseling
  • 100% online
  • Non-licensure degree
  • No intensive, internship, or practicum requirement
  • Choose from a variety of specializations like leadership, life coaching, military resilience, and more
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Highlights
Degree Information
Military Benefits
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Admission Requirements

Online Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Degree Information 

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Potential Career Options with a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy

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

Military Benefits

Liberty University is dedicated to providing world-class educational experiences to military students across the globe. Whether you are a current service member, discharged or retired from service, or the spouse of a service member or veteran, we are here to support you through every step of the journey.

As a thank-you for your dedication and service to our country, Liberty is honored to serve and support you in your pursuit of online education by offering the following benefits:

  • Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
  • Additional discount for veterans who serve in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course)
  • 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)

Highlights of Liberty University’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program

  • We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility. Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America. Earning your online degree from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
  • Tuition for our master’s in marriage and family therapy online degree program has not increased in 9 years. While many other online colleges have raised tuition, Liberty has been able to keep costs low as a nonprofit university.
  • Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), so you can be confident you are receiving a world-class education.
  • This degree program is designed to meet licensure requirements for becoming a marriage and family therapist (LMFT). 
  • Our marriage and family therapy degree online is taught by helping-profession experts with years of experience in teaching and practice.

Admission Requirements for the Online MFT Degree

A regionally or nationally accredited bachelor’s degree with a 2.7 or above GPA is required for admission in good standing. Please visit our admission requirements page for more detailed admissions-related information. 

All applicants must submit the following:

  • Admission application
  • Application fee*
  • Official college transcripts
  • Unofficial college transcripts may be accepted with a completed official transcript request form**
  • Contact information for 2 recommenders
  • Personal statement
  • Agreement to Mission Statement and Diversity Statement
  • Proof of English proficiency (for applicants whose native language is other than English)

*There is no upfront application fee; however, a deferred $50 application fee will be assessed during Financial Check-In. This fee is waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses — documentation verifying military status is required.

**An official transcript is needed within 60 days of acceptance or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first.