Students can complete the program on either a full-time or part-time basis. Full-time students can complete the program in six semesters. Part-time students typically take 12 semesters or less to complete the program. To be eligible for financial aid you must take 9 credits or more to be considered full-time, and a minimum of 5 credits to be considered part-time.

Classes meet weekly during the fall and spring semesters and are held at various times in order to best serve our students and the clients at the Seton Hill Center for Family Therapy. Daytime classes run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and evening classes run from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. The schedule varies depending on the semester and the courses in which you are enrolled.

Our program prepares you to meet the educational requirements for Pennsylvania licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). Upon completion of the 60-credit master's degree program Pennsylvania requires students to complete two to three years of post graduate hours (3,600 total hours) employed as a family therapist under appropriate supervision. Specific licensing requirements for Pennsylvania can be found online here.

Typically, your state's licensing board posts licensure requirements online. You can compare those requirements with our program requirements. Because our university is accredited by COAMFTE (Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Education), our program likely meets the educational requirements for licensure in your state. If you intend to obtain licensure outside Pennsylvania, consult with your advisor concerning any additional requirements (e.g., internship hours).

Family therapists work in a variety of settings, including community-based outpatient agencies, residential treatment facilities, schools, hospitals, private practice, etc. You can find out more about the profession through the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Students take a total of 20 courses. View our curriculum.

It is possible to take entry level MFT courses as a non-degree student as long as there is space available in the course and you have met the pre-requisites, if applicable. Students can transfer up to 6 graduate credits (2 courses) as long as the faculty approves the coursework. Students taking courses as a non-degree seeking student are not eligible to receive financial aid.

All graduate students are eligible to apply for the scholar's discount to receive a tuition discount, and other graduate program financial aid is available as well. Click here for current graduate tuition and fees.

In addition to the scholar's discount and other aid provided through Seton Hill, the following sites house databases containing thousands of scholarship opportunities. All sites are free and some offer email updates as new scholarships become available.

• Fast Aid: www.fastaid.com
• Fast Web: www.fastweb.com
• College Board: www.collegeboard.org
• College Scholarships: www.collegescholarships.com

Within the program we have religious, gender, age, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic diversity. We take the importance of issues of diversity and inclusion seriously and are striving to further diversify our program. We incorporate issues of diversity and social justice into the vast majority of our classes.

Faculty members are passionate clinicians, scholars, experienced supervisors and agency administrators who are motivated by a desire to improve the world through relationships. As our faculty are practicing clinicians, they are able to offer the most up-to-date practice methods and also help students gain a realistic perspective on the day-to-day details of professional clinical practice as a marriage and family therapist. Faculty are invested in helping students see and understand who they are in order that they may better see and understand others.

The majority of our classes are small, ranging from 6-18 people. A few of our courses are shared with the Seton Hill Art Therapy Program, offering a wonderful opportunity for interdisciplinary learning. Those courses are larger, around 35 students.

Small interactive classes, intensive supervision during practicum, group process, role plays, and group presentations. At the graduate level we expect that our students are both learners and teachers and our courses are designed to create a learning environment that facilitates personal and professional growth.

This program focuses on marriage and family therapy as a separate and distinct mental health discipline. The federal government has designated marriage and family therapy as one of the five core mental health professions. Currently all 50 states regulate the profession by licensing marriage and family therapists.

According to a survey published in the January 2006 issue of Psychotherapy Finances, the median income for marriage and family therapists was $62,150, while median income was $48,311 for professional counselors and $58,333 for clinical social workers. However, beginning therapists in any field generally earn significantly less than this.

The faculty is interested in students with the following characteristics:

• Strong work ethic.
• Articulate.
• Passionate and self directed.
• Invested in issues of diversity.
• Invested in their personal growth.
• The ability to write, read and present at the graduate level.
• Strongly drawn to marriage and family therapy.

Completed applications are forwarded to the Program Director for review. Eligible candidates will be contacted to schedule an interview. Interviews are usually scheduled monthly. We highly encourage prospective students to participate in person.

Students will be contacted within a week of interviewing with an admissions decision.