Our faculty are experienced in navigating complexities and exploring cultural and social cues (such as body language, facial expressions, and/or community contexts and environments) of clients in online settings. The curriculum, meticulously designed around these insights is to help students optimally navigate an online learning environment to deliver both in-person and online therapy effectively.
The goal of the MFT online program is to give students the abilities and information needed to positively influence their communities. Being a premier research university, we develop a holistic approach to addressing mental health problems through our curriculum, which seamlessly blends science and practice. The program provides students with a thorough education that combines academic knowledge with real-world application.
By placing equal emphasis on research and skill-building instruction, it prepares students for success in the mental health care industry. In order to alter institutions and remove barriers to well-being, our curriculum equips future therapists with the tools they need to confront historical privilege and cultivate cultural humility.
Earn your Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) online. Request more information now.
Career Opportunities
Our graduates go on to work in a variety of fields, including teaching, residential treatment centers, school-based mental health, community mental health, public mental health agencies, and PhD programs. The curriculum’s all-encompassing methodology guarantees success in a range of mental health professional pathways.
- Public mental health agencies
- School-based mental health
- Community mental health
- Residential treatment facilities including specialty practices in substance abuse, eating disorders, domestic violence and trauma
- Private practice
- Teaching
- Doctoral programs
- Author
Licensure and Credentialing
The Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at USC meets the requirements established by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist. The MFT program provides a pathway to licensure but does not satisfy all requirements for licensure upon completion of the program.
In addition to completing coursework, you must fulfill a series of requirements to be eligible for California’s Marriage and Family Therapy license. These include:
- 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work (you will likely complete as many as 1,000 hours toward the requirement prior to graduation)
- Successful completion of both the California Law and Ethics exam and the clinical exam coordinated by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences
California requirements will meet most of the requirements for a similar license in many other states. However, if you plan to obtain a license in another state, identify whether the California MFT will satisfy the state’s requirements before beginning the program.
Requirements for licensure, including levels of licensure, vary by state and students should review the USC Licensure and Certifications site for state-specific MFT course requirements and restrictions. Students interested in pursuing licensure should also contact the licensing board for the state in which they hope to become licensed to determine specific requirements for licensure, including any requirements that are beyond the scope of the MFT program.
Learn more about the MFT online program.