Admission Requirements
The CFT Program admits a new cohort of students once per year, in fall semester. Applications for Admission are due in early January of every year. After initial review, selected finalists will be invited to an interview with the faculty, staff, and students of the program. Specific admissions requirements, application packet instructions and links to apply can be found on the Couple & Family Therapy Program web page; www.pnw.edu/couple-family-therapy
Program Requirements
The Master of Science in Couple & Family Therapy is a 63 Credit Hour program, completed over not less than 28 months (approximately 2.5 years or 7 semesters). You will complete a minimum number of experiential client contact hours under direct supervision of a qualified faculty supervisor – both onsite and in offsite (community partners) based mental health facilities. The degree culminates in the completion of a required thesis on one of three distinct tracks – discovery, engagement, or learning.
Additional Information
It is the policy of the Purdue Northwest (PNW) Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) Program to inform prospective and incoming students about the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Profession’s general regulatory structure and practice/licensure requirements.
There are typically 3 general requirements necessary to achieve full licensure as a marriage and family therapist in all states in the United States and provinces in Canada. The first step is to complete the educational requirements outlined by the state/province regulatory body as relevant to education in marriage and family therapy. The educational requirements in the first step are typically comprised of completion of a curriculum, accruing a certain number of client contact hours, and accruing a certain number of supervision hours, all of which occur within the graduate program.
The next two steps occur post-degree, or after graduation from the graduate program. Those interested in seeking full licensure as a marriage and family therapist typically need to complete steps two and three, which involve accruing client contact hours and supervision hours post-degree, as well as passing an exam (written and/or oral) related to knowledge of marriage and family therapy.
Currently, each state has its own MFT regulatory board that oversees these requirements. As a result, the 3 general requirements outlined above frequently differ or vary from state to state. Moreover, each state may modify its requirements at any time.
When you are seeking an education in Couple and Family Therapy at Purdue Northwest, you are working toward completing the first step toward the licensure process; therefore, the CFT Program at PNW assists you in meeting the educational requirements as you work toward licensure.
The PNW CFT Master’s degree Program offers a COAMFTE-accredited onsite educational program that meets the educational requirements for many states. Students should contact the state in which they intend to practices’ licensure board to determine the requirements for licensure. The Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB) has a website that provides information about each state’s licensure requirements, found at: https://amftrb.org/resources/state-licensure-comparison/. Students are encouraged to check the website frequently for changes to licensure requirements.
The program’s Graduate Achievement Data Disclosure Table can be found on our website at: http://www.pnw.edu/cft.
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