General FAQs
Graduate
assistantships are available for students in the MA and on-site, clinical Ph.D.
programs. These positions are competitive and come with a tuition waiver
and monthly stipend. Please visit the Graduate Assistantships page for
more information. The financial aid office can assist students with other
forms of financial assistance.
After the
MFT Admissions Committee meets, when will I find out if I was accepted into the
program?
If you are
applying to the MA or clinical PhD programs, you will be required to attend an
interview day in March, soon after the application deadline. The
committee will make final selections after the interview day, and you will
receive a letter within two weeks notifying you of your status.
Applicants are given a deadline to respond in writing within two weeks.
There are three possible outcomes during the admissions process: admit,
alternate, and deny. Alternates are accepted under the condition that an
admitted student does not accept his or her spot in the program.
What are
the steps to receiving a GA position?
First
you must complete the GA application and have recommendations
written for you (there is a specific
What does
it mean to be a systemically-based program?
Our
marriage and family therapy programs are systemically-based, meaning that we
focus on understanding problems and issues in the context of relationships,
particularly family relationships.
What is the
difference between counseling and therapy?
Typically,
therapy refers to a shorter-term process that focuses primarily on behavior, or
a particular situation. Counseling is generally a longer process that
focuses on understanding chronic problems, behaviors, and situations.
Treatment tends to focus less on behavior and more on thought process.
Master of Arts
Is the MA
program accredited?
The MA program
is dually accredited by COAMFTE and CACREP. The program’s dual
accreditation allows students to meet the academic requirements for licensure
as an LMFT and LPC.
When and
where do we start seeing clients?
Students in
the MA program will begin seeing clients during their second semester of the
program, typically the Spring of the first year. Beginning around March,
students will conduct co-therapy with an upper-class MA or PhD student.
Gradually, the MA student will begin doing therapy without a
co-therapist. Students see clients in the ULM Marriage and Family Therapy
Clinic, and all therapy is conducted under the supervision of an MFT faculty
member and AAMFT approved supervisor.
How many
academic hours are required for graduation?
A minimum
of 60 academic hours is required to graduate from the MA program.
Students are able to take additional electives if their schedules allow for
it. The program is designed in a cohort-model, so each class of MA
students will have a majority of their classes together. Students tend to
complete the 60 hours in 2 years.
How many
client contact hours are required for graduation?
A minimum
of 500 client contact hours is required to graduate from the MA program.
Half of the 500 hours must be therapy with either couples or families. A
minimum of 100 supervision hours is also required. Students will gain
client contact and supervision hours from seeing clients in the ULM MFT clinic
and at their internship sites.
Are
graduate assistantships available, and if so, where?
GAs are
available for eligible MA students. Please refer to the question on GAs
above.
Is your
program more research based or clinically based?
A master’s
degree is the terminal degree for the therapy-field, so we focus on developing
our students’ therapeutic and clinical skills during the MA program.
However, we also emphasize the academic and theoretical base of therapy.
We do require our students to take a research course in the program.
How long
does the program last?
Typically,
the MA program lasts 2 years, including the summer between the two years.
Most students complete in this time-frame.
Will I be
licensed after graduating from your MA program?
The coursework
for the MA program meets the academic requirements for licensure as a Licensed
Marriage and Family Therapist and Licensed Professional counselor in
In
Are MA
students required to complete a thesis?
MA students
are not required to complete a thesis as a program requirement. However,
students have the option of completing a master’s thesis if they want to do so.
Completing a thesis does not replace the internship portion of the program; a
thesis is in addition to the typical program requirements.
When can I
start the program?
We only
accept students into the MA program in the Fall semesters. The
application deadline is March 1 of every year.
Clinical Doctor of Philosophy
Is the clinical
PhD program accredited?
The clinical
PhD program is accredited by COAMTE (Commission on Accreditation of Marriage
and Family Therapy Education), the accrediting agency of the America
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
How much
freedom does a doctoral student have when choosing a dissertation topic? Dissertation
topics will be in the field of marriage and family therapy. Students are
encouraged to pursue the identification of a dissertation topic after having
taken adequate MFT theory and studies to insure that they are well grounded in
the discipline. The topic will be approved by the Dissertation Chair and the
Dissertation Committee prior to the formal defense of the proposal.
How many
academic hours are required for graduation?
The
clinical PhD program requires a minimum of 69 academic hours to complete the
program. This generally takes 3 years, and a majority of the academic
hours are earned during the first two years. Students seeking a degree
must enroll full time in the program. Beginning with the initial semester of
enrollment, students must be in continuous full-time residency for two
consecutive semesters; Fall & Spring, Spring & Sum I & II, Sum I
& II and Fall; (consistent with the requirements of the Office of Graduate
Studies and Research).
How many
client contact hours are required for graduation?
Students
must earn a minimum of 1000 client contact hours before graduating from the PhD
program. Students earn these hours from seeing clients at the ULM
Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic and at an internship site.
Are
graduate assistantships available, and if so, where?
GAs are
available for eligible clinical PhD students. Please refer to the
question on GAs above.
Is your
program more research based or clinically based?
The
clinical PhD program prepares graduates for careers as scholars, teachers,
researchers, supervisors, and senior clinicians. The program emphasizes
both clinical and research components of marriage and family therapy.
Through practicum and supervision, students practice their clinical skills
under leading therapists and clinicians. The academic portion of the
degree prepares students for the research components of the dissertation
process and research-focused careers.
How long
does the program last?
Students
typically finish the academic, internship, and dissertation requirements for
the PhD program in three to four years. However, there is a six-year time
limit for completing all of the requirements.
When can I
start the program?
We only
accept students into the clinical PhD program in the Fall semesters. The
application deadline is March 1 of every year.
Nonclinical Doctor of Philosophy, fully online
concentration
Is the
nonclinical, online PhD concentration accredited?
No. COAMTE is
not currently accrediting online programs in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Are graduates
of the online concentration eligible to become Licensed Marriage and Family
Therapists?
Graduates of
this online concentration are not eligible to become Licensed Marriage and
Family Therapists as a result of graduating from the program. Students of
the concentration may be eligible for licensure as a result of their masters
program, but not as a result of graduating from the online PhD
concentration. The ideal candidate for the online concentration is the
already practicing professional who does not need the academic or clinical
requirements for licensure.
How much
freedom does a doctoral student have when choosing a dissertation topic? Students
are free to pick a dissertation topic in the subject of creative systemic
studies. Dissertation topics must be approved by the dissertation chair
and committee.
How many
hours are required for graduation?
A minimum
of 60 hours is required to complete the online PhD concentration.
Students are eligible to take additional electives if their schedules allow for
this.
Are
graduate assistantships available, and if so, where?
GAs are not
available for students in the online PhD concentration. If students are
interested in other forms of financial aid, they are encouraged to contact the
Is your
program more research based or clinical based?
The online
PhD concentration is not a clinical program; therefore, students do not
complete an internship portion of the degree. The online concentration is
a research and theory-based program to give already practicing professionals a
deeper understanding of the creative process behind transformative
change.
How long
does the program last?
We expect
students to complete the program in approximately three years, but students have up
to six years to complete the program.
When can I
start the program?
We only
accept students into the online PhD concentration in the Fall semester.
March 1 is the application deadline for Fall admission.