Academics

Virginia Tech is no longer accepting applications to the Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Program. The Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy Program is scheduled to close by August 2023. The doctoral program located at the Blacksburg campus remains open. We encourage students interested in pursuing a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy to consider advanced study at another institution.

Course Requirments

51-54 semester hours: 13 academic courses; 3-6 hours of thesis/clinical project; 9 hours of practicum.

Full time students typically complete the program in three years; part-time students in four to five years. The maximum number of years permitted to complete the program is seven.

Clinical Training

After successfully completing at least 12 hours of course work, students are eligible to take their written comprehensive exam and to apply for the clinical program. Once accepted into the clinical program, students are required to complete 500 hours of direct client contact while enrolled in clinical practicum. It typically takes two years to complete this requirement.

Students complete their first year of clinical training in our on-site clinic, The Center for Family Services (CFS), which is equipped with one-way mirrors and video cameras. Their work at CFS is closely supervised in three ways: from behind a one-way mirror, in a group setting, and individually. Clients at CFS come from a broad spectrum of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and have a wide array of presenting problems. Students are encouraged to obtain an off-site clinical placement at one of several approved sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area during their second year of practicum.