National University

Programme overview

National University’s Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy is a 100% online COAMFTE-accredited doctoral program designed to advance clinical, supervisory and research competence in MFT. The program combines distance-based coursework and faculty mentorship with required face-to-face clinical hours in the student’s local community, a nine-month doctoral internship, and a facilitated dissertation sequence. Courses run in 4-, 8- or 12-week formats and the program requires a minimum of 63 graduate-level credit hours beyond the master’s degree.

What you'll study

• Core and advanced MFT coursework totaling a minimum of 63 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree, with at least 51 credit hours completed through National University.
• Specializations students may choose to tailor study to: Child and Adolescent Therapy; Couple Therapy; Culture, Diversity, and Social Justice in a Global Context; Education and Supervision; General Family Therapy; Medical Family Therapy; Systemic Leadership; Therapy with Military Families.
• Practicum and internship experiences that include a distance-based practicum/internship with faculty supervision, and in-person clinical training in the student’s community.
• Supervision methodology coursework pre-approved by AAMFT to satisfy the 30-hour supervision course requirement; additional direct supervision and mentoring to meet Approved Supervisor designation occur outside the program.
• Three 4-week portfolio courses required to build and submit a professional portfolio demonstrating academic, clinical, research and professional competence; passing the final portfolio course is required to advance to the dissertation sequence.
• A facilitated dissertation process culminating in a dissertation related to marriage and family therapy and aligned with the student’s chosen specialization.

Entry requirements

• Conferred master’s degree from an accredited academic institution on file with the university.
• Official transcripts for all transfer credit hours the university accepts.
• NU may accept up to 12 semester credit hours of transfer credit from doctoral-level graduate coursework (grade of B or better) if substantially equivalent in content.
• Students must have access to required technology for online video conferencing and recording: a computer, webcam, headset, video recording device and high-speed internet, to participate in weekly online supervision and other course activities.

Career prospects

Graduates leave with advanced clinical, supervision and research preparation appropriate for leadership, supervision, academic, or advanced clinical roles within marriage and family therapy settings. The program’s emphasis on supervision coursework and the APEC nine-month, 20-hour-per-week internship supports preparation for supervisory and leadership responsibilities; the dissertation provides research credentials relevant to academic and applied research roles.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

While the program page does not list specific scholarships, prospective doctoral students commonly explore institutional aid, graduate assistantships, employer tuition benefits, professional association grants, and federal student loans. Investigate National University’s centralized financial aid office and external funding from MFT professional organizations to identify applicable support.