Antioch University

Programme overview

The MA combines Antioch University’s Couple and Family Therapy curriculum with an Art Therapy specialization. The program is COAMFTE-accredited, designed to prepare graduates for the national MFT exam and to support progression toward state licensure and national certification in art therapy (including counting toward ATR-BC). The format is low-residency: online seminar-style coursework combined with short in-person residencies and a four-semester clinical internship completed near the student’s home.

What you'll study

The program totals 66 credits and is structured so full-time students can finish in as little as 32 months (eight semesters) or take up to 12 semesters part-time. Year one emphasizes foundational residency/intensive courses plus core CFT and Art Therapy classes. Year two and the final year combine remaining coursework with a four-semester clinical training experience (internship).

• Residencies: a 3-day Art Therapy residency and a 5-day CFT residency, held twice in the first year (typically semesters 1 and 3), with seminars, workshops, guest lectures, advising, peer discussions and student presentations.
• Internship clinical requirements: at least 350 hours of direct clinical contact; 100 hours of AAMFT-approved supervision; additional indirect hours for a total of 700 internship hours. Supervision must include a minimum of 70 individual or 105 group hours. Internships include relational client contact (couples/families) and art therapy clinical hours.
• Instructional delivery: live online seminar-style classes, independent assignments, and weekly supervision during internship (typically via videoconference), plus on-site supervision at placement sites.

Entry requirements

The published program text does not provide a complete list of admissions criteria. Note: eligibility for the President’s Merit Scholarship requires prior academic performance with a minimum 3.40 GPA and relevant work/life experience; scholarship recipients must enroll full time and maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared to pursue clinical MFT licensure and AAMFT clinical membership and to register or seek certification in art therapy. Completing the program and subsequent post-graduate clinical hours enables counting hours toward ATR-BC. The combined training readies graduates for clinical work with individuals, couples, families and communities using both talk- and art-based therapeutic methods.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

Antioch offers the President’s Merit Scholarship for new master's students: a $6,000 award distributed over the first two academic years ($3,000 per year), contingent on full-time enrollment and continued course completion. Graduates of the master’s program receive a 20% tuition discount for the first two years if they enroll in Antioch’s doctoral program. For additional funding options, consult the university’s scholarships and grants information.