FAQs: MS, Couple and Family Therapy

For the CFT program, you will be using the UMD Application Portal (TerpEngage). The CFT program does not use the SOPHAS application. You can find most answers to common application questions here. 

All Department and Graduate School application materials for the master’s program in Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) program are typically due on/around December 1st for the next academic year. For the 2027-2028 application cycle, the deadline is December 4, 2026. Applications must be submitted by that date to be considered, as no late applications are accepted. If you have technical difficulties with submission, please contact sph-grad-admissions@umd.edu. 

A student is admitted to the CFT program based on the criteria outlined in policy including previous undergraduate and graduate academic work, three letters of recommendation, statement of the candidate’s academic and career objectives, academic writing sample, and scores on the TOEFL for international students (when relevant).

The CFT Program also considers previous experience in both research and human service, which are desired, but not required. Following the faculty’s initial review of the pool of applicants, the faculty select a group of applicants to invite for personal interviews. 

For letters of recommendation, academic and professional recommendation contacts are preferred. The writing sample can be any work that you have completed in an academic setting (assignments, articles, reports, etc.) that you feel reflects your academic writing competency. 

The CFT Program reviews all applications holistically and seeks to recruit a diverse student body that has both strong academic abilities and personal characteristics needed to develop into competent, resilient, and ethical therapists. 

No. GRE Scores are not required.

The clinical faculty considers applications to the program on a case-by-case basis. However, if you have not had a college level Statistics course, you will be required to take one before entering or during your first semester. You will need to send in the course syllabi for program director approval, if you are accepted to the program.

It is strongly encouraged that students have academic coursework in the areas of developmental psychology (particularly child/human development) as prior knowledge should be assumed before entering this graduate program. Classes in family studies, human development, research methods and statistics, abnormal psychology, and an introduction to therapy or counseling skills are also highly preferred. Work or volunteer experience in human services (especially therapy-related experience) is highly recommended.

No, the CFT program accepts students for fall admission only.

This is an intensive year-round two-year program. Graduation from the Couple and Family Therapy program requires completion of a minimum of 45 required credits for the non-thesis option and 51 credits for the thesis option (45 required credits + 6 thesis credits). Students can graduate with the 60 credits required for Licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist in Maryland and in many other states by taking five additional elective courses (15 credits) or three additional elective courses (9 credits) for the thesis option (6 credits). All five elective courses can be taken in the Department of Family Science and four are offered in the Couple and Family Therapy program.

No, the CFT program accepts students for full-time status only. You remain with your cohort from start to finish.

No, the CFT program is an in-person program.

As students must complete 500 clinical hours, it is recommended that full-time CFT students work no more than 10 hours per week through graduate assistantships or outside employment.

All application requirement items must be received by the deadline to be considered. Applications will be reviewed only after the application deadline. The faculty and staff will meet after the winter break to determine which candidates to invite to the next stage of the admissions process - Interview Day. Invitations to interview will be sent via email in late January.

Interview Day is held in-person in February. Interviews for international students will be held online. This allows the faculty, staff, and students to get to know more about the candidates and allows the candidates to learn more about the program, training processes, and more. The day will be broken up into different sessions, which will include interviews with the faculty.

After all interviews have been completed, selected candidates will receive an emailed invitation to join the program from the program director. They will be given a decision deadline. Acceptance will allow the program to begin the formal admissions process with the Graduate School. This process can go on through late April. 

Applicants not chosen will receive emails from the Graduate School, no later than mid-May. However, candidates that do not receive an email to interview by mid-February are highly encouraged to apply again during the next application cycle. 

Please review tuition and fee information https://billpay.umd.edu/GraduateTuition. General billing questions can be answered by the Financial Service Center by email or phone.

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A limited amount of funding may be available in the form of fellowships, graduate assistantships, and loans from federal, state, and private sources. Details regarding loan eligibility can be obtained from the Student Financial Aid Office. A small number of university fellowships may be available for outstanding students.

When you complete the Graduate School application, check the box indicating that you wish to be considered for a Graduate Assistantship. There is no additional form to complete; all students accepted into the program are considered for Graduate Fellowship and/or Assistantship support. It is important that you review the Graduate Assistantship Policies before accepting a position. 

Graduate assistantships periodically become available throughout the school year, but you will see the greatest number of openings toward the end of the academic year and during the summer months. They are invaluable because they grant you in-state tuition, partial tuition remission, and a stipend. If you are interested in securing an assistantship, begin the search as soon as possible. Sometimes, students are offered assistantships within the department. Assistantships come in the form of part-time (10 hours per week) or full-time (20 hours per week). Those provided through the department are the 10-hour type only, and the department will not provide you with more than one 10-hour assistantship. It is important that you review the Graduate Assistantship Policies before agreeing to accept a graduate assistantship. 

Requirements for the degree are outlined on this webpage. Students must complete 51 core credit hours for the thesis option and 45 core credit hours for the non-thesis option. Students can take additional elective graduate level courses in the Department Family Science or in any other related discipline to satisfy the 60 credits needed for Maryland State’s licensure requirement. Students not completing a thesis can take 15 credit hours of elective courses (5 three-credit courses) and students completing a thesis may take 9 credit hours of elective courses (3 three-credit courses) 

CFT students have the option to take four elective courses listed below while in the program. While these elective courses are not required for graduation from the CFT Program, they are required to apply for and receive Marriage and Family Therapy licensure in the state of Maryland.

• FMSC 630 Family Therapy with Children and Adolescents (3 credits) 
• FMSC 631 Trauma & Addiction in Family Life (3 credits)
• FMSC 632 Testing and Assessment in Couple and Family Therapy (3 credits)
• FMSC 635 Relational Therapy with Gender and Sexual Minorities (3 credits)

Students who are not completing a thesis can choose a graduate level course within the Department of Family Science or another UMD department for the fifth elective course. Students taking a fifth elective course usually confirm with the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists whether the fifth elective course chosen will be accepted as part of the 60 required credits for licensure.   

In conjunction with the series of couple and family therapy classes, students must complete 500 hours of supervised client contact and a capstone project in the last Practicum course.

The thesis is an original research paper, which the student defends orally before a faculty committee. The thesis option is strongly encouraged for students interested in continuing in a Ph.D. program.

Students choosing the non-thesis option will need to take an additional elective course to reach 60 credit hours. The non-thesis option is available for those who see the master’s degree as their final degree and do not plan to conduct further research during their career.

Graduation from the CFT program also requires students to complete a capstone project in their final practicum course. The capstone project is a comprehensive portfolio of assignments completed during the last semester. This portfolio integrates the knowledge and skills students have acquired as clinicians. Assignments focus on the self of the therapist, sociocultural attunement, philosophy of therapy, advanced application of clinical models, professional and ethical standards, integration of research into treatment, and a career and self-care plan.  

The CFT program admits approximately 12-15 students per year. There are currently 23 students enrolled in the CFT program for the 2026-2027 school year. There are about 50 total students enrolled in the Family Science M.S. and Ph.D. programs.

The CFT program uses an integrative systems approach. Students are exposed to all the major models in family therapy early in their course of study. These models include, but are not limited to structural, strategic, intergenerational, cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, narrative, emotion-focused, internal family systems, and experiential. Although each faculty member emphasizes a particular model in his/her practice of therapy, students are not expected to adopt any one perspective. Rather, students are encouraged to experiment with various models of therapy to find the approach or combination of approaches that best suits them.

Supervision in the departmentally operated clinic, The Center for Healthy Families, is provided through a range of techniques including case discussion in supervision groups, live observation through one-way mirrors, session video-tape review, and live supervision of sessions via telephone consultation or real-time video consultation during live sessions.

Students are strongly encouraged to participate in national professional conferences and the many educational events in the Washington area. In recent years, CFT students have presented their research at annual meetings of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), and the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). The Department makes every effort to award travel funds to graduate students presenting papers at professional conferences.

The CFT program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) since 1983. The current curriculum and practice requirements are guided by the criteria set forth by the COAMFTE Standards, version 12.5. As a COAMFTE accredited program, the Couple and Family Therapy Program at the University of Maryland, College Park provides students with the standard curriculum of education and clinical training that is recognized across the country. The comprehensiveness of our curriculum and the extensive clinical training with diverse clients prepare our graduates for employment in a wide variety of CFT positions. In addition, the program prepares students to perform well on the National Licensing Examination. Thus, the degree is highly portable.

Yes. The state requirements to sit for the licensing exam parallel the course curriculum of the University of Maryland CFT program. To see the CFT Program curriculum alignment with the Maryland Board Licensing requirements, click here. 

CFT graduates are eligible for licensure as a Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist (LGMFT) in the state of Maryland. The Licensed Graduate Marriage and Family Therapist (LGMFT) designation was established for CFTs who have graduated and passed the licensing exam but are still accumulating the required post-graduate clinical hours. Two years of clinical experience and supervision are required after graduation.

The CFT program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education for the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and provides the supervised clinical training typically required in states with Couple and Family Therapy licensure. While a detailed determination has not yet been made as to whether the program meets the requirements for professional licensure in states other than Maryland, state-by-state licensure requirements can be found on AAFMT's state resources website.  If you plan to practice in another state, you are required to know that state's requirements. Please note that the course interpretation depends on the interpretation of each state board. 

CFT graduates are well trained to conduct couple and family therapy. In addition to working as couple and family therapists, past graduates have gone on to serve as agency administrators, substance abuse counselors, school counselors, human service project directors, and child/couple/family researchers.