Admissions Requirements
The Department seeks students who are imaginative, intelligent, and highly motivated people with a desire for challenge, a commitment to excellence, and a well-developed sense of social responsibility. Prior coursework in family studies, human development, abnormal psychology, introduction to therapy or counseling, and statistics courses are useful in preparation for graduate CFT work. In addition, computer literacy is essential. We are fortunate to attract gifted students who are concerned about social and ethical issues and who view their future profession in a broad context.
Students are selected on the basis of:
- a bachelor’s degree in family studies or a related discipline,
- a minimum 3.0 (out of 4.0) grade point average for the Baccalaureate degree,
- the quality of previous undergraduate and/or graduate coursework,
- letters of recommendation,
- relevant work experience,
- a Curriculum Vitae,
- a writing sample,
- international applicants are commonly required to submit TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores,
- professional goals congruent with those of the program.
Students also have the option of applying jointly to the CFT program and the Department's Family Science PhD program. See the application procedures for the doctoral program on the PhD, Family Science program page.
Application Requests
Students who wish to apply for the CFT Program must complete the University of Maryland Graduate Application online, which includes 3 letters of recommendation, a statement of goals, a statement of purpose, and official transcripts from all institutions attended.
Application to the program is made through the University of Maryland Graduate School website. The Department of Family Science admits students in the fall semester only. The deadline for submitting the Graduate School Application and the Couple and Family Therapy Application Form is December 3rd (December 3rd is also the deadline for international students and citizens living abroad). Students are strongly encouraged to apply before the deadline date.
The top candidates for the program are invited to an interview (typically in February) with CFT faculty and current graduate students. Graduate fellowships, assistantships, and tuition waivers are available for the most qualified students.
Application Procedures for the Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) Program at the University of Maryland, College Park:
Step #1: Apply to the University’s graduate school
- Go to the TerpEngage Graduate Admissions System.
- Apply to the CFT program through UMD’s graduate school admission portal.
- A $75 non-refundable application fee will be processed with your application.
- Mail all transcripts reflecting all undergraduate and graduate work completed or in progress to:
University of Maryland at College Park
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742
- Letters of recommendation need to be submitted through TerpEngage.
- All information provided in this application will be directly sent by Graduate Admissions to the Department of Family Science for review (please do mail additional hard copies of the graduate school application to the department).
All application materials are due by December 3rd. For any questions about the application materials, contact the Department of Family Science at fmsc@umd.edu.
INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED