Interim Master’s Degree Program
A Ph.D. or DMFT with interim master’s degree is available for selected advanced students whose master’s degree is not in marital and family therapy (or equivalent) or students currently enrolled in COAMFTE accredited masters programs. This combined degree program requires 169 units for the DMFT and 175 units for the PhD. It takes a minimum of five years of full time study to complete.
Because doctoral study builds on master’s study in the discipline, we have found that students generally progress through the master’s and doctoral programs better if they complete each program sequentially. The critical variable in determining whether the interim master’s degree is appropriate is whether the student is ready for advanced scholarly pursuit because they have either had considerable graduate preparation and/or experience in a related field.
The Interim Master's Degree is awarded upon completion of the following 67 units of master’s level courses, 500 hours of client contact (calculated according to same formula as the regular MS) and 23 designated units of doctoral coursework.
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Required Master's Level Courses |
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DMFT |
PhD |
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MFAM 514 |
Culture & Socio-Economic Status and Therapy |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 515 |
Crisis Intervention and Client Centered Advocacy |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 524 |
Psychopharmacology and Medical Issues |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 535 |
Case Presentation & Professional Studies |
4 |
4 |
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MFAM 536 |
Case Presentation Seminar & Documentation |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 537 |
Case Presentation Seminar |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 547 |
Social Ecology of Individual/Family Development |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 551 |
Family Therapy: Foundational Theories & Practice |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 552 |
Couples Therapy: Theory & Practice |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 553 |
Family Systems Theory |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 556 |
Psychopathology & Diagnostic Procedures |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 564 |
Family Therapy: Advanced Foundational Theories & Practice |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 566 |
Treating the Severely and Persistently Mentally Ill and Recovery Process |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 568 |
Groups: Process & Practice |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 584 |
Advanced Child and Adolescent Development |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 604 |
Social Context in Clinical Practice: Gender, Class & Race |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 614 |
Law and Ethics |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 624 |
Individual & Systems Assessment |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 638 |
Family Therapy and Chemical Abuse |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 644 |
Child Abuse & Family Violence |
3 |
3 |
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MFAM 674 |
Human Sexual Behavior |
Choose One |
3 |
3 |
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MFTH 515 |
Couple and Sex Therapy |
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MFAM 635 |
Case Presentation |
2 |
2 |
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COUN 675 |
Dynamics of Aging |
1 |
1 |
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Total Additional courses |
67 |
67 |
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Doctoral Units that Apply to Interim Master's Degree
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MFTH 601 |
Statistics I |
4 |
4 |
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MFTH 604 |
Advanced Qualitative Research |
4 |
4 |
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MFTH 605 |
Advanced Quantitative Research |
4 |
4 |
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MFTH 606 |
Research in MFT |
4 |
4 |
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MFTH 634 |
Doctoral Practicum in MFT |
6 |
6 |
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RELR 535 |
Spirituality and Mental Health |
At least one of these |
3 |
3 |
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RELT 615 |
Seminar in Philosophy of Religion |
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RELE |
500 level or higher |
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Doctoral units that apply to Interim Master’s Degree |
23 |
23 |
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Total Units Required for Interim Master’s Degree |
90 |
90 |
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Because students begin to integrate doctoral level courses in the second year of study (or sometimes sooner), it takes longer to earn the interim master’s degree than the standard master’s degree. Once the master’s degree is completed students may register as a Marital and Family Therapy intern in the State of California.