Master of Arts in Couple and Family Therapy

School of Education & Human Development

Overview

Degree: MA

Classroom Type: On campus

The Couple and Family Therapy program prepares relational therapists who value inclusion and prize diversity such that they are prepared to offer a continuum of mental health services across a variety of settings for the benefit of the community and society. Graduates treat mental and emotional disorders, while promoting optimum relational health through a systemic, holistic approach.

Application​ deadlines

Spring: September 1
Fall: February 1

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Program Details

Interest Categories: Education & Counseling Health & Wellness Social & Behavioral Sciences

Campus: CU Denver

Accreditation: COAMFTE

What you'll learn

Do you wish to join the fast-growing couple and family therapy profession? University of Colorado Denver’s MA in Couple and Family Therapy program prepares diverse, ethical, and innovative couple and family therapy professionals. This COAMFTE accredited program, focused on social justice and research-informed relational/systemic perspectives, is a beacon in Colorado and throughout the U.S.

Launch your therapy career with real-world experience unmatched by any therapy program in Colorado. Our students receive mentored experience in our campus Student and Community Counseling Center with live supervision and continual feedback from AAMFT Approved Supervisors and licensed clinicians.

Our graduates are recognized for being strongly prepared and committed to providing culturally informed, equity focused services. Upon completion of the program, graduates are prepared to pass the National Marital and Family Therapy Exam.

Our faculty members are committed to fostering social, relational and cross-cultural learning contexts that will prepare you to provide culturally responsive services across a variety of mental health settings. We are committed to developing ethical practitioners who excel at serving a diverse clientele.

Overall Program Goals

The Couple and Family Counseling/Therapy faculty are committed to the following program goals:

  • Program will exhibit commitment to diversity and cultural responsiveness.
  • Program educates students in a systemic paradigm and emphasizes the use of a systemic framework in their clinical practice.
  • Program is committed to educating students on research.
  • Program is committed to developing ethical practitioners.
  • Program demonstrates commitment to graduate success.

Student Learning Outcomes

The following are the corresponding student learning outcomes for the Couple and Family Counseling/Therapy program:

  • Students will demonstrate clinical competency in working in diverse settings and with diverse client populations.
  • Students will successfully pass the multicultural curriculum
  • Students will demonstrate their knowledge of a systemic framework in a case application paper
  • Students will apply a systemic framework in their clinical practice
  • Students will develop a research proposal
  • Students will learn to critically analyze common assessments in the field
  • Students will show a commitment to professional ethical behavior in their clinical practice
  • Students will complete program in a timely manner
  • Graduates will be gainfully employed in the field
  • Graduates will pass the National Marital and Family Therapy Exam

Graduate Achievement Data for Couple and Family Therapy Program
Accredited: May 1, 2020
Advertised Program Length: FT: 2.5 years PT: 4 years
Cohort Year Students Entered Program # of Students in Program Graduation Rate in Advertised Time (%)* Job Placement Rate (%)** Licensure Rate (%)***
FT PT FT PT FT PT FT PT
2020-2021 12 9  IP IP
 IP IP IP IP
2021-2022 25 5 IP IP IP IP IP IP
2022-2023 28 0 IP IP IP IP IP IP

FT=Full‐time
PT=Part-time
IP=In Process: Students from the cohort listed have yet to graduate from the cohort year listed.
Programs are only required to provide data on the past 7 years/cohort or since the program was initially accredited, whichever is shorter.
* Graduation Rate is the program’s Advertised Length of Completion which is how long the program is designed to complete as written.
** Job Placement Rate is the percentage of graduates from the cohort year that are employed utilizing skills learned in the COAMFTE accredited program.
*** Licensure rate is the percentage of graduates from the cohort year that have achieved ANY level of MFT licensure.
For Master’s programs only, COAMFTE has established a benchmark of 70% licensure rate for each cohort.

Choose CU Denver's School of Education & Human Development

You can trust CU Denver to provide an education that will prepare you for excellence in your career as a counselor. The university and school are recognized for preparing leaders of distinction who value educational excellence and social justice. Additionally, CU Denver’s School of Education and Human Development is counted among U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools,” making us one of the top schools in the country.

License Portability

Courses

Most of the courses for this 54-credit program take place Monday - Thursday in three-hour blocks beginning at either 3:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. However, some classes meet on weekends (Friday evening or Saturday during the day).

Course syllabi are available for review by prospective students on request. Email academicservices@ucdenver.edu with the course number and prefix.

Sample Courses

  • CMFT 5150 - Foundational Family Therapy Theories 3 credits
  • CMFT 5161 - Individual and Contemporary Family Therapy 3 credits
  • CMFT 6180 - Family Issues: Multicultural Intersectional Systems through the Lifespan 3 credits
  • COUN 6250 - Mental Health Diagnosis 3 credits
Course Catalog

Recommended Completion Time:2.5 to 3.5 years

Max Transfer Credits:0

Required Credits for Completion:54

Admission Requirements

Diversity Statement

We encourage applications from persons from a variety of sociopolitical contexts, such as racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, veterans, sexual and gender minorities, and individuals from a variety of religious and spiritual backgrounds. The couple/family faculty provides open and supportive learning environments where students are invited to engage in personal and reflective processes about their own and others’ experiences, beliefs and values. We seek to train counselors/therapists who can approach clients with integrity, respect and sensitivity for differences in beliefs, values, and lifestyles.

Application Deadlines

Due to the competitive nature of this program, faculty are only able to review complete applications; this includes letters of recommendation, transcripts and all other required elements of the application. In order to secure your application as “complete” in sufficient time for faculty review and consideration we highly recommend submitting your application at least one to two months prior to the deadline to ensure we have ample time to work with you on your application should items be missing. To avoid your application remaining incomplete at the time of the posted deadline please be sure to complete the steps below as early as possible.

Fall Semester: February 1

Spring Semester: September 1

Application Requirements

  • 3 recommendation letters
  • Official Transcripts from all institutions attended
  • Resume/CV
  • Written Statement
  • $50.00 application fee
  • Admissions Interview: Upon successful completion and review of your file, qualified applicants are invited to attend a REQUIRED half-day interview on the Denver campus (or virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic) approximately one month after the deadline date. During this interview applicants will be oriented to the program, participate in small group interviews and large group. Participation in the interview is mandatory and you will not be accepted into the program without attending. We do not conduct individual interviews for admission to our program. Final selection of the applicants will be based on their performance in the interview.
  • International Applicants only: Proof of English Language Proficiency (International applicants should review the following information regarding English language proficiency)

For more information, email education@ucdenver.edu or call 303.315.6300.