Program Requirements

The curriculum for the doctoral degree in CFT follows COAMFTE guidelines. It assumes students have completed the requirements for the COAMFTE Master's-Level Standard Curriculum. Where that is not the case, students must complete the equivalent of any deficiencies. Most students complete the program in four years. Students have seven years to complete the program. A minimum of 90 credits is required. No more than 30 credit hours from a master's degree may be applied to fulfill doctoral degree requirements. Sample Ph.D. Course Outline (pdf)

Assessment and Treatment in Marital and Family Therapy (3 hours)

CFT 970 - Specialization and Leadership (3)

Human Development and Family Science (3 hours)

HDFS 950 - Theory Construction (3)

Supervision of CFT (12-18 hours)

CFT 984 - Supervision of Couple and Family Therapy (3)
CFT 986 - Practicum in Supervision in Couple and Family Therapy (1-3) (9-15 hours required)

Research Methods (28 hours)

CFT 910 - Topics in Couple and Family Therapy (1-3) (3 hours required)
CFT 983 - Advanced Family Research Methods (3)
CFT 990 - Dissertation Proposal Seminar (1)
CFT 999 - PhD Research (1-18) (1-15 hours required)
HDFS 809 - Qualitative Research Methods in HDFS (3)
HDFS 906 - Statistical Methods in HDFS II (3)

Supervised Clinical Practice (3-9 hours)

CFT 985 - PhD Practicum in Couple and Family Therapy (1-3) (3 hours required)

Additional Learning (9 hours)

Three electives (3)
Take additional elective hours as needed to reach the required 90 credit minimum

End-of-Program Requirements

Successfully defend your dissertation proposal seminar, write the dissertation, and successfully complete your oral defense of the dissertation

AND

Successfully complete the required CFT portfolio with at least two publications

Successfully complete the CFT portfolio with fewer than two publications and complete written preliminary examinations and, if necessary, successfully defend them in the oral preliminary examination