MFT Ph.D. Application Information

Required Application Material

Ph.D. Applicants

• K-State Graduate School Application/Information Form completed in full.
• One Official copy(s) of your transcript(s) from each college or university which you have attended. (Copies of transcripts furnished directly to you cannot be accepted by the Graduate School. Please have your schools send your transcripts directly to our office.)
• Statement of Objectives: Within this “Statement of Objectives,” we expect you to respond, in depth, to each of the following questions. This statement should be 1,000 words in length. Please note that applications are evaluated on the completeness with which these questions are addressed and the degree of insight demonstrated. Special attention is paid to expression of clear long-term professional goals, awareness of family origin related issues and assets, openness to self-exploration, previous research experiences, and clarity of research interests. Applicants to the MFT/Ph.D. program should be prepared to balance interests in research, clinical experience, supervision, and mental health policy. It is important for applicants to know that the MFT doctoral program requires a full-time commitment and that it is not a commuter-oriented program.
  1. Why do you want to be a marriage and family therapist?
  2. What are your professional goals upon completing this degree?
  3. Because the Master’s degree is the terminal degree of MFT for practitioners, explain how achieving a Ph.D. will facilitate the accomplishment of your goals.
  4. Discuss your research, interests, questions, and goals. Elaborate any training, skills, or experiences in the area of research. Identify specific research skills you wish to focus on in your doctoral program.
  5. What do you consider to be strengths that will help you achieve your goals? Address both personal and academic background. If you have something unusual in your background that might be considered an asset, please discuss it.
  6. What do you consider to be the area that will need most attention during your training? If you have something unusual in your background that might be considered a deficit, please discuss it.
  7. What critical events from the past have most influenced your present personal and professional development?
  8. Discuss your place in your family of origin. In particular, what about your relationships with your parents and other family members do you believe will constitute resources to make you a better therapist? What patterns or issues will you need to work on?
• Three letters of recommendation (Adobe Acrobat) from former/current instructors, employers, or other professionals in a position to evaluate your potential for graduate study. Make sure you check one of the statements concerning The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and sign your name. If you fail to indicate your preference under the Act, your references will automatically be considered confidential.
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores
• A 40 U.S. dollar application fee: There are three options for paying your application fee:
  • Personal check of $40.00 (drawn on a U.S. bank) made payable to Kansas State University Graduate School.
  • Money order or cashier's check for $40.00 U.S. made payable to Kansas State University Graduate School.
  • On-line credit card payment

A variety of graduate research and graduate teaching assistantships are available through the School. If interested, complete the Assistantship Application (Adobe Acrobat) and submit to the School.

International Applicants

In addition to the required materials previously listed, you must also submit the following:

• A 55 U.S. dollar application fee. There are three options for paying your application fee:
  • Personal check of $55.00 (drawn on a U.S. bank) made payable to Kansas State University Graduate School.
  • Money order or cashier's check for $55.00 U.S. made payable to Kansas State University Graduate School.
  • On-line credit card payment.
• Official TOEFL Score: The FSHS Graduate Programs require a TOEFL of at least 600 (paper test), 250 (computer-based test), or 100 (internet-based test) to consider international applicants for admission. This requirement exceeds the minimum requirement by the K-State Graduate School.
• Affidavit of Financial Support: This form is on the back of the International Application for Admission. You must also submit the required supporting documentation. See specific instructions on this form.

Deadlines

Please submit the required application materials by December 3, 2012 for Fall 2013 admission. We will be interviewing Ph.D. applicants on February 8, 2013 for Fall 2013 admissions.

All materials should be sent to:

Graduate Program Admissions Coordinator
School of Family Studies and Human Services
304 Justin Hall, Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas 66506

Once you have had all the necessary materials sent to the school, the faculty of the unit to which you are applying will review your credentials. Each spring highly qualified applicants will be invited to an interview to provide applicants with the opportunity to learn more about the program and to aid faculty in the selection process.

Upon approval by the MFT program and the School of Family Studies and Human Services, your file will be forwarded for final approval to the Graduate School, which checks the completeness of your application. If approved, the Graduate School will send you a formal letter of acceptance with admissions details.

After Your Admission

You will be assigned a temporary advisor who will help you select your first courses and assist you in enrollment. This faculty member may or may not become your major professor when you set up your supervisory committee. Please feel free to contact your temporary advisor prior to arriving on campus regarding any questions you may have about Manhattan, being a graduate student, or about our program. If you are not sure who has been assigned as your temporary advisor, please contact the Graduate Program Admissions Coordinator at (785) 532-1473.

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