Academic Plans
CourseWork
The degree must be completed in a minimum of two years and a maximum of four. Under special circumstances, a student may be granted a fifth year to complete the degree. A three-year course of study is recommended for most working students. The master's program is comprised of 60 units of coursework. A maximum of 12 semester units of selected coursework, which meet the following criteria, may be transferred:
- Taken within the past eight years and completed with a grade of B or better.
- Obtained at a regionally accredited institution.
- Received from a graduate program in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, or Marriage and Family Therapy.
- Acceptable for California MFT licensing requirements.
The California MFT licensing board requires that each applicant for licensure complete training in child abuse (7 hours) and alcoholism/chemical dependency (1 unit) as part of a master's degree program. This training is offered once annually in a workshop format.
Certain courses or mandatory seminars may be scheduled on Saturday. Saturday attendance may be necessary to fulfill degree requirements.
Two-, Three-, and Four-Year Academic Plans
Participation in the full-time, two-year academic plan requires class attendance during the evening, two days per week. Classes meet once weekly. Two classes are offered each evening (beginning at 4:05 and 7:30 p.m.). An additional 8-10 hours per week for clinical placement training is required once trainee status is obtained. Please see the sample two-year sequence which follows.
Participation in the reduced-load, three-year plan also requires class attendance during the evening two days per week, but the student generally takes only three classes per semester rather than the four classes per semester required by the two-year program. Approximately 8-10 hours per week for clinical placement training is required until the student has accumulated the required 150 hours of direct clinical contact.
Participation in the reduced-load, four-year program requires the student to take only two classes per semester. Students must also accumulate a minimum of 150 hours of direct clinical contact in their practicum setting prior to graduation.
Two-Year Course Sequence
First-Year Courses
| Fall | ||
|---|---|---|
| PPSY 551 | Theories of Personality and Psychotherapy (A) | 3 |
| PPSY 558 | Advanced Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PPSY 563 | Psychopathology (A) | 3 |
| PPSY 580 | Introduction to Clinical Practice: Basic Skills (A) | 3 |
| January | ||
| PPSY 511 | Alcoholism/Chemical Dependency | 1 |
| CERT | Child Abuse Workshop | 8 hours |
| Spring | ||
| PPSY 510 | Psychotherapy and Cultural Diversity | 3 |
| PPSY 571 | Family Therapy | 3 |
| PPSY 577 | Psychological Assessment | 3 |
| PPSY 581 | Introduction to Clinical Practice: Advanced Skills (A)(B) | 3 |
| May/June | ||
| PPSY 512 | Legal, Ethical, and Moral Issues in Therapy (A) | 3 |
| PPSY 582 | Introduction to Clinical Practice: Group Skills (C) | 2 |
Second-Year Courses
| Fall | ||
|---|---|---|
| PPSY 531 | Ethical Foundations of Psychotherapy | 3 |
| PPSY 557 | Marital Therapy | 3 |
| PPSY 561 | Child and Adolescent Therapy | 3 |
| PPSY 597 | Clinical Placement I (D) | 3 |
| Spring | ||
| PPSY 533 | Theological Foundations, Spiritual Formation, and Psychotherapy (E) | 3 |
| PPSY 572 | Research Methodology | 3 |
| PPSY 585 | Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology | 3 |
| PPSY 598 | Clinical Placement II (D) | 3 |
| May/June | ||
| PPSY 534 | Integrative Therapy, Clinical Process, and Moral Maturity (F) | 3 |
| PPSY 552 | Human Sexuality and Sex Therapy | 3 |
| PPSY 593 | Advanced Clinical Placement (Elective) | 1 |
Key
| (A) | This course must be in process or completed to begin clinical placement. Exceptions, based on prior clinical experience, must be cleared by the MFT Program director. |
| (B) | PPSY 580 is a prerequisite. |
| (C) | PPSY 580 and PPSY 581 are prerequisites. |
| (D) | Must be in a clinical placement to enroll in PPSY 597 and PPSY 598. |
| (E) | PPSY 531 is a prerequisite. |
| (F) | PPSY 531 and PPSY 533 are prerequisites to PPSY 534. |
