Suggested M.S. Prerequisites

Successful MFT students generally have undergraduate degrees in the social sciences. Regardless of the major, courses such as those listed below, or equivalents, are helpful preparation. Courses listed are BYU titles and numbers. The BYU Program requires a masters thesis, thus research and writing preparation are very helpful.

Pre-Professional Studies
       MFT 330 Pre-MFT Professional Seminar
       A special topics course with the emphasis in becoming aware of and preparing for Marriage and Family Therapy as a field of 

       professional study.
       MFHD 465 Survey of Marriage and Family Enrichment/Therapy Approaches
       Theories and Techniques. Professional family enrichment and therapy applied to couples and families.

Marriage & Family Development and Process (1 or more courses)
       MFHD 160 Introduction to Family Processes
       Ways of strengthening family life by understanding such family processes as generations, emotions, communications, and rituals.
       MFHD 451 Theories in Family Perspective
       Introduction of major theoretical perspectives and of philosophical issues. Readings include representative papers applying theoretical
       and philosophic tenets.
       Psychology 220 Human Development: Life Span
       Interaction of psychological, biological, and social influences on behavior and psychological
       development through the life span.
       MFHD 356 Interactional Interviewing Skills in Family Science
       Interactional counseling techniques, issues, and theories; skill development in dyadic and family interaction observation. The course
       includes a lab requirement.    

Research Design
       MFHD 290 Critical Inquiry and Research Methods
       Philosophies of critical inquiry. Principles of designing, conducting, and reporting social science investigations.

Statistics (one course such as)
       Sociology 303R Introduction to Social Science and Statistical Packages
       Analytical work with social science variables using computer packages such as SAS or SPSSX. Lab. (Take the section that

       teaches SPSSX).
       Sociology 306 Applied Social Statistics
       Introductory descriptive and inferential statistics; graphing, central tendency, variation, hypothesis testing and parameter

       estimation, measures of association, correlation and regression.
       Statistics 221 Principles of Statistics 1
       Stemplots, boxplots, histograms, scatterplots; central tendency, variability; confidence invervals and hypothesis testing

       involving one and two means and proportions; contingency tables, regression; computer package.

Abnormal Psychology
       Psychology 342 Abnormal Psychology
       Dynamics of maladjustment; major psychological disorders and therapeutic procedures. The course also includes mandatory 

       volunteer work associated with mental health care.

Human Sexuality
       Health Science 436 Social Hygiene
       Preparing prospective teachers to teach family life education as it relates to health. Sexual
       maturation, family health problems, parenthood and other social hygiene factors.

Writing Skills
       English 315 Writing in the Social Sciences
       Writing characteristics of disciplines that inquire into human behavior and institutions;
       correspondence, proposals, library papers, empirical research, and reviews.

Curriculum for the Master's Degree

Brigham Young University offers the Master's of Science degree (M.S.) with a major in Marriage and Family Therapy. Administratively this degree is housed in the School of Family Life. The Master's degree program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Nine full-time faculty have primary instructional responsibility for the graduate program with support from other faculty in the School of Family Life. Major MFT courses and clinical practica are conducted in the BYU Comprehensive Clinic Building which also houses programs in clinical psychology, language disorders, audiology, and social work. Additional practicum experience is also available in various inpatient and outpatient medical and mental health facilities in the community.

Eligibility for admission to the master's degree program is based upon the applicant having an earned bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university. No specific undergraduate major is required, although study in the social sciences is desirable. The Graduate School requires an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above for the last sixty hours for admission. Also required are a combined score of at least 1000 on the verbal and quantitative tests of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and a score of 5.0 or higher on the written test of the GRE.

Beginning no later than halfway through the first academic year, the student is involved in direct clnical work with couples and families. This work, occupying approximately half time, will continue without interruption, except for established holidays, for the balance of the student’s academic program or at least one and one-half calendar years. Of a total of 15 hours per week, approximately 8-10 are to be spent in direct client contact with individuals, couples and families. Direct client contact is defined as face-to-face (therapist and client) therapeutic intervention. The balance of this time is to be spent in supervision, record keeping, and participation in other clinical activities of the agency. A minimum of 500 hours of direct client contact is required for the Master's degree.

In addition to course work and supervised clinical practicum, each student is required to complete a master's thesis. Often the master's thesis leads to publication or presentation at a professional meeting.

The following areas of study correspond to the curriculum prescribed by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the AAMFT.

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