Human Development and Family Studies: Marriage and Family Therapy (M.S.)

Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, the M.S. Human Development and Family Studies: Marriage and Family Therapy is pausing admissions to the program. Current students will continue to have access to the same high-quality education and resources until they graduate.

The Marriage and Family Therapy Program prepares students to work in mental health, family service, medical, and human service settings. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education and meets the academic requirements for clinical membership in the AAMFT. The Program generally takes two years including two summers and requires five hundred (500) hours of clinical practice in order to graduate. Additional hours of clinical practice under supervision are required after graduation to meet state licensure standards and qualify for clinical membership in AAMFT. 

The Marriage and Family Therapy Program contributes to the well-being of individuals and families through knowledge, teaching leadership and professional practice.  The program is fully accredited by COAMFTE and meets the academic regulations for clinical membership in the American Association for MFT. Through connecting research, practice and policy our faculty conducts significant research on a range of issues facing individuals, couples and families in today's society.

Clinical training offered within the MFT Program emphasizes treating individuals, couples, and families in relationship to larger systems that influence them. Supervised practica are continuous throughout the program. MFT program graduates learn to function as competent and ethical marriage and family therapy professionals and have a solid knowledge base of marriage and family therapy theory and research as well as clinical practice principles. The MFT Program successfully prepares graduates for employment as marriage and family therapists in community agencies and private practice.

Part-time MFT students will be admitted for the fall semester only. Part-time admission to the MFT is available on a case-by-case basis until January 15th to begin matriculation in the fall semester. Interested applicants should contact Dr. Tyler Jamison, Graduate Coordinator, for information. An interview may be required. 

Program Highlights

• Competitive stipends and scholarship opportunities.
• Award-winning mentorship from nationally recognized faculty.
• Collegial and supportive culture.
• On-campus clinical facilities.
• Access to UNH's Career and Professional Development .
• Opportunities to conduct research, publish and present at conferences.
• 97% of students who have enrolled in the UNH Marriage and Family Therapy Program have graduated.
• 100% of graduates who have taken the national exam have passed.
• Exceptional placement rate post-graduation.

M.S. Degree Requirements: Marriage and Family Therapy Program

All students are expected to:

• Minimum of two years of full-time study, including two summers.
• Students must complete 72 credits of required coursework, which includes 24 successfully completed credits of practicum.
• 500 hours of supervised clinical practice.
• Satisfactorily complete an integrative paper and presentation.

Requirements

Grade Policy

A graduate student who fails a course must immediately attend a mandatory meeting with the instructor of the course, the Human Development and Family Studies Graduate Coordinator, and, if desired, the student's adviser. If a graduate student receives grades below "B-­" in two or more courses, the Human Development and Family Studies Graduate Coordinator will make a recommendation to the Graduate School that the student be dismissed from the Human Development and Family Studies Graduate program.

• Students will demonstrate a knowledge of the major models of marriage and family therapy and other systems related theories.
• Students and graduates will demonstrate competencies in assessing and treating varied populations and problems through a systemic lens.
• Students and graduates will demonstrate an understanding, sensitivity and respect for multicultural populations.
• Students and graduates will develop an awareness for larger systems and family/individual developmental perspectives.
• Students and graduates will demonstrate competency in understanding and practicing the ethical principles of the AAMFT/Code of Ethics and ethical decision making.
• Students and graduates will demonstrate knowledge of MFT research.
• Students and graduates will demonstrate understanding of the relationship between theory, research and practice.

Human Development and Family Studies: Marriage and Family Therapy (M.S.)

Location/Delivery: Durham Campus, College of Health and Human Services [In-Person Program]

This program is designed to prepare graduates for professional licensure/certification as follows:

Marriage and Family Therapist
 

The University of New Hampshire has determined this program meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification in:¹
 Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Additional information and related resources are available on the Office of the Registrar's website.

¹

State specific post-education requirements are subject to change. Students are responsible for confirming these requirements in their state of residence and intended practice.