Antioch University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Antioch University is one of 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California. Compare all 71 in our directory. Program data collected April 2026 from publicly available sources including the Antioch University MA in Clinical Psychology (Online) program page, the Antioch University MA in Clinical Psychology (Low Residency) program page for the Los Angeles campus, the Antioch University tuition and fees pages for Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, and the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) LMFT applicant resources. Prospective students should verify all details directly with the program before applying.

Student Outcomes

Cost and Regional Pay

Approximate placement of this program’s total cost (about $70,000 to $86,000, tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $70,000 for the Santa Barbara online program and about $86,000 for the Los Angeles low-residency program (90 quarter units; fees are additional).

Regional pay context: In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area, marriage and family therapists earn a median of about $71,110 per year, with a typical range of roughly $49,860 to $98,450 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). These figures cover all marriage and family therapists in the area at all experience levels, not this program's graduates. For more, see our Los Angeles LMFT salary guide.

Schedule and Format Details

Santa Barbara Online Program: Delivered online with live evening classes two nights per week for full-time students. Students progress through the curriculum over a minimum of 8 quarters.

Los Angeles Low-Residency Program: Combines synchronous weekly core courses held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in 12:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. blocks, asynchronous coursework, and in-person weekend workshops.

Start Terms: The Santa Barbara online program offers multiple entry points including Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms. The Los Angeles program also offers multiple entry points across Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring terms.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: The Santa Barbara program page references 225 hours of face-to-face counseling experience as a graduation requirement, including 75 in-person hours for students in the Latinx Mental Health concentration. Per the Antioch University catalog, students in the Los Angeles program completing the MFT track must accrue 150 hours of direct client contact plus 75 additional hours, for a total of 225 hours. Students completing the LPCC track at the Los Angeles campus must accrue 280 hours of direct client contact during clinical training. Detailed relational and supervision hour breakdowns are not publicly itemized beyond these figures. Both California programs state that clinical training complies with California BBS educational requirements for LMFT and LPCC licensure.

Training Clinic: Not publicly listed as a dedicated in-house MFT training clinic at either California campus.

Practicum Arrangement: Students complete traineeships at community-based partner sites arranged through the program. Site-specific placement procedures should be confirmed directly with the program.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Yes, for both California programs. Per the Antioch University catalog, students in the MA in Clinical Psychology program are required to complete two sets of 12-week sessions of personal psychotherapy. One set is typically completed before starting clinical practicum and the second set during clinical training. The total hour count is not explicitly stated in the catalog.

Curriculum Structure

Both California programs are 90 quarter unit MA in Clinical Psychology degrees aligned to California BBS educational requirements for LMFT and LPCC licensure. Each program combines core clinical psychology coursework with a concentration option.

Core Coursework: Clinical psychology theory and practice, human development, assessment, multicultural and social justice practice, law and ethics, and research methods. Specific course lists by program should be confirmed on the Antioch course catalog.

Fieldwork Sequence: Traineeship and concurrent supervision courses completed at community-based partner sites.

Culminating Requirements

Per the Antioch University catalog, the primary culminating requirement for the MA in Clinical Psychology is a Clinical Readiness portfolio and case conceptualization, completed as part of the clinical training sequence. A Master's Thesis or Master's Project is available as an optional alternative and is most commonly chosen by students who plan to pursue licensure in a jurisdiction that specifically requires a thesis. The Santa Barbara program page also references the completion of 225 face-to-face counseling hours as a graduation requirement. Students should confirm current culminating requirements directly with the program.

Application Process

Santa Barbara Online Program Deadlines: Fall term priority deadline February 1, final deadline July 15. Winter term priority deadline August 1, final deadline November 1. Additional start terms (Spring and Summer) are offered per the program page.

Los Angeles Low-Residency Program Deadlines: Summer priority February 1, final May 1. Fall priority May 1, final August 1. Winter priority August 1, final November 1. Spring priority November 1, final February 1.

GPA Requirement: Not publicly listed on the program pages.

Prerequisites: Not publicly listed on the program pages.

Application Components (Santa Barbara Online): Online application, official transcript showing a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, admissions essay, and two optional letters of recommendation. The GRE is not required.

Application Components (Los Angeles Low-Residency): Online application, $50 application fee that may be waived for info session attendees, official transcript, admissions essay (typed, 12 point, double spaced, responding to one of two prompts), and an optional professional letter of recommendation.

Interview: Required for both programs. The Santa Barbara admissions process includes a virtual group interview of approximately 90 minutes as part of a multi-phase review. The Los Angeles program requires a group interview.

Concentrations and Specializations

Santa Barbara (Online): Somatic Psychotherapy concentration and Latinx Mental Health concentration.

Los Angeles (Low-Residency): Addiction and Recovery, Child Studies, General Practice, and Spiritual and Depth Psychology concentrations.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Per the Antioch Santa Barbara MA in Clinical Psychology (Online) program page, the program prepares graduates to qualify for LMFT or LPCC licensure in California and emphasizes social justice, multicultural competence, and hands-on clinical training.
• Per the Antioch Los Angeles MA in Clinical Psychology (Low Residency) program page, the Los Angeles program offers four concentrations (Addiction and Recovery, Child Studies, General Practice, and Spiritual and Depth Psychology) and delivers synchronous, asynchronous, and weekend residency components.
• Both California programs are listed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as meeting educational requirements for LMFT licensure per the BBS LMFT applicant page.
• The Santa Barbara program describes itself as offering LMFT preparation through concentrations in Somatic Psychotherapy and Latinx Mental Health.
• Antioch University is a nonsectarian institution with campuses across the United States and a long history of adult-focused graduate education.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Students seeking a fully online LMFT pathway: The Santa Barbara MA in Clinical Psychology is delivered online with live evening classes.

Students in Southern California seeking a low-residency format: The Los Angeles program combines weekly synchronous courses with asynchronous content and weekend workshops.

Working adults who need evening and weekend coursework: Both California programs schedule classes outside standard business hours.

Students interested in somatic or Latinx-focused mental health training: The Santa Barbara concentrations target these specific clinical interests.

Students interested in addiction, child and family, or depth psychology concentrations: The Los Angeles program offers these specialization tracks.

Students interested in dual licensure (MFT and LPCC): Both California programs prepare graduates for LMFT or LPCC licensure in California.

Career changers entering the field: The GRE is not required for the Santa Barbara program, and no specific prerequisite courses are publicly listed for either program.

Students who value a social-justice-oriented program philosophy: Antioch emphasizes social justice and multicultural competence in its published program materials.

Related California MFT Programs

If you are weighing Antioch University, you may also want to compare these nearby and similar programs in our directory:

• Pacific Oaks College: Same LA area, private secular, online, social-justice orientation
• The Chicago School: Professional school, multiple modalities and online
• Pacifica Graduate Institute: Santa Barbara area, matching the Santa Barbara campus
• Pepperdine University: Same LA area, private, online option
• University of Southern California: Same LA area, private, online option

Or compare all 71 California MFT programs side by side.

How This California MFT Directory Is Built

This is the only California MFT program directory that accepts no paid placements of any kind. No program can pay to be listed, pay to rank higher, pay to be featured, or pay to remove information, and there are no affiliate links or sponsored entries. Every program on the California BBS approved-program list is included. At Sentio University, we believe in program transparency. Every prospective student should have as much objective information about MFT programs as possible to make the best decision for themselves.

How to Choose an MFT Program in California

Meeting the BBS requirements tells you that a curriculum clears a legal bar but says almost nothing about how skilled a clinician you can become. The students who get the most out of these years treat licensure as the floor, and then ask a far more ambitious question: which program will help me reach the very top of what I am capable of as a therapist? The program you choose changes everything. By the time they reach practicum, 2 in 3 students at COAMFTE-accredited MFT programs do not feel prepared to see clients. Training built around real, performable clinical skills, rather than theory alone, is what lets you walk into your first session with genuine confidence and keep growing from there. You get to decide how high to aim, and the right program will rise to meet you.

Look closely at four things. First, Deliberate Practice: the strongest programs let you rehearse specific skills with immediate feedback, the same way world-class musicians and athletes build mastery over time. Second, clinical hours: seek out programs that give you a high volume of direct client contact, because nothing accelerates your development faster than real, supervised repetition. Third, video recording in supervision rather than student self-report, so your supervisors can coach what actually happened in the room. Fourth, routine outcome monitoring, which teaches you to track, honestly and objectively, whether your clients are getting better. A program that does all four is training you to pursue excellence, not just clear a requirement.

Also consider programs that teach you safe and ethical AI-integrated clinical training. And do not let cost quietly lower your sights. There are more scholarships and financial aid options for California MFT students than most applicants ever realize.

The purpose of these years is not simply to pass a board and collect a license. It is to become the best therapist you can be, so struggling therapy clients will trust you with the hardest moments of their lives. Hold your education to that standard. Reach for the ceiling rather than settling for the floor, and choose the program that will help you get there.

Note from the Field:
"Aim higher than the license. A degree gets you in the door, but skill is what earns a client's trust. Pick the program that takes your training as seriously as you do."
Alexandre Vaz, PhD

Making Your Decision: What to Do Before You Apply

Salary data and job market projections are useful inputs to your program search, but they cannot tell you what a school is actually like to attend. Marketing materials, program websites, and admissions presentations are designed to present a program favorably. The most reliable way to cut through that and understand what a program actually delivers in the classroom is to ask to sit in on a live class session, whether in person or online, before you commit. Every program that is confident in the quality of its instruction should not only allow this but actively welcome it. If a program is reluctant to let prospective students observe a class, that reluctance is itself informative. The California MFT job market rewards clinical skill, and the training environment you choose over the next two to three years will shape the kind of therapist you become. Take the time to see it for yourself before you decide.

For a detailed comparison of every California MFT program, see our directory of all 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California.

To learn more about Antioch University's MFT program, visit their official website at antioch.edu. If you are comparing MFT programs in California, you can explore Sentio University's MFT program to see how our Deliberate Practice training model compares.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Antioch's California MFT program accredited?

Antioch University is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the California programs are approved by the California BBS for the LMFT and LPCC. The California programs are not COAMFTE-accredited; Antioch's COAMFTE Couple and Family Therapy programs are in New England and Seattle, not California.

Does Antioch require the GRE?

No. The GRE is not required.

How long is the program and how many units?

Both California programs are 90 quarter units with a minimum of about 24 months; the Santa Barbara program is online and the Los Angeles program is low-residency.

Does Antioch prepare students for both the LMFT and LPCC?

Yes. Both California programs offer the LMFT pathway plus an optional LPCC track with additional coursework.

What outcomes does Antioch publish?

Antioch publishes California BBS exam pass rates by campus (for 2023, the Los Angeles program reported a 69% LMFT clinical exam pass rate and Santa Barbara 53%), alongside state-mandated on-time completion and job-placement figures that use narrow BPPE definitions.

What is the difference between Antioch's two California programs?

The Santa Barbara program is delivered online and the Los Angeles program uses a low-residency format; tuition and reported outcomes differ between them.

Disclaimer: This profile was prepared by Sentio University for informational purposes only. Sentio University is an MFT program in California and a peer institution to the program profiled above. All information was drawn from publicly available sources and the program's own published materials as of April 2026. Sentio University makes no guarantee regarding the accuracy or completeness of this information. Prospective students should contact the program directly to verify all details, including admissions requirements, tuition, accreditation status, and clinical training structure. This profile does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. For a full list of California MFT programs, visit our California MFT Program Directory.

About the Authors

Tony Rousmaniere, PsyD is the President of Sentio University and Executive Director of the Sentio Counseling Center. He is Past President of the psychotherapy division of the American Psychological Association and the author of over 20 books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training, including The Essentials of Deliberate Practice book series (APA Books). He is a licensed psychologist in California and Washington. Learn more

Alexandre Vaz, PhD is the Chief Academic Officer of Sentio University and cofounder of the Deliberate Practice Institute. He is co-editor of The Essentials of Deliberate Practice book series (APA Books) and the author of over a dozen books on deliberate practice and psychotherapy training. Dr. Vaz is the founder and host of Psychotherapy Expert Talks. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Portugal. Learn more

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