Antioch University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Sentio University believes in program transparency and that all prospective students should have access to detailed, objective information about MFT programs to make the best possible decision for their education and career.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 MFT program in the state, explore The Absurdly Complete Guide to MFT Programs in California.

To learn more about Antioch University's California MFT pathways, visit the official program pages at the Antioch Santa Barbara MA in Clinical Psychology (Online) page and the Antioch Los Angeles MA in Clinical Psychology (Low Residency) page. 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.

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