Biola University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Biola 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 Biola University MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program page, the Biola Talbot School of Theology admissions materials, and BBS records. 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 $59,000, tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $59,228 in tuition for the 67-credit program at $884 per credit (2026-2027), the total Biola publishes. Housing, fees, and living expenses 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

Format: In-person, full-time, cohort-based at the La Mirada campus. The program follows a three-year sequence with students moving through coursework together.

Class Scheduling: Specific class day and time blocks are not detailed on the program's public pages. Prospective students should confirm class scheduling directly with the program.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: The program lists a year-long clinical internship of 300 or more direct client contact hours per the Biola MFT program page. Specific relational and supervision hour requirements are not publicly itemized. The program states that clinical training meets California BBS educational requirements for LMFT licensure.

Training Clinic: Not publicly listed as a dedicated in-house MFT training clinic. Students complete a community-based clinical internship.

Practicum Arrangement: Students complete a 12-month community clinical internship coordinated through the program.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Yes. Per the Biola MFT program page, students are required to engage in personal psychotherapy with a licensed clinician during the program.

Curriculum Structure

The 67-unit curriculum integrates clinical MFT training with biblical and theological formation, consistent with Biola's evangelical Christian mission and Talbot School of Theology's framework:

Core Clinical Coursework: Systemic and relational theory, human development, assessment and diagnosis, psychopathology, couple and family therapy models, multicultural counseling, law and ethics, and research methods.

Biblical and Spiritual Formation: Coursework in biblical integration, theology, and spiritual formation. Spiritual direction is offered through Biola's Institute for Spiritual Formation.

Fieldwork Sequence: A year-long clinical internship with concurrent supervision completed during the final year.

Culminating Requirements

The primary culminating requirement is the year-long clinical internship with supervision. Additional capstone requirements such as a thesis or comprehensive examination are not publicly detailed on the program page. Students should confirm current culminating requirements directly with the program.

Application Process

Application Deadlines: Early Action deadline February 1, general application deadline March 15, for fall entry per the Biola MFT program page.

Start Term: Fall (cohort-based).

GPA Requirement: Minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale per the Biola MFT program page.

Prerequisites: Specific prerequisite courses are not publicly listed.

Application Components: Online application with fee, official transcripts, three reference letters (including pastoral, character, and academic references), two essays (a Christian testimony and an autobiographical statement of up to 1,000 words), and a resume or CV. English proficiency verification is required for non-native English speakers.

Interview: Not publicly confirmed as a required component on the program's public pages.

Concentrations and Specializations

MFT Track: The program offers a single MFT track aligned to California BBS educational requirements for LMFT licensure.

Christian Integration: Biblical and theological integration is woven throughout the curriculum rather than offered as a separate concentration.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Per the Biola MFT program page, the program prepares graduates to integrate Christian faith and clinical practice in serving couples, families, and individuals.
• The program is housed in the Talbot School of Theology, reflecting a theological as well as clinical framework for training.
• Students complete a required year-long clinical internship of 300 or more direct client contact hours, per the program page.
• Personal psychotherapy with a licensed clinician is a required component of the training, per the program page.
• Spiritual formation and spiritual direction are embedded in the student experience through Biola's Institute for Spiritual Formation.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Students seeking explicitly Christian clinical training: The MFT program is housed in the Talbot School of Theology and integrates biblical and theological formation throughout.

Students in the Los Angeles and Orange County area: The program operates from Biola's La Mirada campus in southeast Los Angeles County.

Students who value cohort-based learning: The program uses a full-time three-year cohort format.

Students who want personal therapy built into training: Personal psychotherapy with a licensed clinician is required.

Students pursuing California LMFT licensure: The curriculum is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements.

Career changers entering the field: The GRE is not required and specific prerequisite courses are not listed.

Students drawn to spiritual formation in training: Spiritual direction through Biola's Institute for Spiritual Formation is part of the student experience.

Related California MFT Programs

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

• Azusa Pacific University: Nearby faith-based, dual LMFT/LPCC
• Fuller Theological Seminary: LA-area faith-based seminary
• Vanguard University: Orange County faith-based private
• Cal State Fullerton: Nearby Orange County public, dual
• University of La Verne: Eastern LA County private

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 Biola University's MFT program, visit their official website at biola.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 Biola's MFT program accredited?

Yes, by WSCUC, with Talbot School of Theology accredited by ATS, and it meets California BBS LMFT educational requirements. Biola's site does not list COAMFTE.

Does Biola require the GRE?

No. The catalog states that a GRE score is not required for admission.

How long is the program and how many units?

Standard completion is three years, requiring 67 semester credits, with a six-year maximum.

Does Biola prepare students for the LPCC as well as the LMFT?

No. The program is built for California LMFT licensure only.

What outcomes does Biola publish?

Biola does not publish program-level graduation, licensure, or placement rates for this program; its outcomes page provides learning-outcome assessment documents instead.

What does the program cost, and what GPA and deadline apply?

Tuition is $884 per credit for 2026-2027, about $59,228 total; admission requires a minimum 3.0 GPA, with February 1 Early Action and March 15 general deadlines for Fall.

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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