Can an Online MFT Degree From Another State Lead to a California License?
An online MFT degree from a school in another state can lead to a California license when the degree meets the rules for out-of-state education that the Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) applies under Business and Professions Code 4980.78. The degree must be a master's or doctorate from an accredited school or one approved by California's Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), and it must contain at least 48 semester or 72 quarter units, a supervised practicum of at least 225 hours, and core marriage and family content. Graduates can add some California-specific coursework after they finish, but a practicum that falls short cannot be made up later.
The BBS reviews each applicant's degree and has the final word on whether it qualifies. Students who are also considering online programs based in California can compare them in the directory of online MFT programs in California.
Which Degrees Does the BBS Treat as Out-of-State?
The BBS treats two kinds of degree as out-of-state. Its guide for out-of-state applicants says that "'Out-of-State' means a degree from a school located outside of California, or from an online program that is not designed to meet California's requirements." Graduates with either kind of degree are evaluated under the out-of-state education rules in Business and Professions Code 4980.78, which set minimums for the school, the units, the practicum and the course content.
The Board also points applicants to programs built for California. Its LMFT applicant page refers readers to a list of California schools "as well as online schools offering a degree designed to meet California's requirements." On its education resources page, the Board says the listed schools offer "degree programs which may qualify towards California licensure." A listing signals that a program may qualify, and the Board still reviews each applicant's degree when the application arrives.
For a student weighing an online program based in another state, the practical question is which set of rules the program's California graduates apply under. Asking the program directly, and checking whether it appears on the Board's list, can answer that question before enrollment. A graduate of a program that was not designed for California should expect the out-of-state review under Business and Professions Code 4980.78.
What Must an Out-of-State MFT Degree Include?
An out-of-state degree must come from an accredited or approved school and must already contain a minimum number of units, a supervised practicum and core marriage and family content. The BBS guide asks for "a master's or doctorate degree obtained from a school that holds a regional or national institutional accreditation" recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or from a school approved by the BPPE.
| Requirement | Minimum | If the degree falls short |
|---|---|---|
| Units in the degree | At least 48 semester or 72 quarter units | The degree cannot qualify. |
| Total units | 60 semester or 90 quarter units, for applicants who began graduate study on or after August 1, 2012, or received the degree after December 31, 2018 | Graduate coursework can make up as many as 12 semester or 18 quarter units, including while registered as an associate; continuing education courses are not accepted. |
| Marriage and family content | At least 12 semester or 18 quarter units in marriage, family and child counseling and systems approaches to treatment | These units must be part of the degree itself. |
| Practicum | 6 semester or 9 quarter units with 225 hours of supervised face-to-face counseling, of which up to 75 hours may be client-centered advocacy | It cannot be made up. It is waived for applicants licensed as an LMFT in good standing at the highest level for independent clinical practice in another state or country. |
| California law and ethics | Instruction in California law and professional ethics | The applicant completes a California law and ethics course before the BBS issues the associate registration. |
| Other California content | Topics such as suicide risk assessment, psychopharmacology and California cultures | The applicant completes the coursework while registered as an associate, before the license application is approved. |
The degree title does not need to match California's list: the statute says an out-of-state applicant's "degree title need not be identical" to the titles required of California degrees. A separate guide explains which master's degree titles qualify for California programs, and the guide to California's educational requirements for MFT licensure covers the rules for California degrees under Business and Professions Code 4980.36.
Which Missing Coursework Can You Complete After Graduation?
Out-of-state graduates can complete missing California coursework after graduation, and the deadline depends on the subject. California law and ethics comes first, because it must be finished before the BBS issues the Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT) registration. The BBS guide describes two cases. A graduate whose degree included a law and ethics course of 2 semester or 3 quarter units without California content completes a 12-hour California law and ethics course from an acceptable continuing education provider. A graduate whose law and ethics course was shorter than that completes a graduate-level California law and ethics course at an accredited or approved school, and a continuing education course is not accepted in that case.
Other California content can be finished while the graduate is registered as an associate. The guide lists the topics an out-of-state applicant must complete if the degree is deficient in them, among them suicide risk assessment and intervention; California cultures and the social and psychological implications of socioeconomic position; psychological testing; psychopharmacology; human sexuality; substance use disorders; and child abuse assessment and reporting in California. This coursework must be finished before the BBS approves the application for LMFT licensure, and undergraduate courses do not count toward it.
Does the School Need COAMFTE Accreditation or BBS Approval?
A school outside California needs neither COAMFTE accreditation nor approval from the BBS for its graduates to qualify. The BBS guide for out-of-state applicants asks for a school with regional or national institutional accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or a school approved by the BPPE, and it does not mention the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), although the law's definition of an accredited school includes COAMFTE accreditation (Business and Professions Code 4980.03). For degrees from California programs, the law accepts any one of three: approval by the BPPE, accreditation by COAMFTE, or accreditation by a regional or national institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
The BBS does not accredit schools. California law names the BPPE as the body that approves schools and names COAMFTE and recognized institutional accreditors as the bodies that accredit them. The Board's role is to decide whether each applicant's education meets the law. For degrees from California programs, the statute gives the Board "the authority to make the final determination as to whether a degree meets all requirements, including, but not limited to, course requirements, regardless of accreditation or approval." For out-of-state degrees, the Board decides whether the education is "substantially equivalent" under Business and Professions Code 4980.78. Accreditation, approval and a place on the Board's list all help, and the Board's review of the degree still decides the case.
Will a California MFT Degree Be Accepted in Other States?
A California MFT degree is accepted in another state only if it meets that state's education requirements, because each state licenses marriage and family therapists under its own law. California programs are built to meet California's requirements, and other states set different ones.
New York's rules show how the requirements can differ. Among its routes, New York's State Education Department accepts a master's or doctoral program in marriage and family therapy that is registered by the Department as licensure-qualifying, accredited by COAMFTE, or found by the Department to be substantially equivalent, with at least 45 semester hours of study in required areas. The program must "include a supervised practicum in marriage and family therapy of at least 300 client contact hours," while California's minimum within the degree is 225 hours. A California graduate whose program offered only the California minimum would need to look closely at New York's rules before applying there.
For anyone who may move after graduating, the time to check is before enrolling. The board in each state publishes its education rules, and comparing them with a program's practicum hours, course list and accreditation shows where a California degree might fall short. Licensed MFTs who are moving a license follow a different process, and the guide to MFT license requirements by state describes each state's route for licensees.
How Can You Check a Degree Before Applying?
A course-by-course comparison with the BBS guide for out-of-state applicants shows where a degree falls short before an application is filed. The guide, revised in October 2024, sets out the unit, practicum and content requirements, lists the additional coursework, and says when each item must be completed. A student still choosing a program can ask for its total units, its practicum units and supervised counseling hours, and the courses that cover marriage, family and child counseling, and can confirm the school's accreditation or BPPE approval with the accreditor or the BPPE.
The rules may change. Since 2025 the Board's Workforce Development Committee has been reviewing the education requirements for LMFT licensure, including possible changes to accreditation requirements, unit and practicum requirements, transfer units and limits on remediation. Nothing had been adopted as of the Board's Spring 2026 newsletter, so checking the BBS website before enrolling, and again before applying, keeps a plan current.
A Closer Look at One Program: The Sentio MFT Program
Programs differ in where they are based and how they deliver coursework. The Sentio MFT program is a 20-month Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy of 60 semester credits, based in Los Angeles and open to students across California. Coursework is online, in weekly live Zoom classes over five 12-week semesters, and each semester begins with an in-person residency in Los Angeles, for five residencies in all.
Every student has a guaranteed practicum at the Sentio Counseling Center, an online counseling center that serves diverse, low-income clients and specializes in serving clients with trauma. Students begin seeing clients in their second semester and complete more than 400 supervised clinical hours before graduating. In the program's first graduating class, the Class of 2026, 100% of graduates were registered as Associate Marriage and Family Therapists within six weeks of graduation.
Making Your Decision
The decision starts with where you plan to be licensed. A student who plans to practice in California and is considering an online program based in another state can confirm three things before enrolling: that the school holds recognized institutional accreditation or BPPE approval, that the degree will contain at least 6 semester or 9 quarter units of practicum with at least 150 hours of face-to-face counseling and 75 more hours of counseling or client-centered advocacy, and how much California coursework would remain after graduation. The practicum deserves the closest look, because a short practicum cannot be made up after graduation.
A student who may later move away from California can read the education requirements of the board in that state now, while the choice of program is still open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an online MFT degree accepted by the California BBS?
An online MFT degree can qualify for California licensure. The BBS points applicants to a list that includes online schools offering a degree designed to meet California's requirements. An online degree from a school located outside California, or from an online program not designed for California, is reviewed under the out-of-state rules in Business and Professions Code 4980.78, which set minimums for the school, the units, the practicum and the course content. The BBS makes the final decision for each applicant.
Does California accept MFT degrees from other states?
California accepts an MFT degree from another state when it meets the out-of-state rules. The degree must be a master's or doctorate from an accredited or BPPE-approved school. It must contain at least 48 semester or 72 quarter units, 6 semester or 9 quarter units of practicum with at least 150 hours of face-to-face counseling and 75 more hours of counseling or client-centered advocacy, and 12 semester or 18 quarter units in marriage, family and child counseling. California law and ethics and other California content can be added after graduation.
Can I make up missing practicum hours from an out-of-state MFT degree?
Missing practicum cannot be made up after graduation. The BBS requires the out-of-state degree itself to contain 6 semester or 9 quarter units of practicum that include at least 150 hours of face-to-face counseling and 75 more hours of counseling or client-centered advocacy. The requirement is waived only for applicants who hold a valid LMFT license in good standing at the highest level for independent clinical practice in another state or country.
What California coursework do out-of-state MFT graduates need?
Out-of-state graduates complete California law and ethics before the BBS issues the associate registration, either as a 12-hour continuing education course or, if the degree's law and ethics course was shorter than 2 semester or 3 quarter units, as a graduate-level course. Other topics missing from the degree, such as suicide risk assessment, psychopharmacology, human sexuality, substance use disorders and California cultures, can be completed while registered as an associate, before the LMFT license application is approved.
Does the BBS approve online MFT programs?
The BBS does not accredit or approve schools. California law gives those roles to the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, COAMFTE, and regional and national institutional accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The BBS lists schools whose programs "may qualify towards California licensure" and decides whether each applicant's degree meets the law, with final authority over California degrees "regardless of accreditation or approval."
Does an MFT degree earned in California transfer to other states?
A California MFT degree does not transfer automatically. Each state licenses marriage and family therapists under its own law, and its board decides whether a degree from another state meets its education requirements. New York, for example, requires a practicum of at least 300 client contact hours, while California's minimum within the degree is 225 hours. Anyone who may move should compare a program with the rules of the board in that state before enrolling.
Do I need a COAMFTE-accredited degree to be licensed in California?
California does not require COAMFTE accreditation. For degrees from California programs, the law accepts any one of three: approval by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, accreditation by COAMFTE, or accreditation by a regional or national institutional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For degrees from schools outside California, the law uses the same definitions, and the BBS guide describes the requirement as recognized regional or national institutional accreditation or approval by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education.
References
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (n.d.). Education resources. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/education_resources.html
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (n.d.). Licensed marriage and family therapist. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/applicants/lmft.html
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2024). Guide to educational requirements: Associate marriage and family therapist, out-of-state and out-of-country applicants. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/forms/mft/amft_guide_oos.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026). Spring 2026 newsletter. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/newsletters/spring2026.pdf
Board of Behavioral Sciences. (2026). Statutes and regulations relating to the practice of professional clinical counseling, marriage and family therapy, educational psychology, clinical social work. https://www.bbs.ca.gov/pdf/publications/lawsregs.pdf
California Legislature. (2019). Business and Professions Code section 4980.78. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=4980.78
New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions. (n.d.). Marriage and family therapists: License requirements. https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/marriage-and-family-therapists/license-requirements
