COAMFTE-Accredited MFT Programs in California

COAMFTE-accredited Marriage and Family Therapy programs · 10 programs · Updated June 2026

COAMFTE accreditation is not required to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California. For California licensure, what matters is that your degree program is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) and meets the coursework requirements of Business and Professions Code Section 4980.36. Ten of the 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California also hold COAMFTE accreditation, and this page lists those ten. Every program here is drawn from the same independent directory Sentio University maintains for all 71 California MFT programs, with no ads, affiliate links, or paid placements.

COAMFTE stands for the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, the national accrediting body for MFT degree programs, affiliated with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). It is programmatic accreditation specific to marriage and family therapy, which is different from the regional or national institutional accreditation a university carries, and different again from BBS approval. A program can be BBS-approved without being COAMFTE-accredited, and in California most are: 61 of the 71 BBS-approved programs do not hold COAMFTE accreditation.

So why seek out a COAMFTE-accredited program if California does not require it? Three reasons come up most often. License portability: some other states offer graduates of COAMFTE-accredited programs a more streamlined path to licensure if you relocate. Transparency: COAMFTE requires accredited programs to publish student achievement data, including graduation rates, licensure examination pass rates, and job placement, so you can compare outcomes directly. Recognition: some doctoral programs and employers treat COAMFTE accreditation as a known curriculum standard. If none of those apply to you and you intend to license and practice in California, a BBS-approved program that is not COAMFTE-accredited can be an equally valid route, often at lower cost.

Use the cards below to compare the ten COAMFTE-accredited programs on total cost, timeline, GRE requirement, program format, and practicum model. Accreditation status can change, so confirm a program's current COAMFTE accreditation directly with COAMFTE, and confirm its current BBS approval on the BBS website, before you apply.