San Francisco State University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis
CSU San Francisco 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 SFSU Department of Counseling Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling program page, the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page, the SFSU Bulletin entry for the Department of Counseling, and BBS records. Prospective students should verify all details directly with the program before applying.
Program Snapshot
University: San Francisco State University (SFSU)
Official Degree Name: Master of Science in Counseling, Concentration in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC). The program page notes that MFCC refers to the degree title while MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy) is the field terminology used in practice.
Department / School: Department of Counseling, College of Health and Social Sciences.
Campus Location: Main campus, Burk Hall 524, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132. See the San Francisco State University home page.
Institution Link: San Francisco State University.
Modality: In-person, on-campus per the Department of Counseling program page. Specific day or evening scheduling details are not publicly listed and should be confirmed directly with the department.
Licensure Track: California LMFT. Graduates are eligible to register as an Associate MFT with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and complete post-degree supervised hours to become licensed as an LMFT, per the SFSU MFCC program page. LPCC or dual LMFT/LPCC pathways are not publicly listed for this concentration.
Accreditation: Regional accreditation for the university through the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Per the SFSU MFCC program page, the MFCC specialization is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The year first accredited and current term expiration are not publicly listed on the program page. The program states that it meets California Board of Behavioral Sciences educational requirements for LMFT licensure.
Program Length: 60 semester units. Two pacing options are offered: a two-year full-time sequence (four semesters, approximately 15 units per semester) and a three-year part-time sequence (six semesters), per the SFSU MFCC program page.
Estimated Total Program Tuition (2025-2026): Not publicly listed at the per-unit level on the program page or Bulletin. CSU system graduate tuition and campus-based fees are set at the system and campus level; prospective students should consult SFSU Bursar and Student Financial Services pages for current rates. Books, campus fees, and living expenses are additional.
GRE Requirement: Not publicly listed as a required component on the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page.
Religious Orientation: None. SFSU is a public university within the California State University system.
Entering Class Size: Not publicly listed.
Concentrations: Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC) concentration within the MS in Counseling. Other concentrations offered by the department include School Counseling, College Counseling, Career Counseling, and Gerontological Counseling per the Department of Counseling program pages.
This profile is one of 71. See how every California MFT program compares on tuition, format, accreditation, practicum, and clinical training. No ads, no paid placements.
Compare All 71 →Student Outcomes
Outcomes are shown only as published by the program or its accreditor. Where a value is not published, we say so rather than estimate it.
Graduation rate: Not published as a single rate (the program reports time-to-degree distributions rather than one completion percentage)
Job placement rate: 88% of surveyed MFCC graduates seeking work were employed (2022-2023 program survey). Source: SFSU CACREP Vital Statistics.
Licensure rate: Not published
Licensure exam pass rate: LMFT Clinical exam 75% (first-time) and Law and Ethics exam 100% for the reported cycle, figures SFSU reports across its Counseling and Psychology departments rather than for this concentration alone. Source: SFSU CACREP Vital Statistics.
San Francisco State's Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling concentration is CACREP-accredited, not COAMFTE, and publishes annual CACREP Vital Statistics on its own site. The most recent machine-readable report (2022-2023) gives an 88% employment rate among surveyed MFCC graduates and LMFT exam pass rates reported across the Counseling and Psychology departments rather than for this concentration alone; it reports time-to-degree distributions rather than a single graduation rate.
Cost and Regional Pay
Approximate placement of this program’s total cost (about $19,000 to $20,000 for California residents (estimate, includes fees)) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.
Estimated total tuition: approximately $19,000 to $20,000 for California residents over the two-year full-time sequence, an estimate based on CSU systemwide graduate tuition plus campus-based fees; SFSU does not publish a single program-specific total. Non-resident tuition is higher; verify current rates with SFSU Bursar and Student Financial Services.
Regional pay context: In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area, marriage and family therapists earn a median of about $77,210 per year, with a typical range of roughly $66,940 to $125,140 (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 San Francisco Bay Area LMFT salary guide.
Schedule and Format Details
Format: In-person, on-campus attendance at the SFSU main campus per the Department of Counseling program page. Hybrid or fully online pathways are not publicly listed for this concentration.
Pacing Options: Students may complete the program in two years on a full-time basis (four semesters at approximately 15 units per semester) or in three years on a part-time basis (six semesters), per the SFSU MFCC program page.
Cohort Model: The program admits once per year for a Fall start per the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page.
Clinical Training and Fieldwork
Clinical Hours: Specific direct client contact, relational, and supervision hour requirements are not detailed on SFSU's public program pages. The program states that clinical training meets California BBS educational requirements for LMFT licensure. Students should request current fieldwork requirements directly from the program.
Training Clinic: Not publicly listed as a dedicated in-house MFCC training clinic on the Department of Counseling program pages.
Practicum and Internship Sequence: Per the SFSU MFCC program page and SFSU Bulletin, fieldwork includes COUN 705 Counseling Practicum, COUN 890 Integrative Counseling and Internship, and COUN 891 Case Studies and Internship Seminar. Specialized clinical coursework includes COUN 858 and COUN 860 Couple and Family Counseling I and II and COUN 861 Seminar on Child Treatment. Placement procedures beyond course requirements are not detailed on the program's public pages.
Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Not publicly listed on the program's web materials.
Curriculum Structure
The 60-unit MS in Counseling with the MFCC concentration is structured around California BBS educational requirements for LMFT licensure and the CACREP standards the department cites on its program page:
Core Coursework: Counseling theory, human development, multicultural counseling, career counseling, assessment, research methods, group counseling, and law and ethics, drawn from the SFSU Bulletin course sequence for the Department of Counseling.
Specialized MFCC Coursework: COUN 858 and COUN 860 Couple and Family Counseling I and II and COUN 861 Seminar on Child Treatment per the SFSU Bulletin.
Fieldwork Sequence: COUN 705 Counseling Practicum, followed by COUN 890 Integrative Counseling and Internship and COUN 891 Case Studies and Internship Seminar per the SFSU Bulletin.
Culminating Requirements
Per the SFSU MFCC program page and SFSU Bulletin, the culminating requirement is COUN 892 Culminating Experience for Counselors (3 units).
Application Process
Application Deadlines: Per the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page, applications for Fall 2027 admission are expected to open October 1, 2026, with full admission instructions posted in early September 2026. Fall 2026 admission has closed. Prospective students should confirm current deadlines directly with the department.
Start Term: Fall only (cohort-based).
GPA Requirement: Not publicly listed as a program-specific cutoff on the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page. SFSU Division of Graduate Studies minimum GPA standards apply.
Prerequisites: Specific prerequisite courses are not publicly listed for the MFCC concentration.
Work Experience Requirement: Per the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page, applicants are required to document a minimum of 2,000 hours of prior human services experience (paid or unpaid) before applying, which corresponds to approximately one year full-time or two years part-time. Qualifying settings include community mental health agencies, child and family services agencies, crisis centers, hospitals, schools, and domestic violence shelters.
Application Components: Per the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page, required materials include the Cal State Apply application through the SFSU Division of Graduate Studies, unofficial transcripts, a resume, a personal statement with an affidavit of authorship, a summary of experience form, letters of recommendation, and a department processing fee of approximately $25 in addition to the Cal State Apply fee. A post-admission writing assessment is also administered for evaluation of readiness.
Interview: Per the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page, an in-person interview may be required depending on the specialization.
Concentrations and Specializations
Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling (MFCC) Concentration: The MFT-relevant concentration within the MS in Counseling. The curriculum is aligned to California BBS educational requirements for LMFT licensure and emphasizes a systemic and multicultural approach to working with couples, families, children, and adolescents, per the SFSU MFCC program page.
Program Emphases: Per the SFSU MFCC program page, the concentration emphasizes multicultural and social justice informed perspectives on couples and family systems, child and adolescent therapy, systemic and familial theory, and human sexuality across developmental stages.
LPCC Pathway: Not publicly listed for the MFCC concentration.
What This Program Says About Itself
- Per the SFSU Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling program page, the MFCC specialization is accredited by CACREP and meets California Board of Behavioral Sciences educational requirements for LMFT licensure.
- The program emphasizes multicultural and social justice informed perspectives on couples and family systems, per the SFSU MFCC program page.
- Students complete specialized coursework in couple and family counseling and in child treatment, per the SFSU Bulletin entry for the Department of Counseling.
- Per the SFSU Department of Counseling admissions page, applicants must document at least 2,000 hours of prior human services experience, which the department describes as a way to ensure applicants enter the program with practical exposure to the field.
- Per the SFSU MFCC program page, students may complete the program in a two-year full-time sequence or a three-year part-time sequence.
This Program May Be a Good Fit For
Students based in the San Francisco Bay Area: The program is delivered in person on the SFSU main campus and draws students from across the Bay Area.
Students who want a CACREP-accredited MFCC program: Per the program page, the MFCC specialization is accredited by CACREP, which can matter for licensure portability to some other states.
Students who want a public-university tuition option: As a California State University campus, SFSU follows the CSU system tuition structure, which is typically lower than private institutions.
Students with substantial prior human services experience: The required 2,000 hours of prior experience means the program is oriented toward applicants who have already worked in community mental health, schools, crisis services, or related settings.
Students interested in working with children, adolescents, couples, and families: The MFCC concentration specifically emphasizes child and family systemic work.
Students drawn to a multicultural and social justice framework: The program explicitly centers multicultural competence and social justice perspectives in its curriculum.
Students open to either a full-time or part-time pacing option: The program offers both two-year and three-year sequences.
Students who want a cohort-based fall-start program: Admission is offered only for Fall entry.
Related California MFT Programs
If you are weighing San Francisco State, you may also want to compare these nearby and similar programs in our directory:
- University of San Francisco: Same San Francisco, private, dual LMFT/LPCC option
- CSU East Bay: Same Bay Area, public CSU
- San Jose State: Same Bay Area, public, affordable
- The Wright Institute: Same Bay Area, Berkeley, LMFT and LPCC
- Golden Gate University: Same San Francisco, dual LMFT/LPCC
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 CSU San Francisco's MFT program, visit their official website at sfsu.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 San Francisco State's MFT program accredited?
Yes. The Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling concentration within the MS in Counseling is CACREP-accredited (through October 31, 2027), and SFSU is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. It meets California BBS educational requirements for LMFT licensure. It is not COAMFTE-accredited.
Does San Francisco State require the GRE?
The GRE is not publicly listed as a required component on the Department of Counseling admissions page.
How long is the program and how many units?
It is a 60-unit program offered in person, with a two-year full-time sequence (four semesters) or a three-year part-time sequence (six semesters).
Does San Francisco State prepare students for the LPCC as well as the LMFT?
The MFCC concentration prepares graduates for the California LMFT. LPCC or dual pathways are not publicly listed for this concentration, so confirm with the department.
What outcomes does San Francisco State publish?
As a CACREP-accredited program it publishes annual Vital Statistics. The most recent machine-readable report (2022-2023) shows an 88% employment rate among surveyed MFCC graduates and LMFT exam pass rates (Clinical 75% first-time, Law and Ethics 100%) reported across the Counseling and Psychology departments; it reports time-to-degree distributions rather than one graduation rate.
What does the program cost?
SFSU does not publish a single program total; tuition is set at the CSU systemwide graduate rate plus campus-based fees, roughly $19,000 to $20,000 for California residents over the two-year sequence. Non-resident tuition is higher.
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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