Life Pacific University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Life Pacific University is one of 76 BBS-approved MFT programs in California. Compare all 76 in our directory. Program data collected September 2026 from publicly available sources including the Life Pacific University Master of Arts in Counseling program page, the 2026-2027 Life Pacific University catalog, the university tuition and graduate admissions pages, the WSCUC and ABHE directories, and California regulatory records. A program or clinical training handbook is not publicly posted; the 2026-2027 catalog serves as the primary public institutional document. 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 $47,900, tuition only (2026-2027)) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $47,880 for the 63-unit program at the 2026-2027 rate of $760 per unit, the program tuition total listed on the university tuition page. The 2026-2027 catalog adds a $275 fee per residency and a $175 Student Services/Tech Fee each semester. The program page also lists a program total of $59,180, with no academic year or itemization given, so confirm current costs with the university.

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.

Those medians describe licensed therapists; the associate years before licensure pay less. See what therapists actually earn before licensure and, for take-home estimates, what a therapy career actually pays in California.

Schedule and Format Details

Online Courses: Eight-week online courses with synchronous and asynchronous learning, taken in a set sequence with a cohort. The practicum and two internships run 16 weeks each.

Cohort Starts: Cohorts begin in January and July.

Residency Weeks: Graduate Residency Week brings students to the San Dimas campus for concentrated learning, cohort connection and spiritual formation. The 2026-2027 catalog describes two one-week residencies for graduate programs, while the graduate admissions page describes a week-long residency each semester; confirm the number of residency weeks with the program.

Duration: A standard duration of 36 months.

Class Days and Times: Specific days and times of live online sessions are not publicly listed; confirm with program.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: Per the 2026-2027 catalog, at least 280 direct, face-to-face supervised clinical hours: a practicum with a minimum of 120 hours, a first internship with a minimum of 160 hours, and a second internship for any remaining hours. The program page describes a 16-week practicum and 32 weeks of internship.

Training Clinic: Not publicly listed; confirm with program.

Practicum Arrangement: Students serve at an LPU-affiliated practicum training setting for each practicum and internship course. Whether the university arranges placements is not publicly listed; confirm with program.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Not publicly listed; confirm with program.

To see how practicum hours fit into the full California licensure sequence, from degree through the 3,000 supervised hours, read how therapist licensure actually works in California.

Curriculum Structure

The 63-unit curriculum consists of 21 three-unit courses taken in sequence, per the 2026-2027 catalog and the program page:

Core Coursework: Spiritual disciplines in counseling, introductory and advanced clinical skills, lifespan human development, assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning, psychotherapeutic theories and techniques, trauma-informed counseling, law and ethics, human sexuality, child and adolescent counseling, multicultural counseling, couples and family counseling, group counseling, psychopathology and diagnosis, career development, psychopharmacology and psychobiology, research evaluation and methods, and addictions counseling.

Clinical Sequence: Practicum, Internship I and Internship II, each a 16-week, three-unit course.

Culminating Requirements

No MAC-specific thesis or comprehensive examination is named. The catalog's graduation requirements for graduate programs include an approved and completed capstone project. What the capstone involves for the MAC is not publicly listed; confirm with program.

Application Process

Application Deadlines: November 15 for the January cohort and May 15 for the July cohort.

Start Terms: January and July.

GPA Requirement: Undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the MAC, per the catalog. Applicants below 3.0 may be considered for admission on academic probation.

Prerequisites: A bachelor's degree from a school accredited by a USDE-recognized accrediting organization, plus Introduction to Psychology, completed before the program starts if it is not part of the undergraduate record.

Application Components: Online application, a graduate essay covering personal history, Christian ministry experience over the past three years and how the degree serves personal and ministry goals, two letters of recommendation from academic, pastoral or professional references, a resume, and official transcripts, per the graduate admissions page.

Interview: Not publicly listed; confirm with program.

For statement-of-purpose, interview, and recommendation advice that applies to any program on this list, see how to get into a therapy graduate program.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Life Pacific University describes the MAC as providing robust clinical education while integrating a biblical worldview.
• Faculty are scholars, practitioners and people of faith, and a cohort model supports long-term relationships and the growth of clinical skills.
• Residency Week brings students to the San Dimas campus for concentrated learning, cohort connection and spiritual formation.
• Recent MAC residencies included live counseling roleplays, skill development and guided reflection.
• The university describes the degree as one program with two approved California licensure pathways.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Before weighing any single program, it is worth being honest about fit for the career itself: try the self-assessment Are You Built to Be a Therapist? and read why some people say not to become a therapist.

Students seeking faith-integrated training: Life Pacific University is a Foursquare university, and the MAC integrates psychological theory with biblical principles and Spirit-filled practice.

Students interested in an online program with residency weeks: Coursework is online in eight-week courses, with in-person Graduate Residency Weeks on the San Dimas campus.

Students interested in both LMFT and LPCC licensure: The single curriculum is approved by the California BBS for both the LMFT and LPCC educational pathways.

Students who value cohort-based learning: Students move through a set course sequence with the same cohort.

Related California MFT Programs

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

• Azusa Pacific University: Christian faith-integrated, Azusa, Los Angeles area
• Biola University: Evangelical Christian, La Mirada, Los Angeles area
• Fuller Theological Seminary: Faith-integrated, Pasadena
• Rhombus University: Affordable online, biblical integration
• Concordia University Irvine: Online with an Irvine residency, Christ-centered

Or compare all 76 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. It tells you very little about how skilled a clinician you will become. The students who get the most out of these years treat licensure as the floor and then ask a more ambitious question: which program will help me reach the top of what I am capable of as a therapist? Training built around real, performable clinical skills, rather than theory alone, is what lets you walk into your first session with confidence and keep growing from there. You get to decide how high to aim, and the right program will rise to meet you.

Four questions separate programs that look similar on paper. How much class time is spent rehearsing specific clinical skills with immediate feedback, rather than discussing theory? How many hours of direct client contact will you accumulate, and when do they start? Does supervision review recorded sessions, or your own account of what happened in the room? Are client outcomes tracked with a measure? Ask every program you are considering, Sentio University included, and compare the answers. Our guide to how to evaluate a therapy graduate program explains what a strong answer to each question sounds like.

Also consider programs that teach you safe and ethical AI-integrated clinical training, and read about AI and the future of therapy careers. 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 describe the field. They cannot tell you what a school is like to attend. Ask to sit in on a live class, in person or online, before you commit, and most programs will accommodate that on request. The two to three years you spend in training shape the kind of therapist you become, so it is worth seeing a classroom before you decide. For the full picture, from career fit through licensure and program choice, see Becoming a Therapist in California: an Honest Guide.

For a detailed comparison of every California MFT program, see our directory of all 76 BBS-approved MFT programs in California.

To learn more about Life Pacific University's MFT program, visit their official website at lifepacific.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 Life Pacific University's MFT program accredited?

Life Pacific University is accredited by WSCUC and ABHE, and the university states that the California BBS has approved the Master of Arts in Counseling for both the LMFT and LPCC educational pathways. It does not hold COAMFTE or CACREP accreditation.

Does Life Pacific University require the GRE?

No. The GRE is not among the published admission requirements for the MAC.

How long is the program and how many units?

It is a 63-unit program with a standard duration of 36 months. Coursework is in eight-week online courses, and the practicum and two internships run 16 weeks each.

Does Life Pacific University prepare students for the LPCC as well as the LMFT?

Yes. The single curriculum is approved for both the LMFT and LPCC educational pathways in California.

What outcomes does Life Pacific University publish?

The university does not publish graduation, job placement, licensure, or exam pass rates for the MAC on its website. The first cohort graduated in spring 2026.

What does the program cost?

For 2026-2027, tuition is $760 per unit, or $47,880 for the 63-unit program, plus a $275 fee per residency and a $175 Student Services/Tech Fee each semester. The program page also lists a program total of $59,180, with no academic year or itemization given, so confirm current costs with the university.

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 September 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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