Mount Saint Mary's University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Mount Saint Mary's 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 Mount Saint Mary's University MS in Counseling Psychology MFT specialization page, the MSMU 2024-2026 academic catalog entry for the MFT and LPCC curriculum, the MSMU ¡Enlaces! Certificate page, California MFT program directories, and BBS records. A program specific student handbook was not publicly downloadable at the time of data collection; some handbook level details are drawn from the program page and secondary directory sources and should be verified directly with the program. 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 $72,600, tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $72,600 in tuition (60 units at about $1,210 per unit for 2026-2027; per-semester fees 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

Daytime Track: Two year full time schedule with classes meeting Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Chalon Campus. Suited for students who can commit to full time study during business hours.

Evening Track: Three year schedule with classes meeting Monday through Thursday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The evening track follows a foundational year, a clinical coursework year, and a fieldwork year in the third year.

¡Enlaces! Online Evening Track: Three year synchronous online evening format delivered bilingually in English and Spanish, designed for students who intend to serve Spanish speaking communities.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: MFT candidates must complete a minimum of 250 hours of direct client contact during the practicum year, per the MFT specialization page. Students on the LPCC pathway complete 280 direct service hours as required by California BBS regulations.

Practicum Structure: Practicum placements run 15 to 20 hours per week at approved community based clinical training sites. The program provides placement support for fieldwork.

Training Clinic: A standalone in house training clinic operated under the MFT program name is not publicly listed on the MSMU program page. Students complete practicum hours at approved community clinical placement sites.

Practicum Arrangement: Community based placements arranged through the program. The Department of Psychology maintains relationships with approved Los Angeles area sites for MFT and LPCC fieldwork.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Personal therapy is required during the fieldwork year, concurrent with the PSY 269A and PSY 269B clinical courses, per publicly available program materials.

Curriculum Structure

The 60 unit curriculum integrates foundational psychology coursework, systemic and relational clinical theory, and supervised practicum experience. The three year evening curriculum typically delivers foundational classes in the first year, clinical coursework in the second year, and fieldwork with concurrent practicum courses in the third year. The two year daytime curriculum compresses foundational and clinical coursework into the first year and completes clinical coursework and fieldwork in the second year. Core areas covered include counseling theories, human development, psychopathology, systems and family therapy, multicultural and diversity competence, law and ethics, research methods, assessment, addiction and co occurring disorders, trauma, and clinical practicum.

Culminating Requirements

A specific named culminating academic requirement such as a thesis, comprehensive examination, or capstone project is not publicly detailed on the MSMU MFT specialization page. Clinical competence is demonstrated across the fieldwork year through the PSY 269A and PSY 269B practicum courses. Prospective students should confirm the current culminating structure directly with the program.

Application Process

Application Deadlines: Priority application deadline March 1 for the following Fall term, with rolling admissions thereafter until the cohort is filled.

Start Terms: Fall only.

GPA Requirement: Minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Prerequisites: A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution is required. Specific undergraduate course prerequisites are not publicly listed.

Application Components: Online graduate application, official transcripts from all institutions attended, statement of purpose, resume or curriculum vitae, and two letters of recommendation from academic or non academic sources.

Interview: Required. Applicants who advance past the initial review complete an interview with program faculty; interview invitations are not a guarantee of admission.

Concentrations and Specializations

¡Enlaces! Bilingual Certificate: A bilingual Spanish and English certificate embedded in the MFT specialization. Students complete coursework that addresses culturally responsive clinical practice with Latino and Spanish speaking communities and complete clinical work bilingually in practicum.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Per the MSMU MFT specialization page, the program prepares students for MFT or LPCC licensure in California through a 60 unit curriculum grounded in evidence based practice.
• The MFT specialization offers two pacing tracks, a two year daytime format and a three year evening format, giving students flexibility to align the program with work and family responsibilities.
• Per the ¡Enlaces! Certificate page, the embedded bilingual certificate prepares students to serve Spanish speaking clients through coursework and clinical work delivered bilingually.
• MSMU emphasizes the recovery model of care, focused on client empowerment, individualized treatment, and hope as a clinical orientation throughout the curriculum.
• The Department of Psychology delivers the program across the Chalon and Doheny campuses in Los Angeles, offering students access to a wide network of Los Angeles area practicum sites.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Working professionals seeking schedule flexibility: The three year evening track meets Monday through Thursday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and the ¡Enlaces! format is delivered as a synchronous online evening program.

Students interested in dual licensure (MFT and LPCC): The curriculum prepares students for both LMFT and LPCC educational requirements, with LPCC students completing additional direct clinical hours.

Students seeking an accelerated path: The daytime track completes the 60 unit program in two years of full time study.

Students interested in serving Spanish speaking and Latino communities: The embedded ¡Enlaces! bilingual certificate is one of the most developed bilingual MFT training pathways in Southern California.

Students who value personal therapy as part of training: Personal therapy is required during the fieldwork year alongside the PSY 269A and PSY 269B practicum courses.

Career changers entering the field: The GRE is not required and no specific undergraduate psychology prerequisites are publicly listed, supporting applicants from diverse academic backgrounds.

Related California MFT Programs

If you are weighing Mount Saint Mary's, you may also want to compare these nearby and similar programs in our directory:

• Loyola Marymount University: Same LA area, Catholic private
• Pepperdine University: Same LA area, faith-based private, dual
• University of La Verne: Same LA area, private
• Pacific Oaks College: Same LA area, private, LPCC option
• University of Southern California: Same LA area, 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 Mount Saint Mary's University's MFT program, visit their official website at msmu.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 Mount Saint Mary's MFT program accredited?

The university is accredited by WSCUC and the program is approved by the California BBS for LMFT and LPCC educational requirements. It is not COAMFTE- or CACREP-accredited.

Does MSMU require the GRE?

No. The GRE is not required for admission.

How long is the program and how many units?

It is a 60-unit program offered as a two-year daytime track or a three-year evening track, with a bilingual Enlaces online evening option.

Does MSMU prepare students for both the LMFT and LPCC?

Yes. Both the LMFT and LPCC pathways meet California BBS educational standards.

What outcomes does MSMU publish?

MSMU publishes a licensing exam pass rate: for the most recent reported cycle, 75% of its students passed the written exam and 83% passed the written clinical vignette, versus California averages of 62% and 61%. It does not publish graduation, job placement, or overall licensure rates.

What GPA do I need and when is the deadline?

A minimum 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA, with a priority deadline of March 1 and rolling admission thereafter.

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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