National University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis
National University is one of 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California. Compare all 71 in our directory. Program data collected September 2026 from publicly available sources including the National University MA in Counseling Psychology (California MFT/LPCC) program page, the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program page, the MAMFT Program Handbook, the National University MFT FAQ page, California MFT program directories, the COAMFTE directory, and BBS records. Prospective students should verify all details directly with the program before applying.
Program Snapshot
University: National University
Official Degree Names: National University offers two California licensure pathways. The Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (California MFT/LPCC) is the program most California applicants enroll in and is the primary focus of this profile. National University also offers the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) with a California Licensure Track, a COAMFTE accredited distance learning program geared to students outside California or those prioritizing the COAMFTE credential.
Department / School: Department of Marriage and Family Sciences, John F. Kennedy School of Psychology and Social Sciences.
Campus Location: National University headquarters at 9388 Lightwave Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123. Coursework is delivered primarily online, with practicum and internship completed at local community sites across California. See the National University home page.
Institution Link: National University.
Modality: Primarily online. Didactic coursework is delivered online through National University's virtual classroom. Practicum, internship, and clinical supervision are completed at local community clinical sites in the student's region, with weekly webcam attendance in the clinical seminar.
Licensure Track: The MA in Counseling Psychology offers two specialization options: the Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) Option and the Combined MFT/LPCC Option. The Combined option meets California BBS educational requirements for both LMFT and LPCC licensure, and adds three LPCC specific courses (career counseling, research, and assessment techniques) plus additional practicum hours. The MAMFT California Licensure Track prepares graduates for California LMFT licensure only.
Accreditation: National University is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), which lists the university as Accredited following its most recent Commission action on June 28, 2024. The MA in Marriage and Family Therapy is listed by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) as "Accredited With Stipulations", with renewal due November 1, 2029. Source: COAMFTE directory, checked September 2, 2026. View the program record. National University was the first distance education MFT program to receive COAMFTE accreditation. The MA in Counseling Psychology, the main California LMFT and LPCC pathway, is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences and is not COAMFTE-accredited.
Program Length: The MA in Counseling Psychology is 90 quarter units and can be completed in as little as 22 months (MFT Option) or 23 months (Combined MFT/LPCC Option). The MAMFT California Licensure Track requires up to 60 credit hours, above the 45 credit hour minimum for the base degree, with a recommended completion time of 33 months. Students must complete either program within six years of enrollment.
Estimated Total Program Tuition: National University publishes a total of $43,775 for the MA in Counseling Psychology, at $686 per credit plus a $115 course material fee per course, and $58,885 for the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, at $913 per credit plus a $215 course material fee per course. National University attaches no academic year to these rates; its tuition page states only that the data was last updated August 25, 2026. Books, practicum related costs, and living expenses are additional.
GRE Requirement: Not required.
Religious Orientation: None. National University is a secular nonprofit institution.
Entering Class Size: Not publicly listed. National University uses monthly course starts, so cohort composition varies across monthly entry points.
Concentrations: The MAMFT program offers ten specialization options: Marriage and Family Therapy California Licensure Track, General Family Therapy, Medical Family Therapy, Military Family Therapy, Child and Adolescent Family Therapy, Couple Therapy, LGBTQ Couple and Family Therapy, Trauma Informed Systemic Therapy, Systemic Treatment of Addictions, and Systemic Sex Therapy. Each specialization requires two content courses, a research project, and at least 50 hours of clinical experience in the specialization area.
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
Job placement rate: Not published
Licensure rate: Not published
Licensure exam pass rate: Not published
The program most California students enroll in, the MA in Counseling Psychology (California MFT/LPCC), is not COAMFTE-accredited and does not publish graduation, job placement, licensure, or exam pass rates. National University separately offers a distance program, the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy (formerly Northcentral University), which COAMFTE lists as Accredited With Stipulations. That program’s published Graduate Achievement Data (most recent fully reported 2019-2020 cohort) shows about a 57% on-time graduation rate, 96% job placement, and 51% licensure; those figures describe that distance program, not the Counseling Psychology program profiled here.
Cost and Regional Pay
Approximate placement of this program’s total cost (about $43,775 (Counseling Psychology track), tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.
Estimated total tuition: $43,775 for the Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, at $686 per credit plus a $115 course material fee per course; the separate MA in Marriage and Family Therapy is $58,885, at $913 per credit plus a $215 course material fee per course. Both totals are as published by National University, which gives no academic year for them.
Regional pay context: In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area, marriage and family therapists earn a median of about $49,610 per year (mean about $65,440), with the middle half earning roughly $49,610 to $74,390 (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 Diego 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 Format: Coursework is delivered online with weekly course starts. Didactic courses have no scheduled lecture hours and no group assignments; students complete weekly assignments on their own schedule within each monthly course block. Most coursework is asynchronous, with synchronous webcam attendance required during clinical courses (practicum and internship).
Pacing: Students can elect full time or part time pacing. The MA in Counseling Psychology can be completed in 22 to 23 months at full time pace. The MAMFT California Licensure Track recommends six to eight courses per year for a three to four and a half year completion.
Start Terms: Monthly rolling starts. Students may begin a course any month of the year.
Clinical Training and Fieldwork
Clinical Hours (MA in Counseling Psychology): Students complete a minimum of 225 face to face counseling hours during practicum for the MFT Option and a minimum of 280 face to face counseling hours for the Combined MFT/LPCC Option, per publicly available program materials.
Clinical Hours (MAMFT California Licensure Track): Per the MAMFT Program Handbook, students complete a minimum of 300 hours of direct client contact as a primary therapist, of which at least 150 hours (50 percent) must be relational therapy hours with couples, families, or others sharing a residence. Students complete 100 hours of supervision, including at least 52 individual supervision hours, at least 50 hours using observable data (video, audio, or live supervision), and a minimum of 12 in-person supervision hours.
Practicum Structure: Practicum and internship are completed sequentially across the clinical training sequence. The MAMFT sequence includes Practicum I, Practicum II, MFT Internship I, MFT Internship II, and the final MFT Internship and Capstone course.
Training Clinic: National University does not operate a centralized in house training clinic. Students complete direct client contact at approved local community clinical training sites in their region.
Practicum Arrangement: Students identify and secure clinical placements in their local community under the guidance of the Director of MFT Clinical Training, using an hours tracking system that allows Local Clinical Supervisors to verify and sign off on client contact and supervision hours.
Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Students in the MA in Counseling Psychology are required to complete a minimum of 25 hours of personal psychotherapy: at least 10 hours of individual, marital, family, or group psychotherapy before beginning the clinical sequence (PSY 611B), and an additional 15 hours before graduation, per publicly available program materials.
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 curriculum integrates three credit didactic courses in systemic theory and clinical content with a sequence of one to two credit practicum and internship courses. Core didactic areas include systemic theory and family therapy models, human development and lifespan, psychopathology, couple therapy, child and family therapy, multicultural and diversity competence, law and ethics, assessment, research methods, substance use and co occurring disorders, trauma, and sexuality. The Combined MFT/LPCC Option adds career counseling, research, and assessment coursework. The clinical sequence culminates in the MFT Internship and Capstone presentation.
Culminating Requirements
The culminating academic and clinical requirement is the Theory of Therapy Final Evaluation Capstone. Students present their theoretical orientation and clinical work to at least two program faculty members or fellow students during the final MFT Internship and Capstone course. A passing Capstone presentation plus completion of the required direct client and supervision hours are required to complete the program. Students also complete an AATBS practice exam during internship to prepare for the national AMFTRB licensure examination. National University does not require a traditional thesis.
Application Process
Application Deadlines: Rolling monthly admissions. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis across monthly start dates.
Start Terms: Monthly rolling starts.
GPA Requirement: A minimum undergraduate GPA is not publicly listed as a hard cutoff; applicants with lower GPAs may be considered with additional supporting materials.
Prerequisites: A bachelor's degree from a regionally, nationally, or approved international institution is required. No specific undergraduate course prerequisites are listed.
Application Components: Online graduate application, official transcripts from all institutions attended, statement of purpose, and resume or curriculum vitae. Letters of recommendation and standardized test scores (including the GRE or GMAT) are not required.
Interview: Interview requirement is not publicly listed. Prospective students should confirm with the program.
Concentrations and Specializations
Within the MA in Counseling Psychology, students choose between the Marriage and Family Therapist Option and the Combined MFT/LPCC Option. Within the MAMFT program, students pursuing California licensure complete the Marriage and Family Therapy California Licensure Track and may add one of the ten specializations listed above by completing two specialization courses, a specialization research project, and at least 50 hours of clinical experience in the specialization area.
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
- Per the MA in Marriage and Family Therapy program page, National University was the first distance education MFT program to receive COAMFTE accreditation, providing rigorous training to develop competent, ethical, and culturally sensitive systemic therapists.
- The MA in Counseling Psychology offers a Combined MFT/LPCC Option that meets California BBS requirements for both LMFT and LPCC licensure, giving California students a direct path to dual licensure.
- The MAMFT program offers ten specialization options, giving students the ability to focus their training in areas such as Medical Family Therapy, Military Family Therapy, LGBTQ Couple and Family Therapy, Trauma Informed Systemic Therapy, and Systemic Sex Therapy.
- Per the program page, National University offers weekly course starts and asynchronous didactic coursework, with no scheduled lecture hours and no group assignments, designed for working adults.
- The program integrates an AATBS practice exam during internship, preparing students directly for the national AMFTRB licensure examination required for LMFT licensure.
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 interested in a fully online format: Didactic coursework is delivered online with weekly course starts and no scheduled lectures, and practicum and internship are completed at local community sites.
Working professionals seeking schedule flexibility: Monthly rolling starts, asynchronous didactic coursework, and flexible pacing accommodate students balancing work or family responsibilities.
Students interested in dual licensure (MFT and LPCC): The Combined MFT/LPCC Option within the MA in Counseling Psychology is designed to meet California BBS educational requirements for both licenses. For how the credentials differ in practice, see which therapy credential is right for you.
Students planning to practice in multiple states: The MAMFT California Licensure Track holds COAMFTE accreditation, currently listed as Accredited With Stipulations, which can support portability of the credential across states that recognize COAMFTE accredited training.
Students prioritizing affordability: Total program tuition is below the California MFT program average for both the MA in Counseling Psychology and the MAMFT California Licensure Track.
Career changers entering the field: The GRE is not required, no specific undergraduate psychology prerequisites are listed, and letters of recommendation are not required. If you are coming from another field, see changing careers to become a therapist.
Students who value personal therapy as part of training: The MA in Counseling Psychology requires 25 total hours of personal psychotherapy (10 before the clinical sequence and 15 before graduation).
Students interested in serving specific populations: The MAMFT's ten specializations allow students to focus clinical and research training on Medical, Military, Child and Adolescent, Couple, LGBTQ, Trauma, Addictions, or Sex Therapy populations within a systemic MFT frame.
Related California MFT Programs
If you are weighing National University, you may also want to compare these nearby and similar programs in our directory:
- Alliant International University: Online option, COAMFTE-accredited, multi-campus
- Rhombus University: Fully online, dual LMFT/LPCC
- Point Loma Nazarene University: San Diego, online option, dual LMFT/LPCC
- University of Phoenix: Fully online, statewide
- San Diego State University: Same San Diego metro, COAMFTE-accredited
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. 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 71 BBS-approved MFT programs in California.
To learn more about National University's MFT program, visit their official website at nu.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 National University's MFT program accredited?
National University is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. The MA in Counseling Psychology (the main California MFT/LPCC pathway) is approved by the California BBS but is not COAMFTE-accredited. National separately offers a distance MA in Marriage and Family Therapy that COAMFTE lists as Accredited With Stipulations, with renewal due November 1, 2029.
What is the difference between National's two MFT-related programs?
The MA in Counseling Psychology (California MFT/LPCC) is the program most California applicants enroll in and is not COAMFTE-accredited. The MA in Marriage and Family Therapy is a COAMFTE-accredited distance program geared to students outside California or those prioritizing the COAMFTE credential.
Does National require the GRE?
No. The GRE is not required.
Does it prepare students for both the LMFT and LPCC?
Yes. The MA in Counseling Psychology offers an MFT option and a combined MFT/LPCC option; the combined option adds three LPCC-specific courses and additional practicum hours to meet California BBS requirements for both licenses.
What outcomes does National publish?
The profiled Counseling Psychology program does not publish graduation, placement, licensure, or exam pass rates. The separate COAMFTE distance MAMFT publishes Graduate Achievement Data (for the 2019-2020 cohort, about 57% on-time graduation, 96% job placement, and 51% licensure).
How is the program delivered?
Coursework is delivered primarily online, with practicum, internship, and clinical supervision completed at community sites in the student's region.
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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