Notre Dame de Namur University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Notre Dame de Namur 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 Notre Dame de Namur University School of Psychology page, the MSCP/MFT and MSCP/MFT/LPCC program pages, the NDNU 2025-2026 Graduate General Catalog, 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, the graduate catalog, 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 $61,700 (60-unit MFT), tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $61,680 in tuition for the 60-unit MFT concentration (about $68,876 for the 67-unit MFT/LPCC dual concentration) at $1,028 per unit for 2025-2026 per NDNU. Books, practicum-related costs, and living expenses are additional.

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

Campus Based Evening Format: Classes meet once per week in the late afternoon and evening (approximately 4:30 PM to 9:15 PM) at the Belmont campus. This schedule is designed to accommodate working professionals.

Online Format: Per the NDNU School of Psychology, students may complete the program fully online as an alternative to the campus based evening format.

Pacing: Full time and part time pacing are available. Full time students can complete the 60 unit MSCP/MFT in approximately 2.5 years.

Start Terms: Fall admission is the primary entry point, with an application priority deadline of August 1.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: Students complete a minimum of 260 hours of direct client contact during practicum, with a maximum of 500 hours accrued during training, per publicly available program materials. Relational hour breakdowns are not detailed on the program page.

Practicum Structure: Practicum placements are arranged through an annual training fair hosted by the School of Psychology that brings together approved Bay Area community agencies and NDNU students.

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

Practicum Arrangement: Community based placements facilitated through the annual training fair and the School of Psychology's network of Bay Area clinical training sites.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Not required. Personal therapy is not a formal degree requirement at NDNU, per publicly available program materials.

Curriculum Structure

The 60 unit MSCP/MFT curriculum integrates systemic and relational theory, clinical foundations, and supervised practicum. Core coursework covers counseling theories, human development, psychopathology, family systems therapy, multicultural counseling, law and ethics, assessment, research methods, substance abuse and co occurring disorders, trauma, and a sequenced clinical practicum. The MSCP/MFT/LPCC pathway adds seven units of LPCC specific coursework to meet California BBS requirements for dual licensure.

Culminating Requirements

Students complete one of several culminating options, including a capstone project, a thesis, or a designated final course such as Positive Psychology, per publicly available program materials. The flexibility in culminating format allows students to align their capstone experience with their clinical interests and post graduation plans.

Application Process

Application Deadline: August 1 for Fall admission.

Start Terms: Fall.

GPA Requirement: 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA preferred. Applicants with GPAs between 2.5 and 3.0 may be considered with additional supporting materials.

Prerequisites: Two undergraduate psychology courses totaling six units: General Psychology (3 units) and Abnormal Psychology (3 units), each completed with a grade of B- or better. A psychology major is preferred but not required. A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution is required.

Application Components: Online graduate application, official transcripts from all institutions attended, resume or curriculum vitae, and two professional references submitted directly through the application portal (name, relationship or title, email, and phone). The School of Psychology does not require formal letters of recommendation. The GRE is not required.

Interview: Required. Applicants complete an interview with the department chair before final admission decisions.

Concentrations and Specializations

MSCP/MFT Concentration: 60 units preparing students for California LMFT licensure.

MSCP/MFT/LPCC Dual Concentration: 67 units preparing students for California LMFT and LPCC dual licensure through seven additional units of LPCC specific coursework.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Per the MSCP/MFT program page, the 60 unit program prepares graduates for LMFT licensure and provides a pathway for future doctoral studies.
• Per the MSCP/MFT/LPCC program page, the 67 unit dual concentration prepares students for both LMFT and LPCC licensure in California, expanding post graduation career options.
• NDNU emphasizes practitioner oriented training integrating diverse therapeutic modalities to address the needs of a wide range of clients.
• The School of Psychology hosts an annual training fair that brings approved Bay Area community agencies to campus to meet with students seeking practicum placements.
• NDNU offers the program in a campus based evening format and a fully online format, giving students multiple delivery options.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Working professionals seeking schedule flexibility: Evening classes meet once per week from 4:30 PM to 9:15 PM, and a fully online pathway is available.

Students interested in dual licensure (MFT and LPCC): The MSCP/MFT/LPCC dual concentration adds seven units to meet California BBS requirements for both licenses.

Students in the San Francisco Peninsula and Bay Area: The Belmont campus provides access to a wide network of Peninsula and Bay Area practicum sites through the annual training fair.

Career changers with limited psychology background: Only two undergraduate psychology prerequisite courses are required (General Psychology and Abnormal Psychology, six units total), which can be completed before applying.

Students with lower GPAs seeking an MFT pathway: NDNU explicitly considers applicants with GPAs between 2.5 and 3.0 alongside additional supporting materials, providing a pathway for students whose undergraduate record alone may not meet a strict 3.0 cutoff.

Students seeking flexibility in culminating requirements: Culminating options include a capstone project, a thesis, or a designated final course such as Positive Psychology.

Related California MFT Programs

If you are weighing Notre Dame de Namur University, you may also want to compare these nearby and similar programs in our directory:

• CSU East Bay: Same Bay Area, public CSU
• Dominican University of California: Same Bay Area, dual LMFT/LPCC
• Saint Mary's College of California: Same Bay Area, dual LMFT/LPCC
• University of San Francisco: Same Bay Area, dual LMFT/LPCC option
• Palo Alto University: Same Bay Area, Peninsula, CACREP-accredited, dual

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 Notre Dame de Namur University's MFT program, visit their official website at ndnu.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 Notre Dame de Namur's MFT program accredited?

NDNU is institutionally accredited by WSCUC, and the MS in Clinical Psychology (MFT concentration) is approved by the California BBS for LMFT and LPCC educational requirements. It is not COAMFTE- or CACREP-accredited.

Does NDNU require the GRE?

No. The GRE is not required.

How long is the program and how many units?

It is 60 units for the MFT concentration and 67 units for the MFT/LPCC dual concentration; full-time students can finish in about 2.5 years, with typical completion of 2 to 3 years.

Does NDNU prepare students for the LPCC as well as the LMFT?

Yes. The MFT concentration meets California BBS requirements for the LMFT, and the dual MFT/LPCC concentration (67 units) adds LPCC eligibility.

Does NDNU publish outcome rates?

No. The program markets high first-time MFT and LPCC exam pass rates but does not publish a specific figure, and it does not publish graduation, job placement, or licensure rates.

How is the program delivered?

Campus-based evening classes that typically meet once per week (about 4:30 to 9:15 pm) at the Belmont campus, with a fully online format also available.

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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