Pepperdine University MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

Pepperdine 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 program's official website, the COAMFTE directory, and BBS records. 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 $100,000 to $128,000, tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $100,000 to $128,000 in tuition depending on the format (daytime, evening, or online; 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 Format (Malibu campus): Cohort-based, lock-step program. First semester: classes 2 full days and 1 half day per week (9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 or 5:30 pm). From second semester onward: classes meet twice per week for a full day to accommodate practicum schedules. Fall, Spring, and first Summer terms only. Students begin practicum in the second term.

Evening Format (West LA, Calabasas, Irvine campuses): Evening classes on weeknights and occasional weekends. Self-paced with flexibility in start terms (Fall, Spring, Summer). Three clinical practicum placement sessions throughout program. Student begins clinical practicum in second term. Multiple start dates available per year.

Online Format: 100% online with asynchronous course content and weekly live synchronous classes. Flexible pacing for full-time or part-time students. Four start dates annually (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall). Clinical rotations completed near student's community with supervision arranged locally. No campus visits required.

Latinx Communities Specialization (Evening, Irvine campus): Same evening format schedule as standard evening program but includes additional Latinx-specific courses and Spanish-language development components. Latinx courses offered only at Irvine campus.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

All students complete a minimum of 700 placement hours during the program (or begin this during the last four semesters of the online program), with a minimum of 225 to 240 direct client contact hours required per California licensure regulations, plus approximately 75 additional hours of client-centered advocacy or face-to-face counseling. For LPCC track eligibility, students must secure a minimum of 280 direct client contact hours. Practicum placements are student-found with support from the MACLP Clinical Training team, which develops and maintains relationships with 130+ approved mental health agencies throughout Southern California. Pepperdine operates community counseling centers at multiple locations (West Los Angeles, Encino, Irvine) that serve both the community and provide practicum training for MFT and PsyD students, though not all students complete training through these in-house clinics; most placements occur at external agencies. Students begin practicum in the second term of enrollment.

Culminating Requirements

This program does not require a thesis, comprehensive exam, or culminating project. Most courses include a formal paper or project and a final examination, and students are assessed through on-site clinical supervision ratings by their practicum supervisors.

Application Process

Application Deadlines (Domestic Students): Daytime (Fall 2026): Closed. Evening: Spring 2027, Early Application Deadline October 2, 2026; Complete Application Deadline October 2, 2026 (International) or November 20, 2026 (Domestic); Summer 2026, Open Admissions. Online: Multiple start dates available; specific deadline information available through the program's admissions office.

Undergraduate/Prior Degree GPA Requirement: Daytime: 3.0 GPA preferred; GPA below 3.0 may submit Exception Request Form. Evening: 3.0 GPA preferred; GPA below 3.0 may submit Exception Request Form. Online: 3.0 GPA recommended but not required.

Prerequisite Courses: Daytime: Requires an excellent foundation in psychology with either a bachelor's degree in psychology or closely related field, or completion of the following undergraduate psychology courses: Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology or Diagnosis; Behavioral Principles/Theories of Learning, Cognitive Psychology, or Clinical/Counseling Psychology; Intro or General Psychology; Human Development/Lifespan Development/Child Development/Family Development; Research Methods or Statistics in Psychology/Social Sciences. No foundation classes offered in daytime program. Evening: No prerequisite courses required before enrollment; however, applicants without recent coursework in psychology within the last seven years will be required to complete foundation courses in preparation for the core curriculum. Online: No prerequisite courses required.

Application Components: Application form, official transcripts from all colleges attended, two recommendations from individuals familiar with the applicant's academic or professional competencies (academic recommendations from professors, instructors, or academic advisors; professional recommendations from supervisors), statement of purpose (2 to 5 pages addressing training and professional interests, cultural diversity engagement, professional goals, and program interest). International students: TOEFL minimum 85 IBT (or 4.5 on new scale) or IELTS minimum 7.

GRE Requirement: Daytime: Required (taken within the last five years); waiver form available for applicants seeking exception. Evening: Not required. Online: Not required.

Interview Requirement: Evening: Personal interview may be required. Daytime and Online: Not specified as required.

Program Start Terms: Daytime: Fall only. Evening: Fall, Spring, Summer. Online: Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall (four start dates per year).

Concentrations and Specializations

MA in Clinical Psychology with Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy with Latinx Communities: Cohort-based evening program designed to prepare students to serve Latinx individuals, couples, families, and communities as licensed marriage and family therapists or licensed professional clinical counselors. The curriculum integrates community-based, systemic, and liberation psychology perspectives within a Latinx mental health context and includes Spanish-language development components. Offered at the Irvine campus with all Latinx-specific courses held at that location.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Practitioner-Scholar Model: Pepperdine employs a practitioner-scholar model pairing rigorous coursework with in-depth clinical training, allowing students to develop key clinical skills and gain experience working directly with clients, with more than 130+ practicum sites available across Southern California.
• Multiple Format Options: The program offers flexibility with three distinct formats (daytime, evening, and online) to accommodate different life circumstances and learning preferences, ensuring accessibility for working professionals and students with varying schedules.
• Christian Values Integration: As a Church of Christ-affiliated institution, Pepperdine integrates faith and learning throughout the curriculum, with values-based training that emphasizes spiritual and ethical dimensions of clinical practice.
• Latinx Communities Focus: The program offers a dedicated MA in Clinical Psychology with Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy with Latinx Communities, designed to prepare culturally grounded therapists to serve underserved Latinx populations with community-based and liberation psychology perspectives, including Spanish-language development.
• Inclusive Admissions Process: The evening and online formats employ equitable admission processes that prioritize ability and commitment to succeed rather than standardized test scores, removing barriers for career changers and non-traditional applicants.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Working professionals seeking schedule flexibility: Evening and online formats allow students to continue working while pursuing the degree, with evening classes on weeknights and online programs offering multiple start dates and flexible pacing.

Career changers entering the field: Evening and online formats do not require a psychology undergraduate degree or prerequisite courses before enrollment (though foundational coursework may be required during the program for evening students without recent psychology coursework), welcoming professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Students seeking an accelerated path: All three formats (daytime, evening, online) can be completed within 2 to 3 years.

Students who value small cohort learning: Daytime format enters a cohort of approximately 22 to 23 students and maintains a lock-step, cohort-based structure throughout the program, and online format maintains an average class size of 14 students.

Students seeking strong practicum infrastructure: Program develops and maintains relationships with 130+ approved mental health agencies throughout Southern California and operates multiple community counseling centers that provide training opportunities; practicum is program-supported through the MACLP Clinical Training team.

Students seeking faith-integrated training: Pepperdine is a Church of Christ-affiliated university that integrates Christian values and faith-learning integration throughout the curriculum and institutional culture.

Students interested in serving Latinx communities: Dedicated MA in Clinical Psychology with Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy with Latinx Communities specialization includes Latinx-specific coursework, community-based and liberation psychology frameworks, and Spanish-language development.

Students interested in a fully online format: Online MA in Clinical Psychology with MFT emphasis is 100% online with asynchronous content and weekly live classes, offering four start dates per year and clinical training arranged in student's community.

Students in Southern California: Three physical campuses (Malibu, Calabasas, Irvine) plus West LA location serve the Southern California region with in-person instruction and clinical training through 130+ affiliated agencies.

Related California MFT Programs

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

• University of Southern California: Same LA area, private, online option
• Loyola Marymount University: Same LA area, faith-based private
• Mount Saint Mary's University: Same LA area, faith-based private, dual
• Antioch University: Same LA area, private, online/low-residency, dual
• University of La Verne: 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 Pepperdine University's MFT program, visit their official website at pepperdine.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 Pepperdine's MFT program accredited?

Pepperdine is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. The program is not COAMFTE- or CACREP-accredited; it is approved to meet California BBS educational requirements.

Does Pepperdine require the GRE?

It depends on the format. The daytime program requires the GRE (a waiver can be requested), while the evening and online programs do not require it.

How long is the program and how many units?

The daytime program is about 62 units over two years, the evening program is 60 to 66 units over 2.5 to 3 years, and the online program is 62 to 68 units over 2.5 to 3 years.

Does Pepperdine prepare students for both the LMFT and LPCC?

Yes. All three formats prepare graduates to pursue both the California LMFT and LPCC, with LPCC eligibility depending on completing the required direct client hours in practicum.

Does Pepperdine publish MFT outcome rates?

No. Pepperdine publishes qualitative performance goals (for example, that first-time BBS exam pass rates meet or exceed the state average) but it does not publish actual graduation, job placement, licensure, or exam pass numbers.

What GPA do I need to apply?

A 3.0 minimum GPA is expected, with an exception request available for applicants below 3.0.

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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