University of Redlands MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

The University of Redlands 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 University of Redlands Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program page, the 2026-2027 University of Redlands catalog, the 2026-2027 CMHC Program Handbook and CMHC Practicum Handbook, the Fall 2026 program pathway, the graduate tuition and deadline pages, the WSCUC directory, and California regulatory 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 $61,500, tuition only (2026-2027)) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $61,512 for 66 units with the MFT specialization at the 2026-2027 rate of $932 per credit. The university's 2026-2027 tuition schedule lists a total of $55,920 for the 60-credit MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling; the MFT specialization adds six units. The School of Education also lists a $100 Wellness Fee each year and a $5 Student Service Fee each term.

Regional pay context: In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (Inland Empire) area, marriage and family therapists earn a median of about $68,570 per year (mean about $75,210), with the middle half earning roughly $48,090 to $95,020 (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 Inland Empire 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

Cohort Model: Students enter each fall as a cohort that functions as a learning community. Courses run in three 14-week semesters a year: fall, spring and summer.

Full-Time and Part-Time Pathways: A two-year full-time pathway and a three-year part-time pathway, with a heavier course load in the first year.

Practicum Year: Practicum runs across three semesters in the final year at approved practicum sites and averages 15 to 20 hours a week, including supervision.

Online MFT Units: The six additional MFT specialization units are offered online.

Class Days and Times: Specific class days and times are not publicly listed; confirm with program.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: Per the 2026-2027 practicum handbook, 450 practicum hours, including 300 direct client contact hours (the handbook's requirement for Fall 2025 starts), and at least 40 relational hours within the direct hours for MFT specialization students. The 2026-2027 catalog and the Fall 2026 pathway describe 200 additional face-to-face hours with couples and families for the MFT specialization, so confirm the current requirement and its timing with the program.

Supervision: One hour of supervision for every five hours of client contact.

Training Clinic: The 2026-2027 program and practicum handbooks describe no program-run training clinic; students see clients at approved practicum sites. The university Counseling Center also runs a practicum training program, with five planned positions filled by application and interview, that accepts applications from Redlands CMHC students.

Practicum Arrangement: Students identify and confirm their own practicum site and supervisor each semester, normally from the program's Active Partnership List of agencies with a signed memorandum of understanding. The Office of Licensures and Credentialing and a spring Practicum Fair support the search.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Yes. Ten hours of personal counseling, group or individual, are required.

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 MFT specialization path combines the 60-unit degree with six additional units, per the 2026-2027 catalog and the Fall 2026 pathway:

Core Coursework: The counseling process, sociocultural counseling and intervention, counseling law and ethics, human development across the lifespan, counseling systems, theories of counseling and psychotherapy, crisis intervention, substance abuse counseling, counseling and educational assessment, psychopathology and diagnosis, group psychotherapy, research, career development, counseling in a global context, and psychopharmacology.

MFT Specialization: Theory and Practice in Family Counseling and Couples and Relationship Counseling, both within the 60 units, plus Advanced Child and Adolescent Development and Intervention and three one-unit Thinking Systemically seminars on conflict resolution, families and violence, and families and gender.

Clinical Sequence: A pre-practicum course followed by three practicum courses in the final year.

Culminating Requirements

Students must pass the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), complete a Case Conceptualization Capstone presented in the final practicum course, and complete ten hours of personal counseling. No thesis is listed among the exit requirements.

Application Process

Application Deadlines: For fall 2027 entry, Priority 1 is December 1, 2026 and Priority 2 is March 1, 2027; later applications are reviewed based on program capacity. Classes begin August 31, 2027.

Start Term: Fall only.

GPA Requirement: 3.0 undergraduate GPA or an approved petition. Applications below 3.0 require two additional letters of recommendation and a GPA petition statement.

Prerequisites: None listed beyond a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution.

Application Components: Completed application, official transcripts from each institution attended, two letters of recommendation, a 500-word personal statement, and a Certificate of Clearance.

Interview: Yes. Selected applicants participate in a group interview.

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 University of Redlands, the program combines clinical experiences with current teaching methods within a focus on social justice.
• An embedded emphasis on social justice and advocacy runs through a carefully structured training program.
• Program faculty bring a blend of clinical experience, professional leadership and scholarship.
• Students enter as a cohort that functions as a learning community, supported by small classes.
• The School of Education maintains a robust connection with the community and is always seeking to expand partnerships.

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 in the Inland Empire seeking an in-person program: Classes meet on the Redlands campus, apart from the six online MFT specialization units, and practicum takes place at approved partner sites.

Students interested in both LMFT and LPCC licensure: The MFT specialization prepares graduates for the LMFT in addition to the LPCC.

Career changers entering the field: No prerequisite coursework is listed beyond a bachelor's degree, and GRE scores are optional. If you are coming from another field, see changing careers to become a therapist.

Students who want a part-time option: A three-year part-time pathway is offered alongside the two-year full-time pathway.

Students who value personal therapy as part of training: The program requires ten hours of personal counseling.

Students drawn to social justice and advocacy: The program embeds an emphasis on social justice and advocacy throughout its training.

Related California MFT Programs

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

• Loma Linda University: COAMFTE-accredited, Loma Linda, San Bernardino County
• CSU San Bernardino: Public university option, Inland Empire
• California Baptist University: Faith-integrated, Riverside, flexible pacing
• La Sierra University: Riverside, dual track support
• Cal Poly Pomona: Affordable public option, Pomona

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 the University of Redlands' MFT program, visit their official website at redlands.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 the University of Redlands' MFT program accredited?

The University of Redlands is accredited by WSCUC, and the program handbook states that graduates meet California BBS requirements leading toward licensure as Professional Clinical Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, or both. The program does not hold COAMFTE or CACREP accreditation.

Does the University of Redlands require the GRE?

No. GRE scores are optional.

How long is the program and how many units?

With the MFT specialization the program is 66 units, completed on a two-year full-time or three-year part-time pathway.

Does the University of Redlands prepare students for the LPCC as well as the LMFT?

Yes. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree prepares students for the LPCC, and the MFT specialization adds preparation for the LMFT.

What outcomes does the University of Redlands publish?

The University of Redlands does not publish graduation, job placement, licensure, or exam pass rates for the program on its website.

What does the program cost?

At the 2026-2027 rate of $932 per credit, tuition for 66 units with the MFT specialization is about $61,512, plus a $100 Wellness Fee each year and a $5 Student Service Fee each term.

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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