University of San Diego MFT Program: Comprehensive Profile and Student Fit Analysis

University of San Diego 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 USD SOLES MA in Marital and Family Therapy program pages, the program curriculum and pathway page, the tuition and financial aid page, the practicum page, the admissions requirements page, the SOLES accreditation page, 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 $102,000, tuition only) against the directory’s lowest and highest published totals.

Estimated total tuition: approximately $102,000 in tuition (60 units at about $1,700 per unit for 2025-2026; fees, books, and a required international experience are additional).

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.

Schedule and Format Details

Full-Time Cohort Format: Students enter together and progress through the program as a cohort. Classes are held during the day on the USD campus. Full-time students complete the degree in two years; part-time students complete in approximately 2.5 years.

Practicum Sequence: A 12-month, three-semester practicum takes place in the second year at pre-approved community sites.

International Experience: All SOLES master's students are required to complete a program-approved international experience as part of the degree, reflecting USD's emphasis on developing globally competent clinicians.

Clinical Training and Fieldwork

Clinical Hours: Per the USD MFT practicum page, students complete a minimum of 400 hours of direct client contact, of which a minimum of 200 hours must be with couples or families. Students complete at least 100 hours of supervision, with a minimum of 50 hours based on raw data (video or live observation), and a supervision ratio of at least 1 hour per 5 hours of clinical work, consistent with COAMFTE standards.

Training Clinic: Not publicly listed as a dedicated in-house MFT training clinic. Practicum is completed at community-based partner sites.

Practicum Arrangement: Students complete the 12-month practicum at pre-approved community sites in the San Diego region, including family therapy centers, child and adolescent mental health settings, trauma-focused therapy programs, behavioral health clinics, school-based mental health, and substance abuse and domestic violence programs. Supervisors are AAMFT Approved Supervisors or hold equivalent certification. Practicum positions are typically unpaid.

Personal Psychotherapy Requirement: Not publicly listed on the program's web materials.

Curriculum Structure

The 60-unit non-thesis curriculum consists of core coursework and a 12-month practicum sequence per the USD MFT curriculum and pathway page:

Core Coursework: Approximately 51 units of systemic theory, clinical methods, human development, assessment, law and ethics, research, and cross-cultural practice.

Practicum Sequence: Approximately 9 units of supervised practicum completed across three consecutive semesters in the final year.

International Experience: A required program-approved international study experience, completed during the program.

Culminating Requirements

The culminating requirement is a comprehensive written examination. Per the USD MFT program materials, the exam includes three sections covering Theory and Application, Assessment, and Law and Ethics, with approximately two hours allotted per section. Students must pass the comprehensive exam to graduate. The program is non-thesis.

Application Process

Application Deadline: January 15 for Fall admission. Application fee: $45.

Start Term: Fall only.

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

Prerequisites: Three prerequisite courses must be completed before the second semester of enrollment: Human or Lifespan Development, Research Methods, and Counseling Theories or Theories of Personality. A prior psychology degree is not required.

Application Components: Online application, official transcripts from all institutions attended, a current résumé or CV, two letters of recommendation (one academic and one from a professional mentor preferred), and a Statement of Purpose of no more than 500 words describing the applicant's background, professional goals, and relevant experience. International applicants must submit TOEFL scores of at least 83 (internet-based) or IELTS Band 7.

Interview: Required for qualified candidates. Invited applicants participate in a group interview with MFT faculty.

Concentrations and Specializations

Family-Based Care: Training focused on systemic assessment and treatment of families across developmental stages.

Integrated Behavioral Health: Training focused on behavioral health integration within primary care and medical settings.

Culture, Diversity, and Global Mental Health: Training focused on culturally responsive and cross-cultural clinical practice.

Training and Education: Training focused on clinical supervision, teaching, and professional development pathways.

Couples Therapy: Training focused on assessment and treatment of couple relationships.

Interpersonal Neurobiology: Training focused on integrating attachment, neuroscience, and relational theory in clinical practice.

What This Program Says About Itself

• Per the USD SOLES accreditation page, the MA in Marital and Family Therapy has been continuously COAMFTE-accredited since 1992.
• The program emphasizes systemic, relational, and culturally responsive training within USD's Marianist Catholic educational tradition and the Ignatian value of care for the whole person, per the USD MFT program page.
• All SOLES master's students are required to complete a program-approved international experience, per the SOLES international experience page.
• The program is structured around six clinical emphasis areas including Family-Based Care, Integrated Behavioral Health, Culture Diversity and Global Mental Health, Training and Education, Couples Therapy, and Interpersonal Neurobiology.
• The program reports approximately 30 new students per year with class sizes of 15 to 20 students, per the USD MFT FAQ page.

This Program May Be a Good Fit For

Students seeking a COAMFTE-accredited MFT degree with a long accreditation history: USD has been COAMFTE-accredited continuously since 1992, one of the longest-tenured COAMFTE accreditations among California programs.

Students planning to practice in multiple states: COAMFTE accreditation supports portability across U.S. jurisdictions that recognize COAMFTE-accredited MFT degrees, and supports AAMFT supervisor pathways.

Students seeking a small-cohort learning environment: Classes of 15 to 20 students support close faculty-student interaction and peer cohesion.

Students seeking a systemic, relational training model: The curriculum is anchored in MFT systemic theory with dedicated emphases in Couples Therapy and Interpersonal Neurobiology.

Students interested in global and cross-cultural clinical training: The required international experience and the Culture, Diversity, and Global Mental Health emphasis provide structured cross-cultural training.

Students interested in integrated behavioral health: The Integrated Behavioral Health emphasis prepares students for collaborative practice in primary care and medical settings.

Career changers entering the field: No prior psychology degree is required, the GRE is not required, and the three prerequisite courses may be completed before or during the first semester.

Students seeking faith-integrated training: USD is a Catholic Marianist university with an educational tradition rooted in cura personalis.

Students in the San Diego region: The program is based on the USD campus with community practicum placements across San Diego County.

Related California MFT Programs

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

• San Diego State University: Same San Diego metro, COAMFTE-accredited, public comparison
• Alliant International University: Same San Diego metro, COAMFTE-accredited
• Point Loma Nazarene University: Same San Diego metro, faith-based, dual LMFT/LPCC
• Loma Linda University: COAMFTE-accredited, faith-based, Southern California
• Pepperdine University: Faith-based private, dual LMFT/LPCC

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 University of San Diego's MFT program, visit their official website at sandiego.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 USD's MFT program accredited?

Yes. The MA in Marital and Family Therapy is COAMFTE-accredited (continuously since 1992) and USD is institutionally accredited by WSCUC. It meets California BBS educational requirements for the LMFT.

Does USD require the GRE?

No. The program states that the GRE is not required for admission.

How long is the program and how many units?

It is a 60-unit, on-campus program. Full-time completion is two years, and a 2.5-year part-time pathway is available. The final year includes a 12-month, three-semester practicum sequence.

What outcomes does USD publish?

As a COAMFTE-accredited program, USD publishes Graduate Achievement Data. Recent reported figures include a 90% on-time graduation rate (2023-2024 cohort) and, for the 2022-2023 cohort, 100% job placement and 100% licensure. It does not publish a separate licensure exam pass rate.

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

The program prepares students for the California LMFT. Prospective LPCC students should confirm any additional requirements with the program.

When is the application deadline?

January 15 for Fall admission, with a $45 application fee.

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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