With a long-standing reputation for rigorous clinical training in counseling and therapy, UW-Stout's COAMFTE-accredited Master of Science (M.S.) in Marriage & Family Therapy is committed to ensuring graduates are competently trained to become entry-level professional couple and family therapists. Our program promotes a systemic-relational Marriage and Family Therapy clinical orientation, combines academic and experiential training methods, and addresses the role of power, privilege, and inclusivity in therapy.
Career-Defining Curriculum
Continuously accredited for more than 40 years, our program is built on proven methods of training successful, effective therapists.
Program Overview
Program Highlights
- Online part-time (evening) degree option available on Wednesdays and Thursdays: 5:00-8:00 p.m. Get the same education that fits your needs.
- A cohort model, where each class of 14 students moves through the program as a group.
- Our on-campus, state-of-the-art clinic, where students do half of their required 300 hours of clinical practice.
- Close supervision and one-on-one activities with faculty.
- A compressed Monday-Tuesday schedule for all on-campus classes.
- A learning context in which diversity and non-discrimination are addressed, practiced and valued.
- A base of loyal and supportive alumni.
Upcoming Program Information Sessions
The faculty are available to meet with you and other potential applicants to join our Fall 2025 cohort. Please join us for one of our information sessions to learn more about our program and have all your questions answered. All sessions are offered both on campus and also online. In-person participants will have the option to tour our campus clinic after the presentation.
- Monday, September 16: 6:00-7:00 p.m. (CT)
- Tuesday, October 15: 6:00-7:00 p.m. (CT)
- Thursday, November 14: 10:00-11:00 a.m. (CT)
- Monday, December 2: 6:00-7:00 p.m. (CT)
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the M.S. Marriage & Family Therapy.
Request Information
This program has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) since 1977.
A Long History of Preparing Students to Succeed
Our program is one of the two longest COAMFTE-accredited programs in the nation. Accreditation is important because it requires programs to use measures of student progress and graduate success to evaluate training effectiveness and to make changes where necessary. This goes a long way toward ensuring that:
- the program curriculum contains state-of-the-art MFT content,
- instructors and clinical supervisors are appropriately trained and credentialed, and
- graduates are well positioned to meet licensing requirements and to be successful in the workplace.
Evidence of the success of students in this program is found in our high graduation rate, success rates of graduates in passing the national exam, and the percentage of graduates who obtain licensure as Marriage and Family Therapists.
Career Opportunities
"U.S. News & World Report list Marriage and Family Therapy as #20 among the top 100 jobs in the nation."
The marriage and family therapist industry will experience future growth of 30%, which significantly outpaces the average for all occupations. This is due in part to an increased recognition of the field. It is more common for people to seek help for their marital and family problems than it was in the past. Our graduates can feel assured that they'll find exceptional opportunities for gainful, rewarding employment.
Our grads find work in a variety of settings, to name a few:
- Private and Public Mental Health Agencies
- Behavioral Health Units
- Chemical Dependency Facilities
- Adolescent Day Treatment
- Hospice Programs
- Hospitals
- Home-Based Family Therapy
- Community Social Service Agencies
- Alternative Schools
- Faith Communities and Churches
- Employee Assistance Programs
Customized Tuition & Fees
UW-Stout degree programs using the all-inclusive customized instruction model are designed with the adult learner in mind. Other universities will present costs and value differently, so make sure you're comparing apples to apples. If you're comparing UW-Stout's online degree customized instruction (CI) tuition to our competitors, keep in mind:
- Customized instruction tuition rate includes the textbook rental fee.
- There are no additional or hidden university-based semester or technology fees.
- Students in customized instruction programs pay the same rate of tuition regardless of where you live--Wisconsin, California, Texas, or in a foreign country.
More Value for Your Money
Customized Instruction also provides:
- Program Director/Coordinator: Faculty with academic and industry expertise.
- Student Services Advisor: One point of contact, providing dedicated support throughout your degree program.
- Course Sequences & Matrices: Plan ahead with clear program outlines so you know what courses are offered when.
- Stackable Courses & Programs: Many of our courses and certificates can be applied to our degree programs.
- Flexibility: Courses are designed to offer the flexibility and convenience working professionals need to get ahead in their careers without sacrificing their current income and responsibilities.
General UW-Stout Graduate School Application
All prospective graduate students at UW-Stout must follow a standard application process through our Graduate Studies.
Program-Specific Admission Requirements
Eligibility
To be admitted with full status to the M.S. Marriage and Family Therapy program, you must:
- Hold an appropriate Bachelor's degree from an accredited college.
- Have earned an overall GPA of at least 2.75.
Program-Specific Application Requirements
To successfully apply for the program, first complete the UW System Application and receive your Application ID. Then, use this ID to fill out the UW-Stout Graduate Studies Collection Form, where you will provide the following:
- Resume
- Candidate Information Form | Complete the Form
- Recommendation Form
- At least 3 recommendation letters are required, preferably from previous supervisors, mentors, employers, colleagues, or similarly qualified persons.
*The Collection Form Site requires an Application ID provided upon completion of the UW-System Application
Application Deadline
Applicants are strongly advised to complete the admissions process prior to January 15. Applications received after this deadline will be considered as space is available.
Mission, Program Goals, and Student Learning Outcomes
The MFT program at UW-Stout has a distinct mission which is supported by associated program goals and student learning outcomes:
Mission
The mission of the MFT program is to assure that graduates are competently trained to become entry-level professional couple and family therapists. The program promotes a systemic-relational MFT clinical orientation, utilizes a combination of academic and experiential methods of training, and addresses the role of power, privilege, and inclusivity in therapy.
Program Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
Goal 1: Knowledge. The program will help students/graduates achieve an adequate understanding of professional marriage and family therapy principles so as to support them as they enter the field as practicing professionals.
- SLO 1: Students/graduates will demonstrate knowledge of principles underlying couples and family therapy including theoretical models, dynamics of couple/family interaction and human development, trauma, diagnosis and assessment, and psychological testing.
Goal 2: Practice. The program will help students/graduates develop systemically-based clinical skills.
- SLO 2: Students/graduates will exhibit clinical skills necessary for the practice of couple and family therapy including the use of self in therapy, clinical assessment and diagnosis, treatment planning and management, assessment of potential for harm to self or others, and therapeutic intervention.
- SLO 6: Students/graduates will complete the program and enter the field as couple and family therapists.
Goal 3: Inclusivity. The program will foster an environment that recognizes privilege and difference and values inclusivity.
- SLO 3: Students/graduates will demonstrate an awareness of power, privilege, and difference within therapeutic and supervisory contexts.
Goal 4: Research. The program will help students/graduates become competent consumers of research so they may maintain empirically informed practices.
- SLO 4: Students/graduates will demonstrate an adequate understanding of how research can be applied to clinical practice.
Goal 5: Ethics. The program will help students/graduates learn and apply ethical standards consistent with the practice of couples and family therapy.
- SLO 5: Students/graduates will demonstrate an applied knowledge of ethics, legalities, and professional standards related to the practice of couple and family therapy.
This program is designed to meet educational requirements for licensure/certification in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota (MN requirements verified in May 2021). Professional licensure/certification prerequisites vary from state to state, and this program meets the requirements for most other states—as noted on our website. The program does not meet licensure requirements in California, Florida, and Nevada . If you intend to work in another state, contact that state's regulatory authority to determine if our program will meet the licensure/certification requirements, and contact the UW-Stout Program Director for assistance. Please see the following website for additional information.
Advisory Committee Members
| Heidi | Accola | Therapist | Compass Counseling |
| Molly | Bailey | Therapist | Minnesota Trauma Recovery Institute |
| Brian | Crim | Therapist | Adulteen Counseling |
| Elizabeth | Doherty-Thomas | Therapist, Consultant | Doherty Relationship Institute |
| Chasidy | Faith | Director | UW-Stout |
| Katy | Fellman | Student | UW-Stout |
| Dale | Hawley | Therapist | Great River Psychotherapy |
| Heather | Hessel | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Lara | Hoss | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Kevin | Hynes | Assistant Professor; Program Director | UW-Stout |
| Karis | Johns | Therapist | Heartfelt Therapy |
| Dave | Kraai | Therapist | Lumn Therapy |
| Candice | Maier | Associate Professor; Clinical Director | UW-Stout |
| Meriam | Nijah | Therapist | Kente Circle |
| Patrick | Parker | Therapist | Good Human Work |
| Ruben | Prado | Therapist | LifeStance Health |
| Mary | Sokup | Therapist | Vantage Point |
| Larry | Tucker | Therapist | Kente Circle |
| Mai Bao | Xiong | Therapist | Wilder Clinic |
