CSU Northridge MFT Program

The CSU Northridge MFT program opens doors to a rewarding career with great earning potential. Program graduates can earn between $60,207 and $105,826 each year. Top professionals in the field make up to $136,133 annually.

On top of that, CSUN’s MFT program gives you quality foundational training to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor in California and most other states. The program holds prestigious accreditation from the Commission for the Accreditation of Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) and the International Accreditation Commission for Systemic Therapy Education (IACSTE). Your credentials will be recognized across the United States and internationally. So your investment in the CSUN MFT program will create extensive professional opportunities with the freedom to work anywhere in your future career.

Program Snapshot

The CSU Northridge MFT program shines with a 93% license exam pass rate. This program offers a complete 72-unit Master of Science degree that prepares you to become both a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Students follow a full-time cohort model that takes 2.5-3 years to finish, including summer sessions.

Students focus on one course at a time with two courses per term in back-to-back, eight-week formats. This smart approach helps you become skilled at each subject before moving forward. The schedule offers both day and evening classes, mostly in-person with some hybrid options available.

Your learning at the CSUN MFT program has extensive practical experience. The first year involves practicum experiences that prepare you for second-year field training. You’ll work at community mental health agencies, public mental health agencies, and school-based settings. Students complete at least 500 clinical hours and 100 supervision hours by graduation.

The program requires 20 hours of personal psychotherapy—10 hours in the first year and 10 more during fieldwork courses. The program ends with either complete exam papers, a master’s project, or a thesis.

CSUN MFT program’s success speaks for itself. Recent data shows graduation rates of 78-87%, job placement rates of 96-100%, and licensure rates of 96-100%. The program remains affordable at approximately $20,924 for eight semesters including summer units, with tuition at $474 per credit hour.

Graduates work in a variety of settings like public mental health, community agencies, rehabilitation centers, schools, private agencies, and private practices. Some even pursue doctoral studies in family therapy and related fields. The curriculum focuses on strengths-based approaches, social justice, evidence-based practices, and therapist development while providing training in specialized areas like trauma, substance abuse, and severe mental illness.

Specializations

The CSU Northridge MFT program takes a different approach. Rather than offering formal concentrations, students get detailed training in multiple therapy areas. The program builds strong foundations in seven key areas of specialization: children, adolescents, couples, groups, trauma, substance abuse, and severe mental illness. This wide-ranging focus helps you build skills you’ll need in a variety of clinical situations during your career.

Students learn through a program that values strengths-based approaches, social justice principles, and evidence-based practices. The coursework helps you develop skills for community mental health settings and understand your identity as a therapist—what they call the “person-of-the-therapist”.

The program lets you shape your clinical focus as you advance. Your second-year field placements at community mental health agencies, public health settings, and school-based locations help you gain experience that matches your career goals. These placements become your testing ground where classroom learning turns into real clinical expertise.

The final phase of the program gives you another chance to focus on your interests. You can pick between detailed exam papers, a master’s project, or a thesis. Each option lets you showcase advanced knowledge in your chosen clinical area.

The MFT CSUN program takes a balanced approach. Students develop broad skills while building expertise in specific areas. This preparation qualifies you for both Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) licenses. Graduates leave ready to work in settings of all types—from public agencies to private practice—with specialized skills to help diverse client groups and tackle various clinical challenges.

Learning Options and Flexibility

The CSU Northridge MFT program uses a structured cohort model with a fixed sequence of courses. Students stay with the same group for their 2.5-3 year trip and take similar classes in a predetermined order. This “lockstep” approach will give everyone a chance to progress together and encourages community learning experiences.

Class schedules offer evening sessions mainly, with some daytime options available. Students join either a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday cohort pattern. The program delivers most courses in-person, though some hybrid and online formats add flexibility. Students can focus on one subject at a time through an innovative single-course approach, completing two courses per term in consecutive eight-week formats.

The program requires full-time enrollment and rarely accepts part-time study requests. Students with extraordinary circumstances can ask the Program Coordinator in writing to take courses out of sequence. The curriculum structure includes mandatory summer classes.

Students often balance part-time employment with their studies successfully. The program design lets students work 10-30 hours weekly alongside coursework. Many students keep their jobs throughout their education, though the workload can be heavy. A student shared this perspective: “There is SO MUCH reading… while it was possible for me to continue to work part-time while in school, it was a delicate balancing act”.

Field placement becomes a major time commitment in the second year. This training requires 15-25 hours weekly at community sites. Students must find their own placements from an approved list, and some sites charge fees for training experiences. First-semester schedules usually include four 3-hour weekly classes, with fieldwork and client responsibilities growing in later terms.

The CSUN curriculum differs from other programs by not offering specialized tracks for full-time working professionals. This approach emphasizes immersive training and cohort-based learning over schedule flexibility.

Admission Requirements

The CSU Northridge MFT program accepts only 56-58 students each year from 200-400 applicants, which means a 15-30% acceptance rate. Students must complete two mandatory steps: they need to apply through Cal State Apply and submit a separate department application.

You need a bachelor’s degree with a minimum 2.75 GPA overall or in your last 60 semester/90 quarter units. The program requires GRE General Test scores from all applicants starting Fall 2025 admissions. Academic preparation assessment uses these scores from the last three years along with your GPA.

Students must complete two prerequisite courses: EPC 451 (Fundamentals of Counseling and Guidance) and PSY 310 (Abnormal Psychology). The program requires grades of B- or better in both courses within seven years before admission.

Your application package should include:

• Two professional recommendations (personal references not accepted)
• A statement of purpose (maximum two pages) addressing specific prompts
• Professional resume

The program invites candidates with strong original applications to a mandatory group interview. These small-group sessions run for about two hours and rescheduling isn’t possible. The program typically selects candidates who show excellent academic performance, strong writing skills, relevant experience and clear professional goals.

Why Choose This Program

Your career path largely depends on the program you choose. The CSU Northridge MFT program features faculty members from a variety of professional backgrounds who lead nationally in couple and family therapy. Many teachers run their own clinical practices, which keeps your education aligned with current real-life therapeutic methods.

The results speak for themselves with 96-100% job placement rates and 96-100% licensure rates. Students thrive in a welcoming, interactive environment that helps them build strong therapeutic connections with clients from different backgrounds.

CSUN MFT graduates can expect to earn between $60,207 and $105,826 yearly, while top performers make up to $136,133 annually. The program looks after your future with a mandatory 10% salary contribution system for retirement.

Students come from different age groups, ethnicities, sexual orientations, abilities, religious backgrounds, immigrant status, and family structures. This rich mix creates perfect conditions to develop culturally aware clinical skills.

The program aims to train skilled, systemically focused therapists who can serve Southern California’s varied communities. Faculty members have crafted a curriculum that balances hands-on skills with academic knowledge, preparing you for today’s practice settings.