San Jose State MFT Program

Marriage and family therapists in San Jose take home an impressive $96,000 on average, which beats both national and state averages. The San Jose State MFT program offers a field with remarkable growth ahead. The California Employment Development Department projects a 21% job growth for MFTs in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area from 2022 to 2032, which will create 1,260 job openings annually.

You’ll enter one of the fastest-growing careers that needs a master’s degree through the SJSU MFT program. The San Jose metro region already has nearly 1,300 licensed marriage and family therapists, and qualified MFT professionals are needed more than ever. Santa Clara County ranks MFTs as the third occupation with the most job openings throughout the decade.

This guide covers everything you should know about becoming a licensed therapist through the San Jose State MFT program. We’ll explore admission requirements, specializations, and learning options that show how this 60-unit Master of Science degree gives you the tools for a rewarding career. You’ll learn to support individuals and families through life’s challenges.

Program Snapshot

SJSU’s MS in Clinical Psychology program, officially known as the MFT program, helps graduate students become licensed Marriage Family Therapists in California. The California state licensing board (Board of Behavioral Sciences) has approved this program to provide essential education for future independent psychotherapists.

The program has a 60-semester-unit graduate level curriculum that meets California’s MFT license requirements. SJSU currently runs only a full-time program that takes 2 years to complete. Students start together as a cohort each Fall semester and move through their courses as a group, which creates a strong support system.

The program’s high pass rates for the MFT licensing exam show its success compared to other California programs. Students must complete 150 face-to-face therapy hours and 75 client-centered advocacy hours during their studies. These hours count toward the 3,000 supervised hours needed for full California licensure.

SJSU’s reliable infrastructure helps students complete their 150 face-to-face therapy hours in just two semesters. The program also has:

• A detailed final exam in year two with written and oral parts, featuring a deep dive into a client case from your fieldwork
• Small groups of 12-14 students each year to ensure individual attention
• WASC regional accreditation

We focused mainly on the LMFT track, but students can also pursue LPCC certification. They’ll need one extra course in Career Counseling before getting LPCC licensed.

The journey from starting graduate school to getting licensed takes at least three and a half years with full-time training and internship. Students should check the BBS website to learn more about licensing requirements.

Specializations

SJSU’s Clinical Psychology program stands out with its rich mix of theoretical approaches backed by expert faculty. Students get exposure to multiple therapeutic frameworks instead of being limited to just one method. The faculty brings expertise in various therapies including Cognitive-Behavioral, Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness and Acceptance-based approaches. They also specialize in Psychodynamic traditions, Cross-cultural interventions, Feminist Therapy, Community Psychology, and the biopsychosocial model used in Behavioral Medicine.

This broad theoretical foundation opens up many career paths in mental health. You’ll qualify to work in mental health clinics, hospitals, residential treatment centers, and service agencies both public and private. The program puts special emphasis on helping diverse and under-represented populations through community mental health work.

While some graduates choose independent practice, the program doesn’t specifically teach business or entrepreneurial skills needed to set up a private practice. The primary focus stays on building clinical skills and serving the community.

The program goes beyond the standard LMFT path by offering a dual LMFT/LPCC track. In spite of that, LPCC licensure requires one additional course in Career Counseling after graduation. You can expand your career options without enrolling in a separate program.

Your studies include hands-on experience through carefully picked internship placements. The program has built strong relationships with many agencies that provide excellent pre-degree internship opportunities. These placements help develop your skills in assessment and intervention when working with individuals, couples, and families.

This program differs from other counseling programs as it doesn’t train educational guidance counselors or include PPS credential coursework. Resources stay focused on creating skilled marriage and family therapists rather than splitting attention across different professional paths.

Learning Options and Flexibility

SJSU’s MFT program runs as a full-time commitment with limited scheduling flexibility. SJSU accepts students only into full-time study. Students progress through the program together as a cohort and create a supportive learning community.

Students must take 5 courses each semester in a set sequence. The program takes exactly two years to complete, and some students graduate in summer of their second year to finish pre-degree licensing requirements. The cohort starts classes together in early June.

The program prepares you quickly for licensure despite its demanding schedule. SJSU ranks among schools with the highest pass rates for the MFT licensing exam in California. Their 20-year-old infrastructure helps students complete the required 150 face-to-face therapy hours and 75 client-centered advocacy hours within two semesters.

The intensive program demands substantial time:

• University standards require a minimum of 9 hours per week per course
• With 5 courses each semester, this translates to at least 45 hours weekly
• Many students report spending 50+ hours weekly on coursework

Classes run Monday through Friday, with many evening sessions in the first year. Students who start full-time might petition to switch to part-time after their first semester in exceptional cases. These requests get individual review without guaranteed approval.

Students with full-time jobs face major challenges with this demanding schedule. The program states clearly that working full-time while studying creates “serious stress on the MFT trainee in being able to produce quality work and develop advanced clinical skills”.

The program doesn’t allow deferrals or delays in start dates—accepted students must begin in the year they apply. This strict policy keeps cohort integrity but requires careful planning from potential applicants.

Admission Requirements

The San Jose State MFT program accepts applications from October 1 until firm deadline of February 1 for fall admission.

Qualified applicants must meet these requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree that includes at least 30 semester units in Psychology
• A 3.0 GPA in Psychology courses and the last 60 semester units
• Completion of six core courses: Introduction to Psychology, Elementary Statistics, Research Methods, Psychobiology, Abnormal Psychology, and Clinical Psychology/Counseling Theory
• A minimum of 100 hours of applied clinical experience in counseling roles
• Three recommendation letters from specific sources: a clinical supervisor, a professor, and another professional
• A 2-3 page statement of intent that explains your goals and program fit

The program team reviews applications that meet these requirements after February 1. Candidates usually interview in March. Students receive admission decisions by mid-April. The program selects 12-14 students each year.

International applicants need TOEFL scores of 100 for Internet-based tests or 570 for paper-based tests. The program doesn’t require GRE scores.

Accepted students must complete the Intent to Enroll process and submit a $200 non-refundable deposit by May 1 to reserve their spot.

Why Choose This Program

SJSU’s MFT program can shape your career path and offers several advantages for future therapists. The program’s track record speaks for itself – it has one of the highest pass rates for California’s MFT licensing exam, which shows how well students learn here.

Money matters when picking a program. SJSU ranks among the most economical options to get your graduate degree. The program delivers high-quality education through evidence-based practices that blend psychological theory with research findings.

The program’s faculty brings diverse expertise to the table. Students learn from professors who specialize in different therapy approaches:

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Psychodynamic approaches
• Cross-cultural interventions
• Feminist Therapy
• Community Psychology

Hands-on experience takes center stage at SJSU. The program’s reliable support system helps students complete their required 150 face-to-face therapy hours in just two semesters. These hours count toward the 3,000-hour requirement for licensing.

SJSU’s MS Clinical Psychology program produces skilled clinicians who serve clients from all cultural backgrounds with various clinical needs. Students learn community-based psychotherapy within an evidence-based framework. Graduates find work in mental health clinics, hospitals, residential treatment centers, and both private and public service agencies.