PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS:
ADMISSIONS
The program begins in Autumn Quarter and admits students once a year. The application deadline is February 1st. Listed below are University and program requirements for admission to MFT students. For additional information on admission, please visit The Graduate Center Web site at www.spu.edu/graduate. You may also request an application packet by email at gradadmissions@spu.edu, or by phone at 206.281.2091 or 800.601.0603.
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Applicants must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in any field. Candidates will have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in the last 45 quarter credits (30 semester credits) of coursework completed before applying for admission, or in all undergraduate work, whichever is higher.
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A minimum of 18 semester credits or 24 quarter credits in the social and behavioral sciences, including a course in applied statistics and a course in individual life-span development, must be completed (at a regionally accredited institution) prior to full admission to the program. Students who have not already taken sufficient courses in this area are encouraged to take courses from the following areas: theories of personality, theories of counseling, abnormal psychology, and developmental psychology or family studies.
Applicants may elect to take the psychology subject test of the GRE. Those who earn a score of 500 or higher may waive any unfinished prerequisite coursework, with the exception of the statistics and individual life-span development courses.
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A minimum score of 950 (only verbal and quantitative) for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or 388 scaled score (35 raw score) for the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is required. The test must have been administered within five years of the deadline date for application to the program. Further information on these tests can be obtained by calling the numbers listed below:
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Graduate Record Exam
800.GRE.CALL or 800.473.2255
www.gre.org
Miller Analogies Test
800.622.3231
www.milleranalogies.com
UW Testing Center for (local applicants) 206.543.1170
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If the candidate has earned a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution, he or she can submit an official transcript on which the master's degree is posted and the GRE/MAT will be waived.
Note: Candidates with significant qualifications and exceptional recommendations who fail to meet the GPA or GRE/MAT minimum scores may still be considered for admission to the MFT program, because the program admits all students on a probationary status (see "Admission Procedures").
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Applicants will submit three letters of recommendation, including (a) at least one from a person professionally qualified to recommend for a field of this nature (e.g., mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, pastoral counselor, psychologist); and (b) at least one from a person qualified to evaluate academic ability (e.g., educator). A third personal recommendation may include a reference from an employer and/or supervisor from a volunteer experience. Recommendation forms are included in the application brochure. Recommendations must be submitted on the forms provided. Forms should be sent to the applicant in sealed and signed envelopes to be included with the application package.
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Applicants will submit a typed personal statement. Please present a succinct statement that provides an accurate indication of writing and grammatical skills. Generally, statements should be three to four pages in length. The personal statement should address (a) career objectives; (b) rationale for seeking the degree and choosing to attend Seattle Pacific University; (c) personal interest in marriage and family therapy; (d) professional and personal strengths as they apply to the mental health profession; (e) related volunteer or work experiences; (f) the way in which personal and professional life experiences have converged to motivate application to the MFT program; and (g) other insights as deemed appropriate by the applicant.
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Those for whom English is not their first language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and present a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the computer-based test.
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Those who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States must provide an official confidential statement of financial support covering each year of intended enrollment. |
Those interested in the Medical Family Therapy Certificate need to request application materials for this program also.
ADMISSION PROCEDURES
The Marriage and Family Therapy graduate admissions committee will complete an initial applicant screening process based upon the application materials only. Finalists are invited to meet with members of the committee for an all-day group interview process in early April. It is highly recommended that applicants participate in the group interview process. Telephone interviews are also permissible, but only in exceptional circumstances.
Admission to the graduate program depends upon recommendation by the MFT faculty and approval from the chair of marriage and family therapy. The entire process is usually completed within 10 weeks after the final deadline date for applications.
All students are admitted on a probational status in order to allow faculty to be certain students are fully prepared for placement in an internship site. Full admission is required in order for placement in an internship site to occur. To be considered for full admission, students must complete a minimum of 11 units in the MFT program, with average GPA of 3.0 or better in all courses, and must be recommended for continuance by MFT faculty.
TRANSFER OF CREDIT
Students wishing to apply master's degree level coursework completed at a regionally accredited institution prior to application must provide applicable transcripts and/or syllabi. Each course must be at least three graduate quarter credits and be equivalent to courses taught in the MFT program at Seattle Pacific University. A minimum grade of B will be needed for transferred work, and a maximum of 9 quarter credits may be transferred.
