Marriage and Family Counseling (Master of Arts)

Course and Program Listings

Statement of Purpose

The Marriage and Family Counseling program offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, prepares individuals for the professional practice of marriage and family counseling in settings such as mental health centers, hospitals, churches, and private practice. Students acquire the knowledge and skills to address a variety of mental health issues in the context of relationships and families. Specific objectives of the program include:

To prepare the student to be a competent professional counselor in various mental health settings;
To facilitate the integration of Christian worldview principles into the student’s philosophy and practice of counseling;
To prepare the student educationally for licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist and/ or a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Alabama; and
To provide opportunities through classroom interaction, clinical experiences and supervision to encourage the lifelong growth of the counselor as a person and a professional.

Criteria for Admission

Students seeking admission to the Marriage and Family Counseling program should address all inquiries to the office of graduate programs. The application, the application fee, and all supporting documents should be received at least three weeks prior to the date on which the student wishes to enter. Appeals of admission decisions should be addressed to the director of the marriage and family counseling program.

Unconditional Admission

To qualify for unconditional admission, the student must meet the requirements listed below. Students who already hold a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution are exempt from requirements 9 and 10.

Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
File the application for admission with the office of graduate programs and furnish the various materials listed in the instructions.
Pay a non-refundable application fee.
Submit two letters of recommendation.
Submit an essay describing his or her personal strengths and career goals.
Have a personal interview with a marriage and family counseling faculty member.
Furnish an official transcript from each institution attended, showing all credits previously earned.
Have a minimum of twelve semester hours (undergraduate or graduate) in psychology, sociology, or counseling.
Have an overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale.
Submit officially reported Graduate Record Exam scores totaling at least 290 obtained by adding the verbal and quantitative sections and have a score of at least 3 on the analytical writing section.

Conditional Admission

Conditional admission may be granted to a student who does not meet all the qualifications for unconditional admission. To qualify for conditional admission, a student must meet the requirements listed below.

Complete unconditional admission items 1-7 listed above.
Have a GPA lower than 2.75 but not lower than 2.50 on a 4.0 scale.
Submit officially reported Graduate Record Exam scores totaling at least 280 obtained by adding the verbal and quantitative sections and have a score of at least 3 on the analytical writing section;
or
acquire a total of at least 1100 on the following formula: (officially reported GRE scores on the verbal plus quantitative sections) + (overall undergraduate GPA x 100) + (overall graduate GPA x 200) and have a score of at least 3 on the analytical writing section.

A student granted conditional admission to the marriage and family counseling program must complete all prerequisite coursework within the first twelve months following admission. No further graduate level work may be attempted after twelve months has elapsed, until unconditional admission has been granted.

A student granted conditional admission may be considered for unconditional admission after completion of all prerequisite coursework and completion of nine semester hours of approved graduate coursework at the University of Mobile with grades “B” or above and with the recommendation of the director of the marriage and family counseling program.

Retention

Students are expected to progress toward the degree by making grades no lower than “B.” A student can count only six graduate semester hours of work with grade “C” toward the degree. If the six-hour limit of grades of “C” or below is exceeded, the student will be dismissed automatically from the program.

Comprehensive Examination

Satisfactory performance on a comprehensive examination is required of all candidates seeking a Master of Marriage and Family Counseling degree. The examination may be written or oral or both (at the option of the MFC faculty) and will cover the student’s coursework. All incomplete grades from courses in previous academic periods must be removed prior to the comprehensive examination. If a student fails the comprehensive examination, a second examination may be taken only with the approval of the MFC faculty after at least an interval of one regular academic period (semester) or one summer academic period has elapsed. A second failure will result in dismissal from the graduate program.

Graduation Requirements

Complete satisfactorily a minimum of sixty semester hours of MFC graduate credit including the fifty-four hours of required course work.
Successful completion of the comprehensive exam.
Earn a minimum overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale on all work attempted in the graduate program.
File an application for a degree.

Licensure for the Marriage and Family Counseling Graduate

An MFC graduate may wish to pursue state licensure as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). The student should be aware that supervised experience after graduation is required and additional coursework beyond the sixty graduate semester hours for the M.A. could be required for these credentials.

Course Offerings

Please see the Course Descriptions sections of this catalog for Graduate level course listings.

Programs

Marriage and Family Counseling, M.A.