Partial applications for the Fall 2025 Masters in Couple and Family Therapy Program cohort are due on May 1. Full applications are due by May 8. Candidates selected for the next stage of the admissions process will be invited to participate in interviews, which take place May 27. Successful applicants will join the following year's cohort in the fall.
Application Requirements
To apply, you must have a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. A degree in behavioral or family sciences is preferred. Degree examples include:
- Psychology
- Human Development and Family Science
- Child Development
- Human Services
- Social Work
Applicants from other fields are also welcome. However, if your background is in a different discipline, you must complete (or have already completed) an introductory psychology course (e.g., Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, General Psychology) and a human development course (e.g., Human Development Across the Lifespan, Child Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Child Development). These courses can be taken at any accredited institution.
Application Materials
Applications for the M.S. Couple and Family Therapy program require the following materials.
Since we anticipate a quick turnaround for Fall 2025 applications, at least a partial packet of application materials (including a resume or CV and both a Purpose Statement and a Learning Communities Statement) should be emailed to HDFSGradProgram@uga.edu by May 1. Afterwards, please complete the UGA Graduate School application, with all materials listed below, by May 8 to ensure full consideration of your application.
- Resume or CV
- TOEFL or IELTS scores are required of applicants whose native language is not English. See UGA's English Language Profieciency Requirement for International Students for more information.
- Transcripts for all institutions attended (unofficial transcripts are accepted). For more information visit Transcripts & Academic Records.
- Three signed recommendation letters.
- Purpose Statement (Limit to 1000 words). This statement is an important part of your application for admission to the Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy program in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Applicants should incorporate answers to the following questions into their statement:
- Why do you want to be a couple and family therapist (as opposed to psychology, social work, or counseling)?
- What are your meaningful experiences that have helped you prepare for success as a couple and family therapist?
- Briefly describe a time in your life when you struggled. Then, describe how you handled the associated challenges and/or stress.
- Learning Community Statement (Limit to 500 words). The University of Georgia’s Couple & Family Therapy program is committed to building a representative and talented community of therapists who deliver care in a collaborative learning environment. In 500 words or less, please describe:
- How does your identity and experiences thus far will contribute to the clinical learning environment?
Interview
For the first cohort of MSCFT students, the application, interview, and acceptance will be on a condensed timeline in order to allow accepted students time to make arrangements to attend in Fall 2025.
- May 1: Partial packet application deadline
- May 8: Full application deadline
- May 9: Invitations to interview sent to applicants
- May 12: Confirmation of acceptance of interview invite needed
- May 27: Interview day
- June 6: Admission letters sent to accepted applicants
- June 17: Confirmation of attendance needed
For the Fall 2026 cohort, M.S. Couple and Family Therapy applicants will be notified by late December if they are invited to an initial, digital interview. Initial interviews for selected applicants will be held by zoom in early January. In-Person interviews for selected applicants will be held in late January 2026.