The Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) educates candidates for careers as marriage and family therapists, and is fully accredited with the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). The curriculum and clinical training focuses on preparing you to work with diverse populations who have experienced a broad range of problems. Fairfield University also offers a MA in Family Studies, a sub-program within the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. Unlike the MFT, it is not a clinical degree. Rather the family studies program is an advanced educational track focusing on early childhood, interpersonal relations, family studies, and human development. Graduates may enter various human services vocations (such as development officer, case manager, grant writer) and/or pursue a doctoral degree in teaching or research. Both programs are dedicated to providing a learning context that fundamentally values diversity and nondiscrimination. The core curriculum, the clinical training component of the program, and the fully licensed faculty, strive to address diversity, power, privilege, and social justice in all aspects of training and education. Each faculty member is committed to creating a welcoming and mentoring environment to help their diverse student body every step of the way.

Upon completion of the M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy, graduates are qualified to seek paid positions in the mental health field as marriage and family therapists. Marriage and family therapists may be employed in a wide variety of settings, including: Addictions treatment programs Adolescent treatment outpatient and inpatient programs Child guidance agencies Community service agencies Counseling or mental health centers Court affiliated programs or alternative to incarceration programs Domestic violence programs Eating disorder programs Family service agencies Group psychotherapy practices Medical hospitals or other medical settings Pastoral counseling centers Provide practice Psychiatric units and psychiatric hospitals Religiously affiliated social service agencies and programs School systems Youth service programs Learn more about how the University's Career Planning Center can support your post-graduate goals, and how Fairfield's tight-knit alumni network can build career and mentoring opportunities that last a lifetime.