Northern Illinois University offers an uncommon opportunity to earn a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in marriage and family therapy. The goal of the School of Family, Consumer, and Nutrition Sciences' (FCNS) program is to prepare skilled and dedicated marriage and family therapists. The two year, 54 semester hour program features:
Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, an affiliate of the Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
Faculty who share a commitment to learning with their students in classes, during therapy, and in the hours between. Trained as marriage and family therapists or as child and family scholars, they are dedicated to maintaining a supportive context in which the development of marriage and family therapy skills is enjoyable.
Courses that are practical, intensive, and challenging. Focusing on the development of the thoughts and skills of the family therapist, the faculty teach the heart and soul of family therapy. Everything from family development to the latest therapy techniques is covered in a sequence of courses that promotes respectful treatment of human systems and includes courses necessary for the marriage and family therapy license in Illinois.
Practica that pull it all together. In a 19 month progression from team member to solo practitioner, students learn family therapy by doing it. Using live supervision and video technology in the Family Center of NIU, our full service therapy center, the faculty carefully guide students as they help families with a variety of troubles.
The faculty of the NIU Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy seek mature individuals who wish to pursue careers specifically as marriage and family therapists. Above this essential commitment, the faculty considers self-awareness, self-confidence, curiosity, intelligence, warmth, humor, independent thinking, and creativity to be highly desirable. A variety of ages, undergraduate majors, work backgrounds, races and nationalities are sought in the quest to maintain a rich environment for learning.
A major strength of the Specialization is the quantity and quality of clinical experience and close faculty supervision that students receive while in the program. To ensure that each student receives the kind of supervision necessary to cultivate finely tuned clinical skills, enrollment in the program is kept small.
Prerequisite Courses are 9 semester hours of undergraduate courses in family and child studies or the equivalent including a course in family relations and one in child development. This requirement is assessed by the School of FCNS faculty at the time of admission; admission may be granted with the provision that prerequisites be made up by the end of the first semester of studies.
Transfer Credit from accredited universities may be acceptable according to the NIU Graduate School policy on transfer and student-at-large credit hours (see Graduate Catalog). Decisions about transfer hours are made based on the course description, syllabi, and bibliographies provided by the applicant.
Financial Aid is offered in the form of graduate assistantships, fellowships and loans. Assistantships waive tuition and pay approximately $306 per month for 10 hours of work per week. NIU participates in a student loan program of the federal government and Illinois Guaranteed Student Loan Program. This information is available from the Student Financial Aids Office at NIU (815-753-1395). Prospective students may explore scholarships made available by the Graduate School (815-753-0395) and by various professional and service organizations. Please refer also to the separate, enclosed sheet on financial assistance in this packet.
The Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy is a 54 semester hour program leading to a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Applied Family and Child Studies with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. The program begins every autumn; most students maintain part-time jobs or 10 hour per week assistantships and graduate in under two years. The curriculum for the Specialization allows students some flexibility to pursue their particular interests.
See the Graduate Catalog for required courses
To apply to the Northern Illinois University Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy students submit two applications. The first is an on-line application to the NIU Graduate School for the M.S. in Applied Family and Child Studies, which is due on January 4 (including the arrival of GRE scores and letters of reference). We recommend that you take the GRE exam in October.
The second application, which is to the program (Specialization), must arrive by January 15. Please allow time for postal or overnight delivery of the program application.
We will select about 30 of the top applicants, all of whom have complete applications, to visit the NIU campus in late February or early March. Candidates will talk with our students and interview with the faculty. These interviews are a critical part of our selection process. (If you are currently living overseas, please contact the MFT program director if you wish to apply.) We continue to take applications after the deadlines above until all space for the Fall incoming class are filled. Your chances of acceptance are best if you submit your applications before the January deadlines. However, if you are unable to meet the deadlines, we encourage you to still apply.
Applicants will receive separate notifications from the Graduate School , from the School of Family, Consumer and Nutrition Sciences, and from the Marriage and Family Therapy Program informing them of their acceptance status. Acceptance into the M.S. in Applied Family and Child Studies program does not guarantee acceptance into the Specialization. However, a student who is accepted into AFCS without acceptance into the MFT program is welcome to matriculate into the AFCS program.
For application materials or further information, please contact
Lin Shi, Ph.D., Director, SMFT
(815) 753-6349