Earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 81-114 credit hours.
Advanced leadership in the field of couple/marriage and family therapy
- Prepares you for a productive career as a professor, researcher, supervisor, or senior clinician in the field
Where Compassion Meets Scholarship
Dive deep into historical and cutting-edge theories, research, and schools of family therapy to master the practice of couple and family therapy practice at Nova Southeastern University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. The Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy is an 81–114 variable credit program designed to advance you to your career goal in work in academic, supervisory, clinic, or community-based settings.
Enhance your clinical skills and become an expert in demonstrating the importance of qualitative and quantitative research through interdisciplinary studies, clinical internships, and specialized electives. Plus, you can pursue your licensure while learning, so you can step into new roles within the field right away.
Your Ambitions, Our Passion: Shaping Careers for Success
As a graduate of NSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine's Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy, you can look forward to a productive career as a professor, researcher, supervisor, or senior clinician in a variety of settings.
I am working in private practice with the Counseling and Wellness Center of South Florida specializing in kids, teens, and families. My two great passions in this field include expressive arts therapy and providing services to healthcare professionals impacted by vicarious trauma and grief in their line of work.
Cassie Cacace | M.s. graduate and Ph.D. student
Quick Facts
Tuition
Credits & Requirements
The Ph.D. program is 81-114 variable credits, and requires both a clinical internship and a dissertation. Students must complete their Ph.D. degrees within eight years from the date of first enrollment. This means that students are expected to graduate with their Ph.D. degrees within this time period.
Application Deadlines
For Fall Entry:
February 1: Priority Deadline
June 30: Final, Based on Seat Availability
Delivery Options
The Couple and Family Therapy Ph.D. is offered on campus at Davie/Ft. Lauderdale. Students complete practicums at the on-campus clinical facility, the Family Therapy Clinic at the Brief Therapy Institute.
Why Earn Your Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy at NSU?
Accreditation
NSU’s Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy is fully accredited with the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
This program meets the educational degree completion requirements for licensure in the state of Florida and many other states.
Graduate Achievement Data
Accredited programs report Graduate Achievement Data data for each cohort in the program.
Graduate Achievement Data
Earning Potential
Real Experience That Makes a Difference
When one of your classrooms is a live, supervised, on-site community clinic and you’ve got access to over a dozen community programs focused on the good health and well-being of South Florida’s residents, you’ll get the meaningful real-world experience that shapes your purpose.
Explore Community Outreach Opportunities
Ph.D. Curriculum
The Ph.D. in Couple and Therapy curriculum integrates systemically oriented theory, clinical practice, and research through a combination of pathway and core courses.
Practicum and Additional Requirements
In addition to your classroom courses, you will also be required to complete internal practicums at the Brief Therapy Institute and an internship of three consecutive terms in the community. Completion of the Clinical Portfolio and Dissertation will also be required for graduation.
Students complete four internal practicums at our onsite training facility, the Brief Therapy Institute, under the live supervision of a program clinical supervisor, with a team of no more than 6 students, for 6 hours every week throughout the term (one practicum per term - a total of four terms of internal practicums). Details regarding the practicum and the clinic are available in the Policies and Procedures Manual of the Brief Therapy Institute. Policies and Procedures are required reading, and all policies are available online at https://osteopathic.nova.edu/ft/resources/bti-policies-procedures.pdf. In-depth discussions of all policies are a part of internal practicums.
Background checks and fingerprinting are required of all students. Drug screening is also required of all students in compliance with NSU policies. Students need to contact the program director for details related to these processes.
Students also complete an internship of three consecutive terms, designed to provide them with a full-time advanced practice experience. Students must complete all curriculum requirements and pass Clinical Portfolio before registering for the internship.
Students are mentored through weekly supervision with program clinical supervisor while they are enrolled in the internship courses. If the program clinical supervisor is unavailable, the program director arranges weekly supervision coverage for the students.
We stress a commitment from our students to serving clinical populations in an affirmative, supportive, and competent manner including but not limited to underprivileged, diverse, underserved, minority, and socially oppressed groups, ethnic, racial, religious groups, LGBTQIA+ individuals, foreign nationals, individuals with different levels of ability both physical and behavioral, as well as individuals of various genders, ages, health, socioeconomic and relationship statuses.
A total of 1,000 clinical hours and 200 supervised hours are required to complete the program. At least 400 of the 1000 required clinical hours must be relational with couples and/or families in the room. Out of 1000 client contact hours, 200 hours can be alternative. A minimum of 200 supervision hours with at least 100 hours via observable data live/video/audio is required. If students are unable to complete their hours within 4 terms of internal practicum and 3 terms of internship, they will need to continue to register for the internship course until they have completed the required hours. Students must keep a copy of all completed and signed forms and documents during their entire program and for future needs.
The Clinical Portfolio is a capstone experience designed to assess how students met various aspects of the program’s learning objectives and outcomes. Similar to a doctoral-qualifying exam, the Clinical Portfolio is an important benchmark in progressing toward candidacy. Students demonstrate the full range and depth of their clinical skills, theoretical knowledge, and scholarly writing.
As part of the graduation requirements, all students who have not met the requirements of starting their dissertation process must have an Annual Review at the end of each year. This Annual Review consists of an evaluation of the student’s academic progress, clinical progress, professional and ethical conduct, and level of attainment of the program’s student learning outcomes. The Annual Review is also utilized for the collection of feedback from students about the program and support services by the institution. This review is conducted in a manner needed for each individual student, such as, but not limited to, a meeting with a faculty advisor or program director, or via email.
After completing the research courses and meeting all other curriculum requirements, students are required to complete a dissertation. Ph.D. students conduct an original research study in the field of couple/marriage and family therapy under the mentorship of their dissertation committee members. Students are required to have a minimum of one monthly meeting with their dissertation committee chair. A minimum of 9 dissertation credits (three credits per term for three terms, for a duration of one year) are required to complete the dissertation. If students are unable to complete their dissertations within nine dissertation credits (three credits per term for three terms), they will need to continue to register for dissertation credits until they have completed their dissertations.
Prospective students are expected to review the Ph.D. Professional Licensure Disclosure Statement and sign and submit the Ph.D. Informed acknowledgment of potential differences in MFT licensure requirements across state/provincial regulatory bodies Form to the program office before making enrollment decisions and financial commitments. The program director and faculty discuss the information with the prospective students, as mentioned in the links below, during the admission interviews. Prospective students are welcome to contact the program director in case of inquiries (see links below for more information).
Ph.D. or Professional Doctorate: Which Is Right for Me?
The Department of Couple and Family Therapy at NSU offers two postgraduate tracks: the Doctor of Philosophy in Couple and Family Therapy (Ph.D.) and the Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (D.M.F.T.).
The biggest difference? The D.M.F.T. degree program seeks specifically to produce professionals whose chief contributions will be in the clinical rather than academic sphere. Still, there is some overlap in the core curriculum between the two programs.
Questions about Family therapy admissions?
or general inquiries and questions about the program, please email familytherapy@nova.edu or contact Dr. Pei-Fen Li, Director of Ph.D. in Couple and Family Therapy Program, at (954) 262-3052 or pli@nova.edu.
After Applying, What Happens Next?
If selected, you’ll receive an invitation from the Department of Couple and Family Therapy to schedule an interview. This personal interview is the next step and does not guarantee admission. An ample amount of time and notification will be given for you to make appropriate arrangements.
Depending on the time of year, the review process may take a few weeks. You can check your application status at any time via the online application portal. Once a decision has been made, notification is sent via email to the address on file.