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How to Become a Marriage and Family Therapist: Degree & Salary
Key takeaway: To become a licensed marriage and family therapist you need a master's degree in marriage and family therapy or a closely related field with MFT-specific coursework, roughly two years of post-degree supervised clinical experience that includes a required share of relational hours with couples and families, and a passing score on the national MFT examination. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $66,940 for marriage and family therapists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).
Marriage and family therapy is a distinct licensed profession, not a specialization you add to a general counseling license. MFTs are trained in systemic therapy – treating the relationship, family, or couple as the unit of care rather than treating one person in isolation – and state boards license them under their own statute, usually as an LMFT.
That distinction has a practical consequence: the supervised hours you log toward an MFT license must include a substantial number of relational hours, meaning sessions with more than one person in the room. Candidates who complete their post-degree hours in a setting that only sees individual clients often find themselves short and have to extend their timeline. Plan the placement, not just the degree. This guide covers the sequence in order; for the wider field view, see the Online Mental Health Counseling Degrees guide.
Step-by-step: how to become a marriage and family therapist
Step 1: Earn a bachelor’s degree
No specific major is required. Psychology, sociology, human development, family studies, and social work are the natural feeders because they cover the developmental and research foundations MFT programs build on, but graduate programs regularly admit applicants from other fields who complete prerequisite coursework. A bachelor’s in a counseling-related field also qualifies you for case-management and behavioral health support roles in the meantime.
Step 2: Complete a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy
This is the required credential. State boards look for a master’s (or doctorate) in marriage and family therapy, or a related clinical degree that includes a defined set of MFT coursework – systemic and family theory, couples therapy, human sexuality, family development across the lifespan, professional ethics specific to relational practice, and psychopathology.
Accreditation matters here. Programs accredited by COAMFTE, the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, are built to satisfy state MFT licensure requirements, and several boards streamline review for their graduates. If you choose a non-COAMFTE program, verify course by course that it maps to your board’s requirements before enrolling. Graduate MFT programs also include a supervised practicum with several hundred hours of direct client contact completed during the degree. See the master’s programs guide for how these programs are structured.
Step 3: Register as an associate and complete supervised clinical hours
After graduating you apply for a pre-licensure registration – typically an associate or intern MFT – and begin logging supervised hours. Requirements commonly run in the range of 2,000 to 4,000 post-degree hours over a minimum of two years, and the details are where MFT licensure differs most from other counseling licenses:
- A specified minimum of direct client contact hours, as opposed to administrative or training time.
- A specified minimum of relational hours – sessions with couples, families, or other multi-person systems.
- A required number of hours of individual and group supervision from a board-approved MFT supervisor, who must usually hold a supervisor designation, not merely an LMFT.
Every one of those thresholds varies by state. Confirm them with your board before accepting a post-graduate position, and confirm that your intended supervisor is approved to sign off on MFT hours specifically.
Step 4: Pass the national MFT examination
Most states require the National MFT Examination administered by the Association of Marital and Family Therapy Regulatory Boards (AMFTRB). A few states use their own exam, and many add a jurisprudence or ethics test on state law. States differ on when you may sit for the exam – some allow it after the degree, others only after the supervised hours are complete.
Step 5: Apply for LMFT licensure
Submit your transcripts, supervisor verification forms, exam scores, background check, and fees to the board. Once licensed you can practice independently, diagnose, and typically bill insurance under your own credential. Licenses renew with continuing education, and moving states means applying by endorsement – an LMFT license does not transfer automatically, and relational hour requirements are a common sticking point in reciprocity reviews.
What degree do you need to be a marriage and family therapist?
A master’s degree, in every state. The safest choice is a COAMFTE-accredited master’s in marriage and family therapy. A master’s in counseling or clinical psychology can qualify in many states if it includes the required MFT coursework and relational training, but you carry the burden of proving the match to your board.
A bachelor’s degree is the prerequisite and nothing more – it does not qualify you to practice therapy or use the therapist title. If you are weighing the graduate investment, Is a Mental Health Counseling Degree Worth It? walks through the tradeoffs.
What marriage and family therapists earn
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $66,940 for marriage and family therapists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median). For comparison, BLS reports $59,350 for the combined category of substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).
Pay varies by setting and licensure status. Pre-licensed associates working under supervision earn less than fully licensed therapists, and private-practice income depends on caseload and payer mix. For a role-by-role view of where this training leads, see what you can do with a mental health counseling degree.
How long does it take to become a marriage and family therapist?
The honest arithmetic:
- Bachelor’s degree: four years in any major, plus prerequisites if your undergraduate work was unrelated.
- Master’s in MFT: typically two to three years full-time, including the in-program practicum, and longer part-time.
- Post-degree supervised hours: two to three years, governed by both the hour count and a minimum-years rule. Relational-hour requirements can extend this if your placement sees mostly individual clients.
- Exam and board processing: weeks to months for scheduling, scoring, and application review.
Total: roughly eight to ten years from starting a bachelor’s degree, or four to six years if you already hold one. These are ranges shaped by your state’s rules and the caseload at your post-graduate site, not fixed schedules.
Frequently asked questions
What degree do you need to be a marriage and family therapist?
A master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, or a related clinical master’s that includes the MFT coursework your state board requires. COAMFTE-accredited programs are the most reliable match to licensure standards.
How long does it take to become a marriage and family therapist?
About eight to ten years from the start of a bachelor’s degree: four years undergraduate, two to three years for the master’s, and two to three years of post-degree supervised practice, including the required relational hours.
How much do marriage and family therapists make?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national median annual wage of $66,940 for marriage and family therapists (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS national median).
Do you need a degree to be a marriage and family therapist?
Yes. Every state requires at least a master’s degree for MFT licensure, and the therapist title is legally protected. There is no certification-only or experience-only route into this profession.
What is the difference between an MFT and a mental health counselor?
Training focus and license statute. MFTs are trained in systemic, relational therapy and licensed under their own state MFT law with relational-hour requirements; mental health counselors train primarily in individual clinical counseling and are licensed as LMHCs, LPCs, or LPCCs. Both require a master’s, supervised hours, and a national exam, and their scopes overlap considerably in practice.
Can you complete an MFT degree online?
Yes. Accredited online MFT master’s programs award the same degree, but the in-program practicum and all post-degree supervised hours – including relational hours with couples and families – must be completed in person at an approved site under an approved supervisor.
Next steps
- Start with the field overview. The Online Mental Health Counseling Degrees guide explains accreditation, practicum requirements, and licensure paths.
- Map your degree path. Compare the bachelor’s and master’s guides.
- See where the license leads. Review what you can do with a mental health counseling degree.
- Compare adjacent paths. See how to become a mental health counselor and how to become a psychologist for the other two routes into licensed therapy.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). Licensure requirements are set by individual states and vary, particularly on relational-hour and supervisor-approval rules; confirm requirements with your state MFT board.
Data verified: August 12, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Online Mental Health Counseling Degrees: Programs & Licensure (2026)