Home > College of Arts and Sciences > Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice > Marriage and Family Therapy > Advising

 

Marriage & Family Therapy Advising Policies & Procedures

Below you will find information about:

Initial Advising

  • At the beginning of each Fall semester, all new students attend a day-long MFT Orientation meeting. During this meeting, students complete an Individual Coursework Form and an MFT Graduation Plan. Blank forms will be provided during the orientation session. Blank forms can also be downloaded from the Student Resources page.
  • During the orientation session, each student is assigned an advisor. Students who are unable to attend the orientation meeting schedule an individual meeting with their assigned advisor.
  • After the orientation meeting/advising session, your advising plan will be reviewed and approved by your advisor.
  • Advisors retain the original copy of the Individual Coursework Form and MFT Graduation Plans. These forms, including all revisions, become part of the student file. Copies of the original forms are given to the student for his or her future reference.
  • During the orientation session, students are given the opportunity to register for classes.
  • Students who plan on going slower than the two year plan should contact their advisor and schedule a meeting prior to the day-long MFT Orientation meeting. This ensures that students who move through the program using the 3 or 4 year plans create an Individual Course Work Forms and a Graduation Plans that meet all graduation requirements and optimizes the order in which classes are taken.

-Return to top-

Changes to the Advising Plan

  • Students who make changes to their graduation plans are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor.
  • Students should provide their advisor with the following three items:
    • Revised copy of the Individual Coursework Form
    • Revised copy of the MFT Graduation Plan, and
    • A brief note explaining the proposed changes and why the changes are needed.

-Return to top-


Registering for Classes

  • Generally, registration is open during a window at the mid-semester, for one day prior to the first day of classes, and for one or two days after the commencement of classes. All registration dates are listed in the VSU Academic calendar.
  • If your advisor has not received revised advising forms and a note describing the changes and why they are being made, he or she will assume that your last approved advising plan is in force, and, prior to the open registration period, your advising flag will be lifted from your account. This frees you to register during open registration periods.
  • To register, enter the Registrars’ registration portal through the Banner Login page.
  • A guide and frequently asked questions about the Banner system is located at the VSU Guides to banner Web site.
  • Students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor whenever they are considering making changes to the graduation plan or whenever they have questions about the order and availability of coursework.
  • It is the responsibility of each student to register for the proper coursework, to take the appropriate pre-requisites, and to meet all graduation requirements.
  • Be aware that advisors use the MFT Graduation Plans to project class size. When there is more demand for a course than space or enrollment limits allow, students with outdated advising forms will be removed from the course in question.

-Return to top-

When contemplating changes to your graduation plan, please keep in mind the following requirements

  • The program requires 60 credits, (5 are electives, 55 are required).
  • Five courses must be completed before you can take Part I of the Comprehensive Exam, which is required before enrolling in MFTH 7600 Practicum in MFT. These are:
    • MFTH 6800 Orientation to Marriage and Family Therapy Practice and Ethics
    • MFTH 7500 Development in the Family System
    • MFTH 7101 Family Systems Theories
    • MFTH 7400 Psychopathology, and
    • MFTH 7102 Interventions in Marriage and Family Therapy.
  • Below is a list of the required and elective courses and the semester in which they are offered. Classes with an asterisk (*) are required before you can take Part I of the Comprehensive Exam:

Fall
MFTH 6700: Family Sociology, 3 credits, Required
MFTH 6800: Orientation to MFT, 3 credits, Required*
MFTH 7500: Development in the Family System, 3 credits, Required* 
MFTH 7650: Foundations of Family Therapy, 3 credits, Elective
MFTH 7600: Practicum in MFT, 6 credits, Required for one consecutive year
MFTH 7601: Treatment Issues in Family Therapy, 3 credits, Required
MFTH 7103: Advanced Theories Seminar, 1 credit, Required to be taken twice
MFTH 7650: Special Topics, 1 credit, Elective, 1 credit, Required

Spring
MFTH 7101: Family Systems Theories, 3 credits, Required*
MFTH 7102: Interventions in MFT, 3 credits, Required*
MFTH 7200: Research in Marriage & Family Therapy, 3 credits, Required
MFTH 7400: Psychopathology & Pharmacology in MFT, 3 credits, Required*
MFTH 7600: Practicum in MFT, 6 credits, Required for one consecutive year
MFTH 7602: Couples and Sex Therapy, 3 credits, Required
MFTH 7103: Advanced Theories Seminar, 1 credit, Required to be taken twice
MFTH 7650: Special Topics, 1 credit, Elective

Summer
MFTH 7050: Class, Gender, & Ethnic Issues, 3 credits, Required
MFTH 7350: Legal Issues in MFT, 1 credit, Required
MFTH 7600: Practicum in MFT, 6 credits, Required for one consecutive year
MFTH 7700: Assessment in MFT, 3 credits, Required
MFTH 7600: Practicum in MFT II, 6 credits, Required
MFTH 7880: Professional Ethics Seminar, 1 credit, Required

-Return to top-

Using the Graduation Plan Form

  • All courses in gray are required for graduation
  • With the exception of MFT Practicum in MFT, Advanced Theories, and Special Topics, all courses are offered only one semester per year, and this never varies. For instance, Fall classes, as listed on the form, are always taught in the Fall.
  • Advanced Theories and Special Topics are offered during the Fall & Spring semesters, never in the summer.
  • Advanced Theories course are required; each course is 1 credit; two Advanced Theories classes are required for graduation; the theories that are the focus of each class rotate.
  • Special Topics are electives; as currently offered, there is a 3 credit offering in the Fall (Foundations of Family Therapy), and two 1 credit courses, one in the Fall and one in the Spring. Five elective credits are required for graduation.

-Return to top-


Using the Individual Coursework Form

  • The earliest you can schedule your first Practicum is your 2nd Fall semester
  • Practica must occur over consecutively across one year. If you fail a Practicum, you must take an additional practicum course.
  • If you withdraw from a practicum, you lose the time you have built toward meeting the one consecutive year requirement, and when you next re-enter MFTH 7600 MFTH Practicum in MFT your accrual of months spent in practicum resets. You must then complete one consecutive year of enrollment in this course.

-Return to top-

A note about drop/add

  • Drop/Add dates and all registration dates are listed in the VSU Academic Calendar.
  • Generally, drop/add with no financial penalty is a short period at the beginning of the semester, usually extending for only one or two days.
  • Students can drop a class as withdrawal/passing until the midterm, after that, they can only withdraw as withdraw/failing. At the midterm, students should evaluate whether they want to continue on in the classes for which they are currently registered. Keep in mind that unlike undergraduate classes, graduate classes rarely have many assignments due by the midterm. To help you decide if you should remain in all of your classes, ask yourself:
    • Can I reasonably get all of the work done by the end of the semester?
    • Do I feel comfortable with the material and do I believe I am gaining mastery over the concepts?

-Return to top-


Application for Graduation

  • Two semesters before their projected graduation date, students are required to fill out a MFT Graduation Checklist (Blank Graduation Checklist forms can be downloaded from the Student Resources page) and an Application for Degree (obtained at the Registrar’s Office).
  • The completed Graduation Checklist is compared to the published list of graduation requirements. Students cannot graduate until all requirements have been met.
  • This Graduation Checklist is filed with the Registrar two semesters before the projected graduation date and then updated by the student and the academic advisor as unmet graduation requirements are completed over the remaining semesters.
  • Steps to the Application for Graduation Process:
  • Obtain a Graduation Packet from the Registrar's office.
  • Fill out the Graduation Packet.
  • Download and fill out the MFT Graduation Checklist.
  • Bring the Application for Degree and MFT Graduation Checklist forms to your advisor to be completed and signed.
  • Note: It takes a great deal of time to review, complete, and sign your forms. Submit these to the MFT Program Director as early as possible. You will be contacted when they are ready for you to pick up.
  • Make yourself a copy of all forms.
  • Take completed and signed forms to the Bursary, pay the $25 graduation fee, and get a receipt.
  • Take all forms and the receipt from the Bursary to the Registrar's Office.

  • Several items on your MFT Graduation Checklist will not be complete at the time you first submit the forms to the Registrar. Submit the form to the registrar anyway, and submit it as soon as possible.
  • Request the MFT Program Director or the Director of Clinical Training to sign off on each remaining requirement as you complete it, and take an updated copy to the registrar.
  • It is your responsibility to update the Graduation Checklist each time you complete another requirement. The registrar will not allow anyone with an incomplete MFT Graduation Checklist to graduate.
  • Do not delay. As graduation grows closer, the registrar's office becomes busier and busier. If your materials have not been processed because they are incomplete, you may not be able to graduate in a timely manner.

-Return to top-


Special Retention Requirements

  • Students are screened for personal and academic readiness prior to enrollment in the clinical practica.
  • Students must demonstrate professionally appropriate behavior and may be terminated for non-academic reasons.

-Return to top-


Special Graduation Requirements

  • Students must pass a comprehensive exam when most course work has been completed.
  • Students must complete 60 semester hours with a “B” average or higher.
  • No grade below “C” will be credited toward the M.S. degree program in Marriage and Family Therapy.
  • Students will be dismissed from the program if they accumulate four or more academic deficiency points.
    • A grade of “C” (while it will be credited toward the M.S. degree) equals one deficiency point.
    • A grade of “D” (which will not be credited toward the M.S. degree) equals two deficiency points.
    • A grade of “F” or “WF” (neither of which will be credited toward the M.S. degree) equals three deficiency points.

-Return to top-

Sample 2, 3, & 4 year plans

-Return to top-

Useful Links

-Return to top-