Doctoral study in this field is a small world. 27 programs hold accreditation nationally, 18 have published enough completed cohorts to judge, and the 10 below are the strongest of those on their own reported outcomes. Before you read them, be clear about what the degree is for: it opens teaching, research, supervision and program leadership, and it is not what licenses you to see clients.
27
accredited doctoral MFT programs in the country
48.5
median students across a doctoral MFT program's scored cohorts
66.7%
median on-time graduation across accredited doctoral MFT programs
Read the cohort size before the percentage. Doctoral cohorts here run to single figures in many years, so one student changes a rate by twenty or thirty points. The score is headcount-weighted for exactly that reason, and each card prints how many students sit behind its numbers. A dash in place of a figure means the program did not publish it.
The 10 best doctoral MFT programs
The 10 best doctoral MFT programs are ordered by a score out of 100 built from each program's own published outcomes, weighted by cohort size. Doctoral cohorts are small, so read the evidence line on each card for how much record its score rests on.
- #1
East Carolina University (PhD)
Greenville, NC
100
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral7 scored cohortsWhat East Carolina University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time100%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 7 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
East Carolina University runs this doctorate from Greenville, NC. The record behind that is unusually clean: every one of its 7 completed cohorts graduated in full, on time. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2021-2022 intake of 3: 100% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. No licensure rate is published, so the score rests on graduation and placement alone, as it does for 9 of the 10 programs here. Coursework named on its own page covers medical family therapy. Next accreditation review falls in 2027. Six or more completed cohorts is enough history to trust the pattern rather than the latest year.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 4 in process in process in process 2023-2024 1 in process in process in process 2022-2023 5 in process in process in process 2021-2022 3 100% 100% – 2020-2021 1 100% 100% – 2019-2020 4 100% 100% – East Carolina University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 100%over 7 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 7 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
33 students admitted since 2015
- #2
Florida State University (PhD)
Tallahassee, FL
95.1
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral4 Years5 scored cohortsWhat Florida State University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time91.3%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 5 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
The record here rests on cohorts of about 6 students. Individual years swing hard, though, from 67% in 2019-2020 to 100% in 2017-2018, so the average is doing some hiding. Intake has grown across the window, from about 4 a cohort to 6. Curriculum runs to 86 credits. Much of the published table is still pending, 5 cohorts complete out of 9. Several cohorts are still running, 4 of them, the most recent entering in 2025-2026. Cohorts this small mean every percentage above is built from a handful of people.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2025-2026 8 in process in process in process 2024-2025 4 in process in process in process 2023-2024 6 in process in process in process 2022-2023 3 in process in process in process 2021-2022 4 100% 100% – 2020-2021 7 100% 100% – Florida State University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 91.3%over 5 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 5 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
44 students admitted since 2015
- #3
Syracuse University (PhD)
Syracuse, NY
91.8
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral6 scored cohortsWhat Syracuse University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time81.8%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
- Reached licensure100%typical is 100%
From 6 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
The record here rests on cohorts of about 1 student. Performance has barely moved in 6 years, 83.3% across the earlier cohorts and 83.3% across the later ones. Finishing is the hard part here rather than getting hired: 81.8% graduate on time, and 100% of those who do find relevant work. Individual years swing hard, though, from 50% in 2016-2017 to 100% in 2015-2016, so the average is doing some hiding. Much of the published table is still pending, 6 cohorts complete out of 11. Several cohorts are still running, 5 of them, the most recent entering in 2025-2026. Cohorts this small mean every percentage above is built from a handful of people.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2025-2026 – in process in process in process 2024-2025 – in process in process in process 2023-2024 1 in process in process in process 2022-2023 1 100% 100% in process 2021-2022 2 100% 100% 100% 2020-2021 2 – 100% 100% Syracuse University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 81.8%over 6 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 7 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) 100%over 6 cohorts
14 students admitted since 2015
- #4
Kansas State University (PhD)
Manhattan, KS
89.4
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral3 yearsAccredited since January 1, 19838 scored cohortsWhat Kansas State University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time81.1%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 8 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
Kansas State University has held accreditation on this doctorate since 1983. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2022-2023 intake of 6: 100% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. No licensure rate is published, so the score rests on graduation and placement alone, as it does for 9 of the 10 programs here. At 3 years it runs shorter than the 4-year median on this list. Applicants are told the GRE is not required. Next accreditation review falls in 2029. Six or more completed cohorts is enough history to trust the pattern rather than the latest year.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 5 in process in process in process 2023-2024 6 in process in process in process 2022-2023 6 100% 100% – 2021-2022 6 67% 100% – 2020-2021 4 100% 100% – 2019-2020 6 50% 100% – Kansas State University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 81.1%over 8 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 8 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
53 students admitted since 2015
- #5
University of Georgia (PhD)
Athens, GA
88.8
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral4 years6 scored cohortsWhat University of Georgia publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time80%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 6 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
The record here rests on cohorts of about 2 students. Individual years swing hard, though, from 50% in 2015-2016 to 100% in 2016-2017, so the average is doing some hiding. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2020-2021 intake of 2: 100% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. No licensure rate is published, so the score rests on graduation and placement alone, as it does for 9 of the 10 programs here. Applicants are told the GRE is not required. Several cohorts are still running, 4 of them, the most recent entering in 2024-2025. Next accreditation review falls in 2030. Cohorts this small mean every percentage above is built from a handful of people.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 2 in process in process in process 2023-2024 2 in process in process in process 2022-2023 – in process in process in process 2021-2022 – in process in process in process 2020-2021 2 100% 100% – 2019-2020 4 50% 100% – University of Georgia program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 80%over 6 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 6 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
24 students admitted since 2015
- #6
Nova Southeastern University (PhD)
Fort Lauderdale, FL
87.2
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral8 yearsAccredited since July 1, 20003 scored cohortsWhat Nova Southeastern University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time77.3%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 3 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
Nova Southeastern University has held accreditation on this doctorate since 2000. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2017-2018 intake of 15: 73% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. Finishing is the hard part here rather than getting hired: 77.3% graduate on time, and 100% of those who do find relevant work. Individual years swing hard, though, from 56% in 2016-2017 to 90% in 2015-2016, so the average is doing some hiding. Intake has contracted, from about 15 a cohort early in the window to 5 now. Much of the published table is still pending, 3 cohorts complete out of 7. Several cohorts are still running, 4 of them, the most recent entering in 2024-2025. Three completed cohorts is a thin record, so ask what the years still in progress look like.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 4 in process in process in process 2023-2024 7 in process in process in process 2022-2023 5 in process in process in process 2021-2022 7 in process in process in process 2017-2018 15 73% 100% – 2016-2017 9 56% 100% – Nova Southeastern University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 77.3%over 3 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 3 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
67 students admitted since 2015
- #7 Accredited with stipulations
Loma Linda University (PhD)
Loma Linda, CA
87
outcome score
Blended or hybridDoctoralFT 4 years, PT 5 yearsAccredited since July 1, 20025 scored cohortsWhat Loma Linda University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time76.8%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 5 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
Loma Linda University has held accreditation on this doctorate since 2002. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2021-2022 intake of 7: 83% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. No licensure rate is published, so the score rests on graduation and placement alone, as it does for 9 of the 10 programs here. A concentration in play and expressive therapies sits alongside the core degree. Coursework named on its own page covers medical family therapy. Worth asking early about the assistantships and tuition remission it advertises, rather than waiting for an offer. Next accreditation review falls in 2029. Stipulations are on file, meaning a fixed window to correct something. License eligibility is unaffected, and it is a fair question at interview.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 4 in process in process in process 2023-2024 7 in process in process in process 2022-2023 5 in process in process in process 2021-2022 7 83% 100% in process 2020-2021 2 0% in process in process 2019-2020 3 in process in process in process Loma Linda University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 76.8%over 5 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 4 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
34 students admitted since 2015
- #8
Michigan State University (PhD)
East Lansing, MI
85.9
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoralAccredited since January 1, 20026 scored cohortsWhat Michigan State University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time74.9%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 6 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
Accredited since 2002, taught on campus. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2020-2021 intake of 2: 100% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. The direction of travel is good: earlier cohorts graduated 44.3% on time, later ones 83.3%. Finishing is the hard part here rather than getting hired: 74.9% graduate on time, and 100% of those who do find relevant work. Expect scheduled time on campus whatever the delivery mode suggests. Worth asking early about the assistantships and tuition remission it advertises, rather than waiting for an offer. Budget for travel regardless of format, because it requires on-campus residencies. Next accreditation review falls in 2028. Much of the published table is still pending, 6 cohorts complete out of 10. Cohorts this small mean every percentage above is built from a handful of people.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 1 in process in process in process 2023-2024 2 in process in process in process 2022-2023 3 in process in process in process 2021-2022 3 in process in process in process 2020-2021 2 100% 100% – 2019-2020 2 50% 100% – Michigan State University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 74.9%over 6 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 6 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
25 students admitted since 2015
- #9 Accredited with stipulations
Texas Wesleyan University (PhD)
Fort Worth, TX
83.4
outcome score
Campus-basedDoctoral4 YearsAccredited since 11/01/20196 scored cohortsWhat Texas Wesleyan University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time70.4%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 6 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
Accredited since 2019, taught on campus over 4 years. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2020-2021 intake of 10: 50% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. Performance has barely moved in 6 years, 68.2% across the earlier cohorts and 70.5% across the later ones. Finishing is the hard part here rather than getting hired: 70.4% graduate on time, and 100% of those who do find relevant work. Few programs here run at its scale, 87 students across the scored cohorts against a median of 39. Next accreditation review falls in 2032. Much of the published table is still pending, 6 cohorts complete out of 10. Stipulations are on file, meaning a fixed window to correct something. License eligibility is unaffected, and it is a fair question at interview.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 7 in process in process in process 2023-2024 6 in process in process in process 2022-2023 13 in process in process in process 2021-2022 7 in process in process in process 2020-2021 10 50% 100% – 2019-2020 10 90% 100% – Texas Wesleyan University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 70.4%over 6 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 6 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
87 students admitted since 2015
- #10 Accredited with stipulations
Loma Linda University (DMFT)
Loma Linda, CA
79.2
outcome score
DoctoralFT 3 years, PT 5 yearsAccredited since November 1, 20058 scored cohortsWhat Loma Linda University publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time63%typical is 78.7%
- Working in the field100%typical is 100%
From 8 completed cohorts the program published itself. The mark on each bar is the median for comparable programs.
Why it ranks here
The record here rests on cohorts of about 17 students. Finishing is the hard part here rather than getting hired: 63% graduate on time, and 100% of those who do find relevant work. Individual years swing hard, though, from 0% in 2015-2016 to 80.1% in 2020-2021, so the average is doing some hiding. Taking the last cohort with complete figures, its 2022-2023 intake of 15: 77% finished on time, 100% found relevant work. No licensure rate is published, so the score rests on graduation and placement alone, as it does for 9 of the 10 programs here. At 3 years full-time it runs shorter than the 4-year median on this list. Teaching is scheduled in the evenings, which matters if you are keeping a job. Several cohorts are still running, 2 of them, the most recent entering in 2024-2025. First accredited in 2005, with the next review due in 2029. Stipulations are on file, meaning a fixed window to correct something. License eligibility is unaffected, and it is a fair question at interview.
Cohort by cohort
Cohort Admitted Graduated Placed Licensed 2024-2025 19 in process in process in process 2023-2024 18 in process in process in process 2022-2023 15 77% 100% in process 2021-2022 18 59% 100% in process 2020-2021 15 80.1% 100% – 2019-2020 13 69.5% 100% – Loma Linda University program page Its published outcome table
Score breakdown
- Graduation rate (45%) 63%over 8 cohorts
- Job placement rate (35%) 100%over 8 cohorts
- Licensure rate (20%) n/anot published, score renormalized
121 students admitted since 2015
What does a doctoral MFT program add?
A doctoral MFT program adds research training, supervision credentials and academic standing, none of which you need in order to practice. It is a career move into the part of the field that trains other therapists, generates the evidence base, or runs the programs, rather than a step up in what you are permitted to do in a therapy room.
That framing matters because the marketing around doctorates in the helping professions often implies otherwise. If your goal is a full caseload and independent practice, a master's plus supervised hours plus licensure gets you there and this degree does not get you there faster.
Do you need a doctorate to practice as an MFT?
No, you do not need a doctorate to practice as an MFT. Every state licenses at master's level, and the 98 accredited master's programs in the country are the mainstream route into the profession. No state board requires a doctoral degree for an MFT license.
Pursue one when you want a specific thing it provides: a tenure-track faculty post, funded research time, the training behind an approved supervisor designation, or a clinical directorship. Those are real reasons. "More credibility" is not, and it is an expensive way to buy it.
Should you choose a PhD, a DMFT or a PsyD?
Choose a PhD for research and academia, a DMFT for advanced clinical practice and supervision, and a PsyD where the program is built around clinical training within a psychology school. Among the accredited doctoral programs ranked here the split is 13PHD, 4PSYD and 1DMFT.
None of the three is a superior license, because none of them is a license. All are accredited by the same body against the same standards, and a state board looks at your master's-level coursework and your supervised hours regardless of which doctorate follows. The honest question is what you want to be doing at forty, not which set of letters sounds most clinical.
Why do doctoral graduation rates look so low?
Doctoral graduation rates look low because they are measured against each program's own advertised length, and a dissertation is the least predictable thing in graduate education. The median here is 66.7%, against a much higher figure at master's level, and the difference is mostly about timing rather than attrition.
The small-numbers problem compounds it. With a median of 48.5 students across a program's scored cohorts, a single person finishing a semester late can move a published rate by twenty points or more. A 0% in a cohort of three usually means three people finished late, not that three people failed. This is the strongest argument for reading the cohort size on every card before you read the percentage, and it is why the score is weighted by headcount rather than treating every cohort as equal.
How are doctoral marriage and family therapy programs funded, and how long do they run?
Doctoral marriage and family therapy programs run three to five years beyond the master's, and funding varies far more than at master's level. Research-oriented PhD programs at public universities more often carry assistantships that cover tuition and pay a stipend. Practice doctorates aimed at working clinicians more often expect you to pay and to keep working, which is also why they are more likely to be part-time or blended.
Ask for the funding picture in writing before you accept: how many years of support are guaranteed, what the assistantship requires in hours, and what happens in year four if the dissertation is not finished. The advertised length on the cards above is the program's own claim, and the graduation rate beside it tells you how often that claim holds.
Where do doctoral marriage and family therapy graduates end up?
Doctoral marriage and family therapy graduates end up in faculty posts, clinical supervision, program direction, research, and senior practice, usually in some combination. Job placement across ranked doctoral programs sits at a median of 100%, which tells you graduates find relevant work, and tells you nothing about which of those tracks they land in.
On earnings, the honest position is that there is no separate federal wage series for doctorally trained MFTs. Marriage and family therapists overall have a median of $66,940, and it is a mistake to reach instead for the $100,580 median that clinical and counseling psychologists earn. That occupation requires a psychology doctorate and psychologist licensure. It is a neighboring field, not where this degree leads.
How were the best doctoral MFT programs chosen?
The best doctoral MFT programs here were chosen on the same published outcomes used across every ranking on this site, weighted 45% graduation rate, 35% job placement rate and 20% licensure rate, then restricted to programs COAMFTE lists at doctoral level. Only 2 publish a licensure rate, so most doctoral scores rest on two components rather than three.
A program needs 3 completed cohorts and 12 students since 2015 to qualify, which excludes 9 accredited doctoral programs before the top 10 is drawn from the 18 that remain. Given how small doctoral cohorts are, that threshold does more work here than anywhere else on the site. Weights are on the methodology page.
What this ranking of the best doctoral MFT programs leaves out
What this ranking of the best doctoral MFT programs leaves out is the thing that actually decides a doctorate: who supervises you. At this level the individual advisor, their research program and whether they are still taking students matter more than any institutional measure, and no published dataset captures it.
It also cannot separate a low graduation rate caused by a genuinely struggling program from one caused by three students finishing late in a cohort of four. Use the list to build a shortlist, then read each program's full table and ask the program directly.
Common questions about doctoral MFT programs
Do you need a doctorate to be a marriage and family therapist?
What is the difference between a PhD and a DMFT?
How long does a doctoral MFT program take?
Why do some doctoral programs show a 0% graduation rate?
Can a doctoral MFT degree lead to work as a psychologist?
Sources
These are the sources behind every figure on this page, each also linked inline at the point it is used.
- COAMFTE Directory of Accredited Programs The 27-program doctoral count, plus degree level, credential and accreditation status. Read 2026-08-21
- Each program's Graduate Achievement Data table Every graduation, job placement and licensure figure quoted here, by cohort, linked from the program's card. Read 2026-08-21
- Each program's own page
For what a program says about its own curriculum, schedule, concentrations and
cost. 10 of the 10 programs here publish one at the address COAMFTE holds for them. Read 2026-08-21
Show all 10 program pages cited
East Carolina University (PhD) Florida State University (PhD) Syracuse University (PhD) Kansas State University (PhD) University of Georgia (PhD) Nova Southeastern University (PhD) Loma Linda University (PhD) Michigan State University (PhD) Texas Wesleyan University (PhD) Loma Linda University (DMFT)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Every wage figure, for Marriage and Family Therapists (SOC 21-1013) and Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (SOC 19-3033). Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national release