Only one doctoral MFT program in Georgia holds COAMFTE accreditation, University of Georgia (PhD) in Athens. A single-program state changes what a page like this can usefully do: instead of comparing, it sets out the record of the one option and the shape of the alternatives beyond the state line.
Every accredited doctoral MFT program in Georgia, ranked
All 1 of Georgia’s accredited doctoral MFT programs carry a score out of 100. One has a full published record behind its outcomes component.
- #1
University of Georgia (PhD)
Athens, GA
91.5
program score
Campus-basedDoctoral4 years6 scored cohortsWhat University of Georgia publishes about its graduates, against the median for comparable programs - Finish on time80%typical is 80%
- 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.
Where it leads in Georgia
Georgia pays a median of $91,550 for this license, and carries about as much of the work per head as the middle of the country does. Ten per cent earn under $42,430 and ten per cent over $102,320, a spread driven more by whether you are salaried or in practice than by years served.
What to know about it
University of Georgia runs this doctorate from Athens, GA. Direction of travel is the worry, falling from 83.3% in the earlier cohorts to 76.7% in the later ones. Finishing is the hard part here rather than getting hired: 80% graduate on time, and 100% of those who do find relevant work. No other doctoral program in Georgia holds COAMFTE accreditation, which makes the choice less about comparing and more about whether this one fits. Applicants are told the GRE is not required. Much of the published table is still pending, 6 cohorts complete out of 10. Six or more completed cohorts is enough history to trust the pattern rather than the latest year.
Why it sits here Scored 91.5 of 100, with 53.3 of 60 from a record covering 6 completed cohorts and 24 students.
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
- Outcomes 53.3/6088.8 across 6 completed cohorts
- Transparency 25/25publishes 6 completed cohorts at the address COAMFTE lists
- Standing 13.2/15accredited without conditions, current term runs to 2030-11
24 students admitted since 2015
How is this ranking of Georgia MFT programs ordered?
This ranking of Georgia MFT programs is ordered on published results, and every accredited doctoral program in the state publishes them, which is not true of most states, so every score below carries its outcomes component in full. Every program is marked out of 100 on the same three things: what its graduates achieved (60 points), whether it published that at the address the accreditor lists (25), and the standing of its accreditation (15).
Read a score in the twenties as "this program has not shown its results", never as "this program's results are poor". Nothing is imputed on a program's behalf; the missing component simply goes unearned, and the card explains that where it appears. COAMFTE requires this data to be published, which is why the absence is scorable at all.
The methodology covers how each factor is weighted and why the field is not scored on anything else.
Does a doctorate change what you earn in Georgia?
Whether a doctorate changes what you earn in Georgia is not something any published pay figure answers. Everyone holding the license is counted under one occupation code, which means the state median covers both levels at once.
The return on a doctorate shows up in which jobs you can hold, not in what an hour of therapy pays. Teaching, research and supervision roles ask for it; a private caseload does not.
The state's own figures, the median, the percentile range and the employment count, are set out alongside the master's programs in Georgia, and the salary page compares every state and setting.
How do you get licensed as an MFT in Georgia?
Getting licensed as an MFT in Georgia starts with a qualifying doctorate, and the state offers exactly one accredited doctoral program to get it from, which is why the out-of-state and distance options on this page matter more here than they would in California. The rest of the route, hours and examination and the paperwork around them, is defined by the Georgia state board rather than by the accreditor, and this page sends you there rather than paraphrasing rules that move.
Accreditation is what shortens that conversation with the state board: all of the accredited programs on this page hold COAMFTE accreditation, and a state board generally accepts an accredited MFT degree without auditing it course by course. One thing in Georgia's favor once you are through it: the state ranks 3rd of 45 on median pay for the occupation, so the license is worth more here than in most places.
Two things are worth asking the Georgia state board directly before you commit: how many supervised hours it requires, and whether it accepts hours accrued in another state. Programs answer both questions confidently and are not the authority on either.
For the route step by step, see the career page; for what the scores here measure, the methodology.
Where else can you study if Georgia does not have what you want?
If Georgia does not have what you want, you are in ordinary company, because a shortlist built only from this state would have one name on it.
The nearest alternatives with accredited doctoral MFT programs are Florida (three), Louisiana (one), North Carolina (one). 34 states have no accredited programs at this level at all, which is the gap the accredited distance programs exist to fill.
The online and hybrid doctoral ranking covers what you can study from Georgia without moving.
Every scored program at this level, 18 of them, sits on the national ranking.
Cities near Georgia with their own page
These sit elsewhere in the south, and each has a page covering the programs based there and what the job pays in that metropolitan area rather than statewide.
Common questions about MFT programs in Georgia
How many accredited doctoral MFT programs are in Georgia?
Can you get licensed as an MFT in Georgia with an online degree?
Is a doctoral MFT program in Georgia worth the extra years?
What if the one accredited doctoral program in Georgia is not right for you?
Where do these figures come from?
These figures come from documents anyone can open and check, which is the point of listing them: the accreditor's directory, the programs' own disclosures, and the federal wage tables.
- COAMFTE Directory of Accredited Programs Accredited programs in Georgia, their level, city and status. Read 2026-08-21.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release, SOC 21-1013, all Georgia postholders.
- Ranking methodology The three factors, their weights, and the eligibility floor.