USC: Admission to the MFT Program - Rossier School of Education

Admission to the MFT Program

Admission to the MFT program is competitive and selective. The Admissions Committee seeks students whose academic background, professional goals, and communication skills, both written and oral, meet the demands of the program, and show promise for a successful career as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Academic Background

The Admissions Committee looks for candidates whose prior academic work demonstrates the capability to succeed in a rigorous graduate program. All candidates must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. Applicants whose prior study was outside the United States must have completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree. There are no set prerequisite courses or majors, and prior coursework in education or psychology is not required. The Admissions Committee reviews performance in all prior postsecondary coursework.

Evidence of Professional Promise

The ideal candidate is ready to begin work as a Marriage and Family Therapist upon completion of the program. Prior work or volunteer experience is helpful, but not required for admission to the program. Competitive applicants will usually have a record of involvement and leadership in both their personal and professional lives, which may include campus organizations, school volunteering, civic endeavors, community groups, and/or professional associations.

Interviews

An interview is required of all applicants under serious consideration for admission. The interview is an important element in determining if an applicant's maturity, capacity for self-reflection, interpersonal skills, career focus, and motivation are appropriate to a career as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Candidates who have submitted applications will be contacted to schedule an interview. On-campus interview days will be held in the spring, with exact dates to be determined. Alternate interview appointments will be set up for candidates who are not able to attend an interview day.

Personal Essays

Personal essays serve two important roles in the MFT admissions process. First, they enable candidates to highlight the personal, professional and educational experiences that led to their commitment to a career as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

Second, the essays allow the applicant to demonstrate the written communication skills that are critical for success in the program. Essay responses should be direct and concise.

Given these requirements, we urge applicants to compose essays specifically for this application.

The essay questions are:

1. Please describe your educational, employment and/or personal background and how it relates to your interest in the MFT program. Why have you chosen to apply to USC, specifically? What is it about USC's program that will facilitate your own growth and what unique contribution can you make to the program? Be sure to address your professional goals and how these goals can best be achieved through the program.
   
   Please limit your response to three pages, double-spaced (approximately 750 words).


2. The mission of the Rossier School of Education is to strengthen urban education locally, nationally, and globally. For more information on our approach to transforming urban education, please visit our website at rossier.usc.edu.
   
   Reflecting on this mission, what assumptions, thoughts, and conclusions have you drawn about working in the urban context and what evidence from your own experiences, interests and abilities supports these thoughts and conclusions? In writing about urban education, many applicants consider issues of diversity, economics, equity and reform. Please also describe what role(s) you have played and/or will play as a leader and/or change agent.
   
   Please limit your response to two pages, double-spaced (approximately 500 words).

Resume

A resume highlighting your undergraduate, personal and professional experiences is required. Your resume should be detailed enough to help the Admissions Committee understand the various experiences - extracurricular, leadership, or volunteer - that have shaped your interest in the MFT program. With these goals in mind, we strongly recommend that your resume be tailored specifically to this application.

Recommendation Letters

Letters of recommendation allow the Admissions Committee to gain additional insight into your and potential for success in student affairs work. Ideally, your recommendations should come from former instructors who can describe your ability to perform well in graduate-level courses, or supervisors and colleagues who can comment on the value you have added to your workplaces. Three letters of recommendation are required.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

All applicants are required to submit a valid score on the GRE general examination. The Admissions Committee will use your GRE score in conjunction with your academic record to determine if you are academically prepared for the rigor of graduate study. There is no minimum score for consideration. The Admissions Committee also looks for balance between verbal and quantitative scores. The analytical writing score is particularly important for the MFT program, since writing is such an integral part of the curriculum.

If you take the GRE more than once, we look at your highest score in each section from each sitting. The GRE test may not be more than five years old. Official score reports must be sent directly to USC from the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

It is important to take time to prepare fully for the GRE. The exam is offered six days a week throughout the year at about 400 testing centers around the world. Call 1-800-GRE-CALL or visit www.gre.org to find the nearest testing center and schedule an appointment. Be sure to include the University of Southern California as an institution (Institution Code: 4852) to receive your scores.

The Rossier School also offers workshops several times during the year to assist applicants in their GRE preparation. Please check our Upcoming Events page for detailed information.

Application Process

Timeframe

Application review begins in the fall and continues until the program has reached its enrollment capacity. To assure full consideration for admission and available scholarships, we recommend that you submit a complete application by January 20. Although we anticipate that most spaces in the class will be offered to applicants who apply by this date, some programs are able to consider late applications. If this date has passed, you can check to see if your program of interest is still accepting applications by emailing rossier.info@usc.edu or calling (213) 740-0224.

The Online Application

The application is completed online, and can be accessed at Graduate Admissions Application. The online system allows you to complete the application in sections. Be sure to select "save" or "save and proceed" at the end of a particular section. Please answer "Yes" to an initial question asking if you want your contact information (including your name & address) to be viewed by our institution before you submit the application. This will allow us to keep you informed of important application updates. Please complete all required fields in the online application.

Application Instructions

Biographical Information: Be sure to indicate an alternate name in the "other name" field if your last name is different on transcripts.

Employment Information: Upload your resume in this section.

Supporting Documents: DO NOT submit a general statement of purpose. Instead, find the "Supplemental Forms" section on the information bar on the left side of the page and click on the "Education" link to access the Rossier School of Education Supplemental Application. Respond to the essay questions listed in the section marked Supplemental Questions and Essays for PASA applicants.

Rossier School of Education Merit Scholarships: To be considered for these funds, you must complete the scholarship questions located at the end of the supplemental application.

Recommendations: You must provide three letters of recommendation. In the online application system, enter all required contact information for each recommender and then select "yes" when asked if recommenders will be providing a letter online. The recommender will then receive an email and password from the online application system so that they can complete the recommendation form.

You are responsible for ensuring that your recommenders upload a letter of recommendation to the system. They will be provided with instructions on how to do so.

Materials to USC

University of Southern California
Office of Admission & Financial Aid, GRADUATE
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0915

• Official GRE score report sent from ETS (Institution Code 4852); no department code needed) Instructions on sending score reports can be found online at www.gre.org.
• For candidates who are not U.S. citizens or residents: Confidential Financial Statement / Verification of Funds. More detailed information may be found online at visithttp://www.usc.edu/admission/graduate/international/financialsupport.html
• For candidates whose first language is not English: Official TOEFL score report from ETS (USC Institution Code: 4852). Instructions of sending score reports can be found online atwww.toefl.org.

Materials to Rossier

Rossier Office of Recruiting and Admissions
University of Southern California
3470 Trousdale Pkwy, WPH 800
Los Angeles, CA 90089-4038
Fax: 213-740-9433

• Sealed Official Academic Transcripts: Transcripts from all postsecondary institutions attended. If the name on your transcripts is different than your current name, please include your 10-digit USC ID number.
  If you are sending electronic transcripts, visithttp://rossier.usc.edu/admission/faqs/application.html for instructions.
• Fax or PDF copy of GRE score report (include program at the top of the sheet) - fax to 213-740-9433 or email pdf to rossier.info@usc.edu.
• Fax or PDF copy of TOEFL score report, if required (include program at the top) - fax to 213-740-9433 or email pdf to rossier.info@usc.edu.