UNH Graduate School - Family Studies

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Application Deadlines

Fall:
February 15th: All Marriage and Family Therapy Program candidates, as well as Core Areas of Study candidates seeking financial aid.
July 1st Core Areas of Study candidates not seeking financial aid.

Spring:
December 1st (Core Areas of Study only, Marriage and Family Therapy program is Fall only)

Summer:
Not open for admissions

Application Requirements

Test Scores: GRE

Special Instructions: On-site interview may be required. Applicants to the Marriage and Family Therapy Program must complete additional questions (available on the Family Studies web site).

New England Regional:

Core Areas:
Massachusetts, Vermont

Marriage & Family Therapy:
Maine, Vermont

Family Studies

Pettee Hall
55 College Road
Durham, NH 03824-3599
Telephone: (603) 862-2146
E-mail:
Web: http://www.shhs.unh.edu/fs/

Degree Offered (MS):

The Department of Family Studies offers two programs of study leading to a master of science degree in Family Studies. The goal of both programs is to provide students with an understanding of theory and methods relevant to child and family studies and to prepare them to work with families in therapeutic, educational, and community or corporate settings. The Core Areas of Study program has three foci: Adolescent Development; Child Advocacy and Family Policy; and Child Development. Students may elect a thesis or comprehensive exam. The Marriage and Family Therapy Program is accredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and requires a minimum of two years of full-time study, including two summers.

Admission Requirements

Students in good standing with undergraduate degrees in any field and a specific interest in working with individuals and families are encouraged to apply. If a student’s undergraduate program does not include an introductory statistics course or the equivalent, successful completion of such a course is required before beginning graduate work. Students seeking admission must submit recent scores from the Graduate Record Examination general test unless a waiver has been approved by the department. Applicants must have a minimum combined score of 1100 on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the GRE and a 4.1 on the Writing section. Additional admissions information and personal interviews may be required of applicants.

The Family Studies Graduate Program will consider requests to waive the admissions requirement for recent GRE scores under the following circumstances:

• When a candidate has already earned a graduate degree in an accredited program and performed well in that program.
• When a candidate has demonstrated proficiency in at least 2-3 relevant graduate-level courses from an accredited program and/or institution.

The Family Studies Graduate Program will not consider requests to waive the admissions requirement for candidates who have a learning disability because the organization that administers GRE testing, Educational Testing Services, provides accommodations for test-takers with documented disabilities.

Core Areas of Study

Adolescent Development: This core area of study is designed to develop general competence in understanding and applying theory and research regarding adolescents within the context of their families and communities. Students are expected to participate in projects involving adolescents and their families and to complete a practicum in a program serving adolescents.

Child Advocacy and Family Policy: This core area of study is designed to develop general competence in understanding theory and research regarding advocacy and policy issues impacting children and families. Those accepted into the program for this core area of study will be expected to work with selected state, national, and international agencies as child advocacy interns, develop expertise on at least one advocacy issue, and conduct research on an advocacy related topic.

Child Development: This core area of study prepares students to work in a variety of social science positions, enter doctoral programs, and acquire early childhood leadership positions. Students gain understanding of children from infancy through the early school years. Students will complete an internship in an educational program serving young children.

Marriage and Family Therapy Program

The Marriage and Family Therapy Program specifically prepares students to work in mental health, family service, medical, and human service settings. The emphasis is on structural, strategic, and systemic approaches to marriage and family therapy. Clinical training is provided under the direction of an approved supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy in the department’s Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic. The clinical training emphasizes treating the individual, couple, and family in relationship to the larger systems that influence them. Supervised practica continue throughout the program. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (AAMFT) and meets the academic requirements for clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. AAMFT standards require five hundred (500) hours of clinical practice during the program. Additional hours of clinical practice under supervision will be required to meet AAMFT standards for clinical membership after graduation. See www.aamft.org for information on clinical membership.

M.S. Degree Requirements - Core Areas of Study

Program requirements for the Core Areas of Study include:

1) completion of the 12-credit core curriculum that includes FS 991, Professional Issues for Family Specialists; FS 993, Theoretical Approaches to Family Studies; and FS 994, Research Seminar;

2) twenty-two (22) hours of coursework including four (4) semester hours of practicum or internship (FS 807 or FS 911C), and a graduate-level statistics course; and

3) successful completion of a research thesis (6-10 credits in FS 899) OR a comprehensive written examination, plus eight credits of approved electives in place of FS 899. Students in the Child Advocacy and Family Policy core area of study must complete an additional four (4) hours of practicum/internship, for a total of eight (8) hours.

4) When a graduate student receives grades below “B-“ in two courses, the Family Studies Graduate Coordinator will make a recommendation to the Graduate School that the student be dismissed from the Family Studies graduate program.

Thesis Option: Students electing to complete a research thesis must write and defend a thesis based on original research. Students must earn a minimum of six (6) credits of FS 899 (Master’s Thesis).

Comprehensive Examination: Students electing to complete a comprehensive examination must take an additional eight (8) credits of approved electives in place of thesis credits. The comprehensive examination consists of a timed, three-hour closed-book portion and a one-week take-home exam.

M.S. Degree Requirements-Option in Marriage and Family Therapy

Program requirements include:

1) the 12-credit core curriculum (FS 991, FS 993, and FS 994);

2) thirty-two (32) semester hours of coursework, including FS 841, Marital and Family Therapy; FS 846, Human Sexuality; FS 897, Special Problems (1 credit each in sexual problems, gender, larger systems, and children in marriage and family therapy); FS 942, Advanced Systems of Marital and Family Therapy; FS 945, Family Therapy Practice I; FS 946, Critical Problems in Family Life; FS 947, Family Therapy Practice II;

3) successful completion of at least twenty (20) credits of FS 898 (500 hours of supervised clinical practice); and

4) completion and presentation of an integrative paper and video representing the student’s theory of change

5) When a graduate student receives grades below “B-“ in two courses, the Family Studies Graduate Coordinator will make a recommendation to the Graduate School that the student be dismissed from the Family Studies graduate program.