Admission Requirements

Admission Deadlines

The Master of Christian Studies in Marriage and Family Therapy program is designed both for full-time and part-time studies, offering ongoing intake. Students can start their academic journey in January or September of each year.

The program has two semesters of required in-person courses, with the possibility to take the rest of the academic training either in person or remotely.

Who Can Apply?

Applicants hold a four-year BA degree in counselling or psychology or related fields (social work, human services, sociology) from an accredited institution.

GPA Requirements

The minimum GPA for admission is 3.0 (or B) based on the last two years of the BA (presuming these include predominantly upper-level courses) and the minimum grades of four of the upper-level prerequisite courses in psychology must be 3.7 (A-)

Course Pre-requisite Requirements

A minimum of 18 semester hours of undergraduate psychology credits with a minimum of a B grade in each of the following courses. These prerequisites must have been completed within the 10 years prior to applying to the program:

• Intro to Statistics
• Abnormal Psychology                             

• Developmental Psychology                                 

• Personality Theory                                              

• Brain & Behaviour or Cog. Process.       

• *Foundational Skills in Counselling

* Foundational Skills in Counselling course: Applicants must have successfully completed a course in basic counselling skills. Admitted applicants who have not taken a skills course may receive conditional acceptance pending successful completion of CLG 525 course offered by the MFT program on the TWU campus each August.

GRE Requirements:  - N/A

Reference Requirements

Applications must be accompanied by two references: 1) academic reference 2) work-related reference. These references must be written by persons who know the applicant well and can describe his/her personal qualifications for the role of counsellor.

Admission Statement Requirement

Applicants must provide a brief description (approximately two pages long) of their reasons for wishing to pursue a master’s degree at TWU, their view of counselling processes, and their career goals. They should also describe their openness to self-examination and their commitment to personal and professional self-development during professional training and as a life-long practice. They may also want to mention their spiritual journey and personal faith.

Character and Professional Fitness Disclosure

For students involved in marriage and family therapy training, one's credentialing, work experience, background, character, and reputation is examined closely for "fit" with the responsibilities of taking on formal helping roles. The online application contains a series of questions about experiences related to fit with the professions of counselling and psychology which are often considered in the process of professional licensure. All information submitted in response to these questions is treated as confidential.

Interview Requirement

You will be asked to attend an interview once all documents have been reviewed. Only qualified candidates will receive an invitation by email to participate in an in-person or Zoom interview with the MCS-MFT program director and/or Admissions Committee.

International Student Credential Evaluation

If you are an international student who has completed post-secondary studies outside of North America, you must submit a course-by-course degree evaluation of your transcript(s). Please see the international applicants webpage for a list of organizations that can provide an evaluation.

Applicants With English as a Second Language

Non-native English speakers must submit either academic IELTS scores of 7.5 on all bands, an iBT TOEFL of 105, or a DuoLingo score of 140 to the University. The TWU institution code for score submission is 0876.

Special Category: Unclassified Student

This special category permits a graduate student to take up to four MFT courses without formal admission to the program. However, an unclassified student may not enrol in practicum, internship, or any advanced counselling skills course(s). You must provide an online application, references, and transcripts to be considered for these course(s). The student must obtain permission from both the program director and course instructor prior to enrolling in the course(s).

Transfer Students

You may be admitted if you have graduate credits or graduate degrees from other programs. You must provide evidence of equivalence, such as course syllabi.

Students wishing to transfer from other graduate programs must submit a letter from the dean or director of their previous program, stating that they are in good academic standing and free from academic or disciplinary inquiry or action. Please have this document sent directly to Grad Admissions at 22500 University Drive., Langley, BC V2Y 1Y1.

The maximum transfer credits into the MCS MFT program is 30 semester hours. All petitions for transfer credits will be sent to the program director for approval. The amount of transfer credit is determined on an individual basis by the director. Courses with less than a B- will not be considered for transfer credit. Applicants who already have MA degrees in psychology or an MDiv and wish to acquire clinical skills are encouraged to apply.