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1. A minimum of 2.75 undergraduate GPA
2. Three reference letters that speak to your ability to succeed in graduate school and your emotional maturity; two letters must be from former professors
3. A written essay identifying your personal and professional goals
4. A resume
5. A personal interview with the program director and clinical faculty

The priority deadline for applications is December 1 and qualified applicants will be invited to interview shortly afterward. Applications will continue to be accepted after this date until all program slots are filled.

Our mission is to train highly effective and ethical mental health clinicians. Therefore, the program has a strong clinical focus. In addition to the therapeutic services provided by students within the program’s training clinic, students also have the opportunity to complete internships in a variety of community-based clinical placements. These placements have included settings such as in-patient psychiatric wards, school-based therapy with children and adolescents, addictions centers, community mental health settings, and the USM student counseling center to name a few. These clinical experiences result in skilled clinicians whose services are highly prized.

The MFT program at USM has a strong track record of student support and success including:

• Financial support in the form of graduate assistantships and tuition waivers (as funds permit)
• Strong faculty/student mentoring
• 100% pass rate on National MFT Exam for the past 6 years
• 96% employment within 3 months following graduation for past 6 years
• 100% acceptance into Ph.D. program of choice for past 4 years

Faculty, staff, and students in the marriage and family therapy program at Southern Miss embrace diversity of people and thought, including but not limited to culture, race, ethnicity, age, gender, class, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religious and spiritual values, immigrant/language status, and belief systems.  Through the curriculum, classroom activities, clinical experiences, and professional development opportunities, students and faculty collaborate to expand our world view, facilitate understanding and acceptance, and enhance our ability to co-construct meaningful therapeutic experiences for all people.

Our students, faculty, supervisors, and clients represent diversity on many dimensions, including culture, race, ethnicity, age, gender, class, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, religious and spiritual values, immigrant/language status, and belief systems.  

As part of their clinical training, students may have the opportunity of completing some of their clinical hours within a community placement site. These placement sites provide students with the opportunity to work with diverse populations in a variety of settings and to receive additional training from supervisors with a wide range of experiences and perspectives.