University of Louisiana at Monroe

Greetings,

Does any one have any opinions, or experiences with ULM's Gold (online program)? I am considering transferring into ULM's Ph.D in marriage and family therapy and I would greatly appreciate any first hand experiences with ULM's online programs and I welcome any opinions. Thank you.:thinking:

 

ULM MFT Program

I spoke to one of their advisors about the program and he informed me that the national accrediting body for marriage and family therapists does not approve their program, which was kindof strange to me. I tend to think that if it is regionally accredited (which it is), it would be acceptable. I have checked into the program because I need further classes to pursue licensure in marriage and family therapy- plus I want a doctorate for teaching. This is a really inexpensive program too!! I would love to hear feedback...

 

It might be like how some MBA programs are AACSB accredited and some aren't. Professional accreditation can get complicated with lots of criteria, things like % of full-time faculty. It may be something like that. :dunno:

 

It is probably not accredited by COAMFTE since it does not have any sort of clinical component (1500 hours of internsihp, etc) or required clinical supervision. The degree is meant for people who are already practicing as mental health clinicians, are already licensed, and will not be seeking MFT licensure.

So... I wonder about the worth of getting a non-clinical Ph.D in MFT, rather than the theoretical knowledge about Family Systems that one could gain. The university advertises the degree as Creativity in MFT (or something similar), but I don't remember seeing any specific courses geared toward creative/expressive therapies.

If I had to choose between this or another non-clinical Ph.D, I would save my money, skip right to the dissertation stage, and get one from a South African university!!

That is, of course, if the ULM program ends up providing some great theoretical knowledge about creativity in family systems that I can not learn anywhere else.

 

You may be right

I believe you may have something there. However, I would have to do some quick review of much of the current MFT theories, methods, and literature. But that my be doable. My understanding is for the SA university you must have had a thesis as part of your Master's degree, mine did not. Anyway, thank you.

 

The program is interesting, inexpensive, and doable; but in my opinion it serves no useful purpose. If the objective is teaching - the degree is distance learning, yes, it is a B&M school but still distance learning. If for licensure, it does not meet the requirements. So, for an ego booster, you have a great program. Similiar to the PhD in Behavioral Science at ASU. Just my .02 worth.

 

Re: kirkhenderson123

If want to be licensed as a MFT in your state, be sure to check the educational and internship requirements of your state licensing board. Many states require a graduate internship supervised by a LMFT, post-graduate experience supervised by a LMFT, as well as the educational component that you mentioned. If you haven't seen it already, the coursework is all listed here: ULM's Gateway to Online Degrees (GOLD): Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy: Non-Clinical Concentration in Creative Systemic Studies

Best of luck!

 

Check with Cape Town and Pretoria. From my understanding a thesis is not necessarily required. You do however need a research proposal... which could be definitely strengthened if you had a masters thesis already written. I don't think that one is required, though. Both are good schools, and are VERY cheap!

 

The value of the degree

So...maybe you guys could help me with something: I need about three more courses in MFT-related topics for licensure in my state. Is what my state requires and this other state accrediting body two compeltely different things? I thought that as long as my state approved regionally accredited coursework, this type of degree would suffice for what I need. What role does the COAMFT play in the state's requirements??? Very confused...

 

Some states require COAMFTE accreditation and some do not. You can find out what specifically is required by your state, such as certain courses, accredition, etc by pulling up your state's laws/license requirements on the internet.

For instance, I live in VT and would find what is required for licensure here: Allied Mental Health - Vermont Secretary of State - Office of Professional Regulation

 

Also... if you only need three family systems related courses for your license, check with Capella about the ability to take individual classes. They have a Family Systems concentration in their counseling program and probably have courses that will work for you.

 

Accreditation is fourfold; national, regional, school-related, and program-related.

You can have the first three, , the forst two, all four , or only the first. However, a school can't have a program only accreditation, they need at least the other first two.

 

This makes no sense. If ULM is by distance but located in the US it is better than a distance program located in SA. What would be the advantage of SA?

 

Capella is crap compared to ULM. ULM is a 'real' university, while Capella is a business.

 

You mean the DBH Program at Arizona State?

 

Capella is not a real academic institution.

 

Why would these online degrees be better than that from ULM????

 

okay, still those are by distance delivery as well.

 

You wouldn't save that much...

 

Capella University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and participates in AQIP.

Your evidence please...