An Eye on the Future: Promoting MFT Master’s Programs to Potential Applicants

Abstract

Successful recruitment of quality students remains a challenge to many mental health graduate programs. Marriage and family therapy (MFT) master’s programs, in particular, face significant barriers to effective and efficient student recruitment. At the same time, these programs’ ability to attract an excellent and diverse pool of applicants will affect both the research and practice of MFT. In this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 21 U.S. undergraduate juniors and seniors from various majors and universities to learn their perceptions of MFT and MFT master’s programs and suggestions for enhancing MFT master’s programs’ recruitment efforts. Offering unique insight from potential applicants’ perspectives, participants identified five key factors that may increase their interest in applying to MFT master’s programs: application requirements, program information, more information in general, career outlook, and benefits of attending a MFT master’s program. To improve MFT master’s programs’ recruitment strategies, participants suggested active and early outreach, enhanced campus presence, recruiting advisors and professors in other disciplines as advocates, and involving MFTs, MFT students, and graduates in student recruitment. Based on these suggestions, we provide specific and practical recommendations for strengthening U.S. MFT master’s programs’ recruitment efforts.