University of the West in Los Angeles (Rosemead)

[meredian]

Hey all, new here.

I've been doing a ton of research on MFT programs in the Los Angeles area, and I've been talking to a lot of people who have recently completed MFT programs or are currently interning. One thing I've been told over and over is that I shouldn't spend a lot of money getting an MFT (thoughts on that?), so I've been looking at schools in the LA area that are under $60K. Mostly I've been zeroing in on the following:

- Mount Saint Mary's University. A lot about the program appeals to me. The only thing that doesn't is that it's a 3 year program (versus 2 or 2.5 years).
- Phillips Graduate University. I've heard good things, however their accreditation is currently at risk due to administrative issues, so I wouldn't agree to attend until that was sorted (they will know before the Fall semester of 2018).
- University of the West. Here's where I have questions. I've mentioned the above schools and others to many MFTs and they have heard of them, but no one heard of University of the West. The program is interesting to me as it combines eastern and western philosophy (there's a Buddhist bent), and it's really affordable, and it's WASC accredited. But, a 3 year program, and no one I've talked to has heard of it! Maybe because it hasn't been around that long. Have any of you?

Thanks so much. Any info is greatly appreciated.

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[Temperance]

Did you already rule out the programs at the California State Universities? Tuition is under $60,000 if you are a California resident.

In the Los Angeles area, you have:

California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Northridge (COAMFTE-accredited)

My apologies if you have already looked at these and decided against them.

To clarify, is Phillips Graduate University at risk of losing their WASC accreditation? If so, that is a major red flag. At the graduate level, you are looking less for WASC accreditation (but it's the absolute bare minimum) and more for field-specific accreditation. COAMFTE accreditation is available for MFT programs. Ask around how required that is; it doesn't seem to be common in California programs for some reason, but it may help should a state require it for licensure.

 

[ptm33]

From UWest website, it looks like it is still undergoing the process of accreditation ie. not accredited yet (?). Am I missing something?
Also have you figured out how much it will cost for each of the three schools?

 

[Temperance]

From UWest website, it looks like it is still undergoing the process of accreditation ie. not accredited yet (?). Am I missing something?
Also have you figured out how much it will cost for each of the three schools?

University of the West holds regional (WSCUC) accreditation, but their MFT program is not accredited by COAMFTE. It seems like they were having trouble with regional accreditation before until they cleaned house, which you can read in brief in WASC's action letter from March 2013.

Out of curiosity, I calculated tuition based on the per-unit fee listed on each program's website. This does not yet include university fees.

Mount Saint Mary's University - $53,400 ($905 × 60 units, source)
Phillips Graduate University - $51,240 ($854 × 60 units, source)
University of the West - $35,595 ($565 × 63 units, source)

Contrast that with CSU Northridge, where in-state tuition, fees excluded, would be $24,678 for five semesters and two summer intersessions (source).