by our College Data Analytics TeamA major in Medical Family Therapy/Therapist explores A Program That Prepares Individuals To Work With Patients And Their Families Who Are Experiencing Emotional, Physical, Relational And Spiritual Difficulties Related To Acute And Chronic Illnesses. Includes Instruction In Cultural Context, Ethics, Family Dynamics, Family Therapy, Gender, Human Development, Marriage Counseling, Psychopathology, Research Design And Methods, Sexuality, And Systems Thinking. Read on to learn the important information every medical family therapy/therapist major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering medical family therapy/therapist programs.
In the U.S., medical family therapy/therapist is a widely-pursued major, with 6 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Medical Family Therapy/Therapist Schools ranking analyzes these 2 schools to determine the best overall colleges for medical family therapy/therapist students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of medical family therapy/therapist programs later in this article.
Programs in Medical Family Therapy/Therapist build a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations medical family therapy/therapist graduates commonly enter.
Skills built by a medical family therapy/therapist program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Based on O*NET data, a medical family therapy/therapist major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several medical family therapy/therapist degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 6 |
People currently working in careers related to medical family therapy/therapist tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 74.8% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 7.2% |
| First professional degree | 6.8% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 6.7% |
| Doctoral degree | 2.5% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 1.1% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.9% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in medical family therapy/therapist careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
A degree in medical family therapy/therapist prepares you for a variety of career paths. These are some of the most common occupations related to medical family therapy/therapist.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to medical family therapy/therapist.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Social Workers | 251,555 | 12.1% |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | 229,049 | -3.8% |
The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of medical family therapy/therapist graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $46,066 |
| 4 years | $46,824 |
| 5 years | $52,641 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for medical family therapy/therapist graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers medical family therapy/therapist grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Healthcare Social Workers | $78,044 |
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $74,325 |
With 2 different medical family therapy/therapist programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased medical family therapy/therapist school rankings to help you.
If you are interested in medical family therapy/therapist, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mental Health Counseling/Counselor | 10,855 |
| Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling | 6,135 |
| Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling | 4,476 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions, Other | 3,545 |
| Clinical/Medical Social Work | 3,296 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician | 2,601 |
| Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling | 2,298 |
| Genetic Counseling/Counselor | 378 |
| Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling | 187 |
| Trauma Counseling | 161 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
