The faculty in the Department of Family Resources and Human Development offer a degree program leading to the Ph.D. degree in Family Science. An area of concentration is available in marriage and family therapy (MFT), with additional programs of study available in the nonclinical aspects of family studies.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The Ph.D. degree in Family Science prepares clinicians and researchers in marriage and family therapy, family processes, family relationships, and human development within the context of families. Students receive advanced training in theory, clinical strategies (MFT), research methodology, and several substantive fields that are part of family science.

The program is designed for graduates to assume leadership roles as directors or clinicians in public or privately funded mental health agencies, private practice, or government, or as researchers and academicians in universities. The MFT concentration also prepares students for state certification to practice as certified marriage and family therapists.

A description of the program, along with opportunities for assistantships and fellowships, may be obtained from the director of the program.

Admission. Admission to the Ph.D. in Family Science is determined by the following criteria:

1. official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work;
2. verbal, quantitative, and analytical Graduate Record Examination scores;
3. statement of goals relevant to the Ph.D. program;
4. three letters of recommendation; and
5. an application for admission to the Graduate College.

A Test of English as a Foreign Language score of at least 600 is required of all applicants whose native language is not English.

Program of Study. Each student must prepare and submit a program of study in conjunction with the chair and members of his or her supervisory committee during the first year in the program. The program of study consists of a minimum of 105 semester hours for students entering after the bachelor’s degree and 63 semester hours for students entering after the master’s degree. Of the 105 semester hours for a postbaccalaureate program, six are thesis credit and 24 are research and dissertation credit. Correspondingly, the 63 semester hours of the postmaster’s program includes 24 semester hours of research and dissertation credit. The additional hours in both the postbaccalaureate and postmaster’s tracks involve

1. family science courses,
2. clinical approaches and clinical supervision courses (MFT),
3. statistics and research methods, and
4. a collateral area of study relating to family science taken outside the Department of Family Resources and Human Development.

Foreign Language Requirements. None.

Evaluation and Comprehensive Examinations. Progress through the program involves (1) annual evaluations of the student’s performance and (2) comprehensive written examinations at the end of the student’s course work.

Practicum and Internship Requirements. For the MFT concentration, a total of 14 hours (postbaccalaureate) is required in clinical supervision, practicum, and internship. Practicum is for one year, and the internship lasts nine months.

Dissertation Requirements. The doctoral dissertation must be a work of original scholarship, make a significant contribution to knowledge about families, and reflect a mastery of systemic research methods.

Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The Department of Family Resources and Human Development provides advanced graduate training in marital and family therapy, family science, and child development. Specific areas of faculty research include marital and family therapy approaches, evaluation of marital therapy, marital and family relationships, marital interaction, parent-child relationships, parent-adolescent relationships, prevention research on children and families, children’s social and emotional development, children’s gender-role development, sexuality, dating relationships, and ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in marital and family relationships. Strong emphasis is placed on the acquisition of sophisticated theoretical, methodological, and statistical skills necessary to acquire research funding, publish in professional journals, and make significant contributions to existing knowledge.

Research and Clinical Facilities. The department’s clinical and research facilities include a marriage and family clinic, marital interaction laboratory, children’s social development laboratory, child development laboratory, and collaborative arrangements with the ASU Prevention Intervention Research Center. The Department of Family Resources and Human Development also provides access to sophisticated microcomputing technology within the department as well as to centralized computing services at ASU. The department offers several fellowships that provide students with collaborative research experiences under the supervision of faculty members.

1998–99 Graduate Catalog Table of Contents

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