Located in Greenville, the East Carolina University College of Human Ecology offers two related master's degrees for students. Both the child development and family relations along with the marriage and family therapy tracks are Master of Science degrees. The child development degree is the lesser of the two requiring 36 hours, while the marriage/family therapy degree requires 51 semester hours. The program also offers a PhD track in medical family therapy and a Master of Education in family and consumer sciences. Undergraduates often study sociology, counseling or psychology before entering the graduate program.
This state school in Greensboro offers a basic counseling bachelor's degree with a specialized marriage and family therapy certificate that can be taken in addition to undergraduate work or after graduating. The certification program consists of 12 hours of upper-level coursework with a foundation in family theory and principles; students can specialize their counseling degree. Students in the community counseling, rehabilitation or school counseling program can opt to take the marriage and family classes.
The University of North Carolina-Greensboro's Department of Human Studies and Family Development is one of the premier programs in the country. The undergraduate program focuses on early child care with a close relationship practicum. In addition, the graduate program offers an Master of Science degree track for marriage and family and other related subjects like child care. The university prides itself on focusing on research and real world internships alongside traditional classroom work.
The marriage and family therapy program at Appalachian State University in Boone offers a 48-semester-hour master's degree. The program is nationally renowned and accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The faculty starts students off with a broad theoretical approach to the field and then allows individual specialization by choice.