Nova Southeastern University’s Ph.D. Program in Family Therapy Received Renewed Accreditation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is pleased to announce that the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) has renewed the doctoral program’s accreditation for the maximum allowable time (six years) with no stipulations. NSU’s program is in the Department of Family Therapy (DFT) and is one of only two doctoral programs accredited by COAMFTE in Florida. 

“The accreditation process is a rigorous one where students, faculty, supervisors, staff, alumni and community partners participate,” said Honggang Yang, the dean of NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “This was truly a team effort and ensures our program remains vibrant and robust for our students.”

Christine Beliard, Ph.D., is the program’s Director and Martha Gonzalez Marquez, Ph.D., is the Commission of Accreditation (COA) Administrator for the department. The department Chair is Tommie Boyd, Ph.D.

In addition, the COAMFTE Annual Reports for both NSU’s Ph.D. program and M.S. program were accepted by the COAMFTE in their entirety. This new annual report process requires more data gathering and analysis than ever before. Anne Rambo, Ph.D., is the director of the master’s program, which had been reaccredited for the maximum time frame from 2014-20. The master’s program is the only one in Florida to have COAMFTE accreditation.

COAMFTE is the accrediting body dedicated solely to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy and is recognized by Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Accreditation assures that programs, through peer review, are preparing competent marriage and family therapists, preparing graduates to sit for licensure in marriage and family therapy and are self-evaluating and improving their teaching/learning practices and their subsequent outcomes. Programs accredited by COAMFTE have completed a multi-year application and review process to demonstrate their compliance with COAMFTE Standards. Graduates from COAMFTE accredited programs have an advantage in obtaining employment as a marriage and family therapist as well as in moving from state to state.

For more information about the program, please visit us ONLINE.

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. A private, not-for-profit institution, NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.

About NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS):  The college offers stimulating undergraduate and graduate programs of study that challenge and engage students through inclusive excellence and academic innovation in teaching, scholarship, and community outreach.  A central theme in the college’s doctoral, master’s and baccalaureate programs is the understanding and betterment of human interrelations through multidisciplinary, multi-professional and multicultural perspectives.  CAHSS is also home to the Performing and Visual Arts Series, the Center for Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities, the Family Therapy Clinic, the Writing Center and Campus Diversity Dialogs.  In the course of addressing emergent challenges and complex social issues, our preeminent faculty and alumni build a creative bridge across theory, research, and practice in the social sciences, arts, humanities, and helping professions.  Our commitment to experiential learning and the scholarship of engagement provides our students with opportunities to become reflective scholars, creative artists, ethical practitioners, and skilled professionals.  Please visit cahss.nova.edu for more information.

December 19, 2016

Joe Donzelli | Office of Public Affairs
954-262-2159 (office) | 954-661-4571 (cell)
jdonzelli@nova.edu | www.nova.edu