The Family and Child Studies (M.S.) program is a life-span study of the family from birth to death. This degree program can lead to a certification in Family Life Education from the National Council on Family Relations. The Certified Child and Parenting Specialist credential is also available to those graduates who take the required examination and internships. The Family Life Education Program (B.S.) is the study of the development of children and their families from the prenatal stage throughout the lifespan. The program focuses on interpersonal relationships and developmental tasks of all family members. The program provides three options: Child Development, Marriage and Family, and Gerontology. The Child Development option provides students with a concentration of courses in child development and will strengthen career opportunities by providing students with competencies to work with children and their families. Studies focus specifically about children regarding research supporting the critical need to know how children learn and develop, and how to best meet these needs. Upon completion of the degree, students will be prepared to enter graduate programs with a concentration in Child Development and related areas. Students are prepared to apply for the following certifications: Certified Family Life Educator and Certified Child and Parenting Practitioner. The Marriage and Family option is designed for students who desire to work with families in family life education and/or in family and community service settings. The curriculum has a broad interdisciplinary component including course work in individual development; marital and family systems; professionalism and ethics; and research. Students completing this option are prepared to meet the requirements for Certified Family Life Education national certification and for graduate programs in marriage and family, and related fields. The Gerontology option will provide students with a concentration of courses related to the older adult. Because of the rapid pace at which our society is aging and the high percent of older adults, students will increase their career opportunities as they work with this age in the population. Completion of this option allows the graduate to enter graduate programs in Gerontology and satisfy requirements for the Certified Family Life Educator and other certifications available.

Family studies is one of the fastest growing programs at OC. Our academic programs equip students to serve in careers that support and nurture families. Whether in family counseling, child care, or social services, a graduate of the Family Science program is prepared to make a difference.

Oklahoma Christian offers two major programs in family studies. The B.S. Degree in Family Science is a pre-professional degree that emphasizes the preparing of students for graduate school. Those students who wish to pursue advanced degrees, at either the master's or doctoral level, are encouraged to pursue this degree. With the growth of marriage and family graduate school programs and the increasing influence of systems theory in psychology, the need to prepare students for study as marriage and family counselors is increasing.

The B.S. degree in Family Science/Child Development provides students with a broad, general approach to the study of the family. This degree is primarily intended for those students who do not wish to pursue graduate school. It examines family issues across the lifespan but adds emphasis in early childhood education.

HDFS is a leader in applied interdisciplinary scholarship focused on reducing risk and enhancing resilience within individuals and among families across cultures and generations. The distinguishing feature of HDFS is the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary integration of instruction, research and application between and among human development, family science, early childhood education, gerontology, and marriage and family therapy. Because integrative approaches are necessarily broad, the department's focus is on the many ways resilience may be discovered, developed, mastered, and maintained across human processes and contexts.

Ours is an integrated department. In addition to our undergraduate general degrees in Psychology and Sociology, we also offer two family-relevant degrees which are (1) Family and Community Service, and (2) Psychology: Pre-Counseling. Furthermore, we have a Master's Program in Marriage and Family Therapy.  Our department currently employs six full time faculty members identified in the following manner: a family scientist, two family therapists, a counseling psychologist, a research psychologist, and a sociologist. The integrative nature of our department provides a strong liberal arts preparation as well as a specific professional focus for each undergraduate student. We are a faith-based program and university and we challenge students to integrate their faith into their discipline. We have more than 120 majors in our department with the majority currently anticipating a career in a therapy-related field. More than 90% of our departmental courses are taught by full-time faculty members with degrees and training in their specific disciplines. 

The graduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Oklahoma Baptist University is designed to meet the needs of college graduates who desire training in marriage and family therapy that will prepare them to apply for professional certification or licensure and clinical membership in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

The program approaches the practice of marriage and family therapy from the Christian perspec­tive and emphasizes Christian values. It focuses on both academic course work and supervised clinical ex­perience with individuals, couples and families under a variety of clinical conditions. It endeavors to establish a professional role identity for the family therapist as a clinician who can work both in private and public domains, and in institutional as well as outpatient sett­ings. Students receive intensive specialized training which gives them a firm base for becoming competent therapists who understand and are able to treat in­dividuals and families from a systems vantage point and know how to deal with the societal and cultural forces that influence family relation­ships. They are exposed to a variety of theoretical paradigms used in family therapy and assisted in critically examining each of them with the purpose of developing a proficiency as marriage and family therapists based on the integration of their personal qualities with their knowledge of individual, marital and family dynamics, resources, and possibilities for change.

The Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy requires that students satisfac­torily complete 45 hours of course work and pass a comprehensive evaluation. Included in the 45 hours of course work is a practicum of 500 supervised hours of therapy for which the student receives 9 hours of credit. All therapy supervision is performed by licensed marriage and family therapists or AAMFT approved supervisors or supervisors-in-training.

The faculty in the program consists of full-time MFT faculty members, members of the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Family Studies of Oklahoma Baptist University and MFT practitioners from the regional area. Courses are offered on the OBU Shawnee campus, along with additional sites in Oklahoma City, OK and Broken Arrow, OK. Practicum sites are available to students during the second year of full-time study at various locations in the state.

The program is designed to be completed in two calendar years of full-time study with an academic course load of no more than 12 credit hours per semester, three calendar years of part-time study with an academic course load of no more than 9 credit hours per semester or four calendar years of part-time study with an academic course load of no more than 6 credit hours per semester. The practicum must be taken over 12 consecu­tive months even if the student is taking courses on a part-time basis.

Classes are offered between 4:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and meet once a week to accommodate students with full-time employment.

Additionally, OBU offers a Medical Family Therapy certificate program, which provides a unique opportunity for behavioral healthcare providers to receive advanced training in biopsychosocial-spiritual treatment within interdisciplinary healthcare systems. The program's foundational belief is that physical health, mental health, relationship health, and spiritual health are all intertwined, and that the impact of a health diagnosis extends beyond the individual to affect families. The MedFT certificate program equips providers with the tools necessary to recognize and address the impact of healthcare issues and concerns with patients and their families in medical and traditional therapy settings alike. The certificate program is offered online and consists of three classes, which include an Introduction course, Advanced course, and practicum.

Master's Thesis Option Students planning to continue their graduate education in marriage and family therapy on the doctoral level elsewhere may chose the thesis option for their M.S. degree. Completion of the thesis demonstrates that the student has acquired the necessary investigative skills to be able to carry out independent research in the field of marriage and family therapy and appropriately report his or her findings.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

A Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy (and licensure or certification, where required) may lead to employment in a variety of settings, such as community mental health agencies, children and family services agencies, churches, counseling clinics, and private practice. Further study at the doctoral level may prepare students for faculty positions at professional schools or universities.

The M.A. in Marital and Family Therapy program is a 48-hour program designed to meet the academic requirements for the Licensed Marital and Family Therapist license in Oklahoma. The curriculum is divided into fourteen modules containing theoretical and applied psychotherapy courses, and 450 hours of internship. Courses are completed over four non-traditional, accelerated semesters. The courses (modules) are taken sequentially to allow focused study on one subject area at a time. Class meetings occur one night per week for a four-hour session or on intensive weekend courses that meet Friday and Saturday for eight hours each day. Extensive directed study occurs outside the classroom, in preparation for participative learning experiences during class time.

Why a Bachelor of Science with a major in Family Studies & Gerontology? American society is undergoing a major transformation at a rapid rate at both ends of the generational spectrum. Our population is aging and living longer. Our young families are also caught in this sea of change. Consequently, professionals educated in intergenerational studies and lifespan relations will play a pivotal role in the evolving construct of our society.