Colorado State University is among the top 20 universities in the nation for a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy, according to Online Psychology Degrees’ recent rankings.

Colorado State University was ranked 16th and was the only university from Colorado ranked.

“Our award-winning MFT program has a rich history of training successful clinicians who are grounded in evidence-based research,” said Lise Youngblade, head of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. “We are so pleased to have received this recognition of our program, and I could not be prouder of our faculty, students and alumni who have contributed to our reputation as a top program.”

The organization used several factors to determine the universities that have the best graduate programs in marriage and family therapy. To be considered, a university must have received Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education accreditation from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The website also factored in the average annual cost of tuition and whether the school has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

CSU’s MFT program, based in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, trains professionals to thoroughly assess, diagnose and treat individuals, couples and families.

Students are trained to work in clinical, research, academic, and policy-making settings, the website states.

“The program maintains a commitment to train clinicians who comprehend and apply diversity in clinical, research, academic and policy-making settings and are skilled consumers and producers of research related to MFT,” it states.

The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is in CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.