[USA] MFT Masters: Pepperdine vs Antioch vs Pacific Oaks vs Alliant - LA/Online - my constraints make the usual advice hard to follow
I'm 44, a primary parent to a young child, and my husband has a very demanding career that makes him unavailable for school pickups, sick days, etc. This means I need fully online or low-residency programs. Cal State schools, as much as I love the price tag, simply aren't an option for my situation. I'd also like to start in January or Spring 2027, and nearly all the CS programs are fall only. I'm graduating from undergrad with a BA in psych in Dec with a projected GPA of 3.8- if that matters.
I need the program to be BBS approved (California licensure track), which narrows schools considerably.
I'm already aware that "where you get your LMFT doesn't matter" and also that everyone dunks on the programs I'm considering. Just need to find the right program for my personal situation.
Here's where I'm at:
Pepperdine ($120-130k)/ USC ($140k+)/ Northwestern ($160k) - legitimacy is unquestionable, but the cost is ridiculous. Northwestern isn't even BBS approved, but it's my dream program. Pepperdine has less clout outside of the LA area. USC only has a summer start date (and I'm aiming for January/Spring start date)
Antioch LA ($87k) - seems respected in the local mental health space, but reviews are all over the place for students. Love the social justice slant, but they seem highly disorganized
Alliant ($65k) - most affordable, but the mixed reviews online make me nervous
Fair Oaks ($81k) - less name recognition than Antioch, but generally seems more organized than Antioch. Program is 2.5 years with synchronous night classes.
Given my age and the long road to licensure, start dates and length of the program matter a lot to me. I need to be earning as soon as possible, which could make a more expensive school actually make more sense for me in the long run.
I plan to be in PP, as my husband's salary can bear the brunt of running a home/cover health insurance, etc and I can be around for my daughter until she gets older.
Other schools I've ruled out: Anything with a religious slant (Pepperdine's GESP isn't affiliated with the church), National, Sentio, Walden, Touro, any straight up diploma mill school. But open to hearing about others if I'm missing a good one!