Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Understand families and learn to strengthen them — preparation for family ministry, services, and counseling.
Strengthen Families
Family life education and family policy
Counseling Foundation
Family counseling and cross-cultural counseling
Pathway to MFT
Strong prep for marriage & family therapy grad study
Strong families are the backbone of healthy communities — and they need people trained to understand and support them. ACU’s Family Studies degree gives you a deep understanding of how families work, the challenges they face, and how to help them thrive, whether in ministry, family services, or eventually as a counselor.
The major covers family structure and function, family resource management, public policy and the family, parent-child relations, family life education, and cross-cultural counseling. The built-in Marriage and Family concentration adds family counseling principles, human sexuality, gender studies, and a practicum — strong, focused preparation for working with couples and families. It’s a natural on-ramp to ACU’s own Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Throughout, a Biblical Worldview honors marriage and family as central to human flourishing, shaping how you understand and serve the families in your care. You’ll graduate ready for family-service and ministry careers, and well prepared for graduate study in counseling and family therapy.
Understand How Families Work
Study family structure, function, and resource management.
Educate and Strengthen Families
Learn family life education and the policies that shape family life.
Support Parents and Children
Study parent-child relations and how to support healthy family relationships.
Build Counseling Foundations
Learn principles of family counseling and cross-cultural counseling.
Engage Marriage and Sexuality
Study marriage, human sexuality, and gender from a thoughtful, faith-informed perspective.
Gain Real Experience
Apply your learning in a marriage and family practicum.
Few institutions matter more than the family — and a Biblical Worldview gives you a deep foundation for understanding and serving it.
The Family Matters
Scripture treats marriage and family as central to human life and flourishing. That conviction gives weight and purpose to the work of strengthening families.
Grounds your work in a high view of marriage and family.
Every Person Has Worth
Families are made of image-bearers — spouses, parents, and children all of inherent worth. Seeing them that way shapes how you support struggling and broken families with dignity.
Forms a posture of care for every member of a family.
Hope for Hurting Families
Families face real brokenness — conflict, loss, dysfunction. Scripture is honest about that while pointing toward healing and restoration, a posture that shapes how you serve families in crisis.
Prepares you to bring both realism and hope to family work.
Family Studies opens family-focused helping careers — and is one of the strongest undergraduate on-ramps to marriage and family therapy.
Family Life Educator
Teach and strengthen families through family life education programs.
Family & Social Services
Work in family services, case management, and community organizations.
Marriage & Family Ministry
Lead marriage, family, and parenting ministries in churches and nonprofits.
Graduate Study in Family Therapy
Continue into a master's in marriage and family therapy or counseling (licensed practice requires graduate study).
Child & Family Advocacy
Advocate for children and families in policy, nonprofit, and community settings.
ACU's Family Studies degree pairs a deep understanding of families with focused preparation for family-helping careers.
Built-In Counseling Foundation
Family counseling and cross-cultural counseling are part of the degree, not an afterthought.
A Marriage & Family Concentration
Focused study of marriage, sexuality, and family counseling, plus a practicum.
On-Ramp to MFT
Strong preparation for ACU's Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Real Practicum Experience
A marriage and family practicum gives you hands-on experience before graduation.
A High View of Family
Study families framed by a Biblical Worldview that honors marriage and family.
Getting started in family studies at ACU takes just a few steps. Here’s the path.
Apply to ACU
Submit your application for admission to Arizona Christian University.
Start Your ApplicationMeet With an Advisor
Map your degree plan, and if therapy is your goal, talk through the path toward the MFT master's.
Build the Family Studies Core
Start with family structure and the FAM core the concentration builds on.
Plan Your Practicum
Work with your advisor on the marriage and family practicum and its prerequisites.
The Family Studies degree gives you the understanding and skills to support families — in ministry, services, and the path toward family therapy. Connect with our team or apply today.