Brent Barlow received his BS from Brigham Young University in 1966 in psychology and his MA in 1968 in religion. In 1971 he went to Florida State University, where he received his PhD in marriage and family relations. Brother Barlow taught LDS Seminary at Davis High School, Utah (1966–1968) and at the Institute of Religion at Florida State University (1968–1971). Next Brother Barlow taught marriage and family courses at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (1971–1974), University of Wisconsin-Stout at Menomonie (1974–1977), and Brigham Young University Provo (1977–2008), receiving outstanding teaching awards at all three universities. He wrote a weekly column, " Meaningful Marriage", in the Deseret News for eleven years, 1979–1990. Brother Barlow retired from BYU in 2008 and served a CES mission with his wife, Susan, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Barlows have seven children, all married, and twenty-six grandchildren.