Program Overview
The MATPCS is the flagship, unifying program proposed by Dr. Chopra. This will be the first time that the world’s foremost leaders in transpersonal psychology, neuroscience, consciousness studies, and other key disciplines have come together to produce a comprehensive program. The degree has three required tracks of classes within it:
- A psychospiritual development track designed to help students personally transform.
- A wisdom track that covers graduate-level knowledge in transpersonal psychology and consciousness studies.
- An impact track that is designed to help students take what they learn and apply it in the world. There will be three options to choose from in this track (think of them like program minors): thought leadership, organizational transformation, and research.
The MA program’s tracks have been designed to help student’s personally transform, to help them contextualize that transformation and situate it within what is currently known scientifically, and to help them take what they’ve leaned and use it to have a significant impact on others. We’ve identified four ways that people want to exert that influence on the world. One, is simply by continuing to live their life from a transpersonal perspective, via the daily interactions they have, and so forth. This is covered widely in the program itself.
A second is via some form of deliberate outreach, such as teaching, writing, speaking, owning or running a program or center of some kind, and so forth. These diverse areas are not possible to cover in one program, but one thing they all have in common is that someone is much more likely to succeed at them if the person understands thought leadership. Many people are involved in organizations, and want to effectively take what they have learned into their organizational environment to impact it. The second minor in the impact track helps students gain the skills they need to do this.
Finally, some students want to move the ball forward by conducting research in an area that interests them. This is covered more later in the document. Students who choose this option will have a slightly longer program, and be required to produce a thesis. Students choosing one of the other options will have to complete a comprehensive exam, paper or project, but not a thesis.
Each of the tracks has a series of required classes. Generally there are one or two foundations classes, and one or two more specialized classes in each track. For example, in the wisdom track the required foundational classes are: a.) Foundations of Transpersonal Psychology, and b.) Foundations of Consciousness Studies. The required specialized classes are: a.) Neuroscience and Biology of Transpersonal Psychology and Consciousness Studies, and b.) Consciousness, Cosmology, and Science.
Overall the program consists of approximately 54 units. Approximately 37 units are for required courses, the remainder are electives that can be Sofia classes, approved courses from other regionally accredited schools, or approved public programs. The program is delivered entirely online. Fulltime, the program requires approximately 1.5 years to complete. Part-time, it can be completed in a little as 2 years. If a student takes a lot of public classes as their elective credit, both of these timelines can be accelerated.