Online + Low-residency
The Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology (MATP) degree program offers an opportunity for students to study the theories and practices of transpersonal psychology. The program prepares students to apply this knowledge to a range of professional and community settings. Students pursue a Concentration of their choice in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching, Creativity and Innovation, or Spiritual Psychology. By the beginning of the second year, students choose at least one concentration for their focus. A dual Concentration combines any two of the three offered options with additional units and time for completion. Some electives offered may be applied toward an optional sub-concentration in either Dream Studies or Transpersonal Ecopsychology.
The program is designed for transformative learning, integration of transpersonal and wisdom principles, and development and application of skills for personal and professional contribution1. According to O’Sullivan, transformative learning fosters enhanced awareness and consciousness in people, communities, and frames of reference. It encourages the vision of alternative approaches to living and posits the possibility of social justice, peace, and joy. Students are guided in their cultivation of leadership skills, self-knowing, and professional consciousness.
The MATP is an online program. Some online courses may require participation in synchronous teleconference sessions. The program includes a residency requirement, MTP7201A Opening Seminar and MTP7201B Transitional Seminar.
Note about Additional Fees: In addition to tuition, seminar attendance for the MATP program requires students to budget for travel, room, and board. See below for additional expenses related to the selection of a Concentration in Transformative Life Coaching or a dual Concentration.
1O’Sullivan, E. (2002). The project and vision of transformative education: Integral transformative learning. In E. V. O’Sullivan, A. Morrell, & M. A, O’Connor (Eds.), Expanding the boundaries of transformative learning (pp. 1-12). Palgrave.
Curriculum as Journey
The MATP curriculum is designed as a journey that includes scholarship, experiential learning, integration, increased consciousness, transformation, spiritual practices, creative expression, embodiment, and application of transpersonal education in service to greater communities. Faculty members facilitate whole-person instruction in a dynamic format within a close learning community. There is a high level of group discussion, participatory learning, and shared experiences. Instructors guide students in setting goals that enable them to make contributions to their families, communities, and professional fields.
Practicum experiences take place in the student’s home community and are chosen to prepare the student for future professional work or provide new tools for current professional work in their area of Concentration.
Faculty serve as academic advisors who guide students through their educational journey, helping them select courses that attain their academic and professional goals, and complete the program in a timely manner. Academic advisors are an essential part of students’ experience and play a central role in assisting them in finding meaning and relevance in their transpersonal education.
The MATP program can be completed in two years on a full-time basis. It can also be completed on a part-time basis.
Upon successful completion of the Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology program, students will be able to:
- Reflect upon the meaning of whole-person development, including growth in mind, body, spirit, creativity, and community, and apply that understanding to their own personal and professional lives.
- Blend theories and practices of transpersonal psychology with those in a professional concentration area(s).
- Employ multiple ways of accessing information, expressing self, and working with others in a professional Concentration area.
- Articulate shifts and developments in their own thought processes, including the assumptions they bring to situations, as these relate to their program of study.
- Use reflective scholarship and transpersonal theories and practices to create an action plan that addresses the needs of a community, organization, or professional area.
To receive a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology degree, students must successfully complete a minimum of 42 units. The composition of those units varies depending on the Concentration selected. The following are specific degree requirements:
- 17 units in Core Courses — Foundational Year
- 16–22 units in Concentration Courses
- 3–9 units in Elective Courses
Core Courses—Foundational Year (17 units)
The Foundational Year provides students with theories, practices, and embodiment of transpersonal and spiritual psychology.
Concentration Courses (16–22 units)
MATP students select at least one professional Concentration to focus their second year of study. As part of the Concentration, students complete the course MTP9041 Transpersonal Integration Paper, which enables students to demonstrate how transpersonal education can be integrated into community service. The following are the three primary Concentrations:
- Creativity and Innovation
- Spiritual Psychology
- Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching
In addition to formal coursework in the Concentration, students are expected to embed concepts and skills of their chosen Concentration into the Transpersonal Integration Paper. If a Dual Concentration is chosen, both areas of inquiry must be embedded within the Transpersonal Integration Paper.
Please review the policy on Certificates, Concentrations and Sub-concentrations here.
Creativity and Innovation (16 units)
Creativity and Innovation (16 units): The Concentration in Creativity and Innovation helps students work and use creative thinking skills in order to solve problems and make decisions within communities. It focuses on creative expression and imagination to move communities and organizations forward. The knowledge and leadership skills developed in this Concentration are applicable to work in institutional settings, corporations, hospitals, schools, and with individuals. It is key for entrepreneurial ventures. This Concentration addresses the educational goals of those who see themselves as “Cultural Creatives” and who want to develop new and original ways of impacting social change.
This Concentration provides the educational background necessary to apply for the Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator (REACE) credential through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). Students will be required by IEATA to complete additional experiences and supervision upon graduation for credentialing. Students are encouraged to review the credentialing requirements established by IEATA as these may change over time. Sofia University does not guarantee credentialing of any particular student who completes the MATP program with a Concentration in Creativity and Innovation.
Students are awarded a Certificate in Creative Expression upon successful completion of the Concentration in Creativity and Innovation. Their practicum experience (MTP8873 Professional Practicum I, MTP9974 Professional Practicum II), and project for MTP9041 Transpersonal Integration Paper must involve an aspect of creative expression to be eligible for the Certificate.
Spiritual Psychology (16 units)
The Concentration in Spiritual Psychology helps students to bring spirituality, consciousness, and wholeness into communities. It focuses on mindfulness, deep listening, community action, and respectful interactions with individuals and community groups. The knowledge and leadership skills developed from this Concentration are applicable to work in institutional settings, corporations, hospitals, schools, and with individuals. This Concentration may be relevant to yoga teachers, spiritual guides, educators, mental health practitioners, and other professionals who seek to integrate wholeness into their work environment.
Elective Courses (9 units)
MATP students electing Creativity and Innovation or Spiritual Psychology as their Concentrations are required to complete 9 units of Elective courses selected based on their personal interests and professional goals. The following courses may be used to fulfill the Elective Course requirements:
Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching (22 units)
The Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching is based on the theoretical principles and practices of ontological coaching. Ontological coaching facilitates the emergence of personal and professional life by exploring how humans co-create reality and perception. It addresses both action and the transpersonal levels of awareness. The Concentration aims to prepare students for a career as a coach or another professional in a field that integrates and makes use of coaching practices such as spirituality, executive leadership, creativity, psychedelic integration, wellness, and more. The Concentration prepares students to enter a professional coaching relationship with clients and to establish a specialized coaching practice.
Sofia University is a Level One Accredited Program by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Students graduating from The Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching will have educational background necessary and fulfill several of the requirements in order to apply for an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential through ICF. This comprehensive 1 year concentration includes 99 contact learning hours in synchronous and asynchronous format, observed live sessions, 7 group and 3 1:1 mentoring hours, recorded final coaching evaluation and a minimum of 30 coaching hours.
MTP7201B, MTP8800, MTP8811: For students selecting the Concentration of Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching, Introduction to the Transformative Coaching Process course, and the Practicum I course, are introduced at the Transitional Seminar and require the Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching students to attend two additional days of training after the conclusion of the Transitional Seminar.
In addition to tuition and fees, as well as the travel and other costs associated with attendance at the required seminars, the Concentration requires students to complete training hours with an outside professional coach, and that they themselves coach individuals outside their cohort. Students should expect to incur additional costs for professional coaching.
Students are awarded a Certificate of Completion in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching upon successful completion of the Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching. Their practicum experience—MTP8811 Professional Practicum in Transformative Coaching I (3), MTP8812 Professional Practicum in Transformative Coaching II (3), MTP8813 Advanced Practicum in Transformative Coaching (3), and MTP9041 Transpersonal Integration Paper—must involve an aspect of coaching to be eligible for the Certificate.
Elective Courses (3 units)
MATP students with a Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching are required to complete 3 units of Elective courses selected based on their personal interests and professional goals. The following courses may be used to fulfill the Elective Course requirements:
Dual Concentration
Several combinations of Concentrations are available to students; the units and timeframe required to complete a Dual Concentration vary based on the selection made. Dual Concentrations require additional coursework resulting in additional tuition and fees. Students considering a Dual Concentration should discuss this option with a Financial Aid Office and must declare their intention to pursue this option by the beginning of the second year or when enrollment in Concentration courses first takes place.
Creativity and Innovation and Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching (43 units)
Students who successfully complete the Concentration in Creativity and Innovation (16 units), four elective courses (12 units), and the core competencies in the Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching (15 units) can obtain a Dual Concentration in both areas. An additional nine months of study is generally required. (Note: with the required Core Courses this dual concentration requires a total of 60 units to graduate.)
Students are awarded both a Certificate in Creative Expression and in Transformative Life Coaching upon successful completion of the dual Concentration in Creativity and Innovation and Leadership and Transformative Coaching. Their practicum experience (MTP8873 Professional Practicum I, MTP9974 Professional Practicum II) and project for MTP9041 Transpersonal Integration Paper must involve an aspect of both concentrations.
The following courses from the Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching must be completed:
Spiritual Psychology and Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching (43 units):
Students who successfully complete the Concentration in Spiritual Psychology (16 units), four elective courses (12 units), and the core competencies in the Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching (15 units), can obtain a Dual Concentration in both areas. An additional nine months of study is generally required. (Note: with the required Core Courses this dual concentration requires a total of 60 units to graduate.)
The following courses from the Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching must be completed:
Creativity and Innovation and Spiritual Psychology (31 units)
Students may choose to take additional courses to obtain a Dual Concentration in Creativity and Innovation and Spiritual Psychology.
Students are awarded a Certificate in Creative Expression upon successful completion of the dual Concentration in Creativity and Innovation and Spiritual Psychology. Their practicum experience (MTP8873 Professional Practicum I, MTP9974 Professional Practicum II) and project for MTP9041 Transpersonal Integration Paper must involve an aspect of both concentrations to be eligible for this certificate.
The following courses are required for this Dual Concentration:
Students pursuing Dual Concentration in Creativity and Innovation and Spiritual Psychology must also complete 12 units in Elective Courses. (Note: With the required Core Courses this dual concentration requires a total of 48 units to graduate.)
Optional Certificates
Please review the policy on Certificates, Concentrations and Sub-concentrations here.
Sofia University's certificate in Dream Studies is offered in our Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. It is one of the few Dream Studies certificate programs in an accredited University in the United States. The program has an interdisciplinary orientation, exploring dreams from transpersonal, integral, psychological, scientific, mythological, spiritual, religious, and cross-cultural perspectives. Courses cover subjects that include sleep, dreams, and states of consciousness; ordinary, extraordinary, and anomalous dreams; dreams as they relate to health and creativity; a practicum in dream sharing with individuals and groups; personal mythology and dreamwork; and a final Certificate integration group presentation.
With five courses to complete, this 13-credit curriculum is taught by Sofia Faculty. This certificate is designed for students, researchers, counselors, therapists, and anyone with a desire to explore dreams in a way that is applicable to personal development and/or careers in higher education, research, counseling, coaching, writing, and other careers where healing, creativity, imagination, inspiration, and transformation are important.
The Dream Studies certificate can be earned alone or as a sub-concentration or concentration in our Transpersonal Psychology Masters or Doctoral Programs.
Please review the policy on certificates, concentrations and sub-concentrations here.
The following courses fulfill Dream Studies certification requirements:
Sofia University's certificate in Transpersonal Ecopsychology is offered in our School of Transpersonal Psychology. It became available as a stand-alone certificate available to all qualified applicants after WSCUS approval. It is one of the few Ecopsychology certificate programs in an accredited University in the U.S. The program has an interdisciplinary orientation, exploring ecopsychology from the perspective of spirituality, transpersonal psychology, sustainability, culture, sacred ecology, and practical application. Courses cover subjects that include eco-spirituality; ecopsychology; sustainability, culture, and sacred ecology; nature-based programs and wholeness, a practicum, and a final Certificate integration group presentation.
With five courses to complete, this 13-credit curriculum is taught by Sofia Faculty. This certificate is designed for students, researchers, counselors, therapists, and anyone with a desire to explore the relationship between human beings and Nature in a way that is applicable to personal development and/or careers in higher education, research, counseling, coaching, writing, and other careers in which protecting Nature and healing the human-Nature bond for the benefit of both is important.
The Certificate in Transpersonal Ecopsychology can be earned as a stand-alone certificate, a sub-concentration within the Transpersonal Psychology Master’s program, or as a concentration in the Doctoral program.
Please review the policy on Certificates, Concentrations, and Sub-concentrations here.
The following courses fulfill Transpersonal Ecopsychology certification requirements:
Students are awarded a Certificate of Completion in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching upon successful completion of the Concentration in Leadership and Transformative Life Coaching. Their practicum experience—MTP8811 Professional Practicum inTransformative Coaching I (3), MTP8812 Professional Practicum in Transformative Coaching II (3), MTP8813 Advanced Practicum in Transformative Coaching (3), and MTP9041 Transpersonal Integration Paper—must involve an aspect of coaching to be eligible for the Certificate.