Academics

Academics

Minds Open.

At Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, we will ask you to take one of the biggest, most courageous leaps of your life.

As the pioneer of contemplative higher education, and the only institution to offer a comprehensive university-wide commitment to contemplative pedagogy, Naropa offers a one-of-a-kind experience. Combining Eastern wisdom studies, mindfulness training, and the capacity for compassion, with traditional Western scholarship, we challenge you to develop your intellect, while delving into the depths of your mind and heart.

This educational crucible gives you a radical opportunity: To discover your true self. Align your life and career with your authentic nature.

What is "Contemplative Education"?

Contemplative education combines traditional classroom academics, experiential learning experiences and contemplative practices such as meditation and yoga. The goal? For you to know and prepare for your life purpose.

What to Expect?

Students at Naropa will take Core, Major, and Elective courses across a range of programs, and have autonomy in choosing their courses from a diverse list of offerings. Each major has a set of program requirements that must be completed, providing the essential skills and knowledge for the discipline. These requirements follow a sequence that we call Gateway, Milestone, Capstone. This sequencing reflects the intentional arc students that progress along as they deepen in their studies. We also have 15 credits of required Core Seminar courses that lay the foundation for the Naropa experience and provide the ingredients of a holistic, contemplative liberal arts education.

Within these parameters, we help each student craft the unique facets of their academic journey at Naropa. We dialogue with each student about the prior schooling, transfer credits, and academic goals in order to support robust degree planning. We work creatively together to ensure success and explore opportunities for study abroad, independent study, internships, and other ways of engaging with the world beyond the classroom.

Naropa emphasizes contemplative education and experiential learning, so you are likely to have more of these educational experiences than you might at other institutions. The faculty and staff at Naropa are diverse in their backgrounds, skills, and experience. They tend to be approachable and creative in their teaching and support, placing high priority on student development and communication. Instructors utilize traditional academic reading and writing, but also promote multiple modalities to engage different learning styles. Much of the learning takes place through facilitated discussion, group projects, self-determined research, and community action.

Undergraduate Programs

At Naropa University you won’t just sit on your hands in class, you’ll use them. Choose from our curated range of majors and minors—or create your own. Then raise your hand for internships, service learning projects, field studies, research, creative work, global study, or any combination thereof.

Graduate Programs

There is nothing generic about graduate studies at Naropa University. Here you will experience a mind-expanding education that will expose you to the most progressive ideas in your discipline while cultivating your wisdom to apply them.

Online Bachelor’s Degrees

BA Art Therapy Online
Merge your artistic process with the study of traditional and Eastern psychology for a deeply mindful approach to art therapy.
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BA Art Therapy Online
BA Environmental Studies Online
Naropa’s online degree in Environmental Studies—with tracks in Theory, Action, Justice and Contemplation—will provide you with knowledge and experience to integrate regenerative and restorative practices to address climate change.
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BA Environmental Studies Online
BA Interdisciplinary Studies Online
Want to earn your BA in Interdisciplinary Studies, anywhere in the world? Benefit from a personalized curriculum to suit your career goals.
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BA Interdisciplinary Studies Online
BA Psychology Online
At Naropa University, we want to awaken your fullest potential, empowering you to inspire and uplift others in turn.
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BA Psychology Online

Low-Residency Graduate Programs

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
Naropa’s three-year MA takes a multidimensional approach to online degrees in counseling, emphasizing meditation practice, Gestalt principles, Jungian studies and body awareness.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
MA in Ecopsychology
Ready to bridge the gap between humans and nature? Integrate ecological awareness into mental health practices to foster healing for both people and the planet.
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MA in Ecopsychology
MA in Yoga Studies
This program is designed for yoga teachers, practitioners, and yogis seeking advanced expertise in yoga’s diverse teachings and historical practices.
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MA in Yoga Studies
MFA in Creative Writing
Experiment with language and be mentored by faculty who are active, published writers.
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MFA in Creative Writing
Master of Divinity
Learn the path of authentic pastoral work, from the inside out.
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Master of Divinity

On-Campus Undergraduate Programs

BA Art Therapy
What if you could combine your love of making art with studying the workings of the mind?
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BA Art Therapy
BA Creative Writing & Literature
Invent your own genre. Analyze Shakespeare, avant-garde cinema, and modern poetry. Write your first novel.
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BA Creative Writing & Literature
BA Environmental Studies
What if you could serve a role helping humanity regain a harmonious relationship to the earth?
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BA Environmental Studies
BA Interdisciplinary Studies
What if you could combine your love of making art with studying the workings of the mind?
READ MORE
BA Interdisciplinary Studies
BA Psychology
At Naropa University, we seek to inspire your full human “beingness” so you can do likewise with others.
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BA Psychology
BA Religious Studies
Most religious studies programs focus on the intellectual exploration of text, ritual, and culture. At Naropa, we go deeper.
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BA Religious Studies
BA Visual Arts
What if you could combine your love of making art with studying the workings of the mind?
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BA Visual Arts
BA Yoga Studies
Align your major with your practice in Yoga.
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BA Yoga Studies

On-Campus Graduate Programs

MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling
This program integrating mindfulness, meditation and Buddhist teachings with traditional therapy.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
Naropa’s three-year MA takes a multidimensional approach to online degrees in counseling, emphasizing meditation practice, Gestalt principles, Jungian studies and body awareness.
READ MORE
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Nature-Based Transpersonal Counseling
Learn more about nature’s therapeutic potential at Naropa, where ecological awareness meets counseling to integrate natural environments into therapeutic practices.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Nature-Based Transpersonal Counseling
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Somatic Counseling
Focusing on body-centered therapeutic approaches, this program trains students to incorporate somatic practices into their counseling work.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Somatic Counseling
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Somatic Counseling: Dance/Movement Theories & Practice
Emphasizing the healing power of movement and dance, students learn to use these as therapeutic tools for emotional and psychological well-being.
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MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Somatic Counseling: Dance/Movement Theories & Practice
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Transpersonal Creative Art–Based Counseling
Integrating art-making into therapeutic practices, this program encourages deeper personal and client growth through creative expression.
READ MORE
MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling:
Transpersonal Creative Art–Based Counseling
Master of Divinity
Learn the path of authentic pastoral work, from the inside out.
READ MORE
Master of Divinity
MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics
Naropa University’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is unlike any other creative writing program in the world.
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MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics

YOU ARE READY.

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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Academics

Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.  

Admissions & Aid

If you’re seeking an education that resonates with both personal fulfillment and global impact, Naropa could be your top choice. At Naropa, you will experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational approaches. Explore how Naropa can fuel your journey of intellectual and spiritual development.

Life at Naropa

Through its incredibly vibrant and welcoming community,  “Naropa offers a home for those who aren’t willing to conform to convention—the mystic, the healer, the prophet, the rebel, the artist, the revolutionary, the oddball—those who are incredible contributors to the evolution of society and of our planet.”—Core Associate Professor Zvi Ish-Shalom

The Naropa Difference

How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person. 

About Naropa

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion. 

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Naropa Campuses Closed on Friday, March 15, 2024

Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed Friday, March 15, 2024.  All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. All online and low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.

Based on the current weather forecast, the Healing with the Ancestors Talk & Breeze of Simplicity program scheduled for Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday will be held as planned.

Staff that do not work remotely or are scheduled to work on campus, can work remotely. Staff that routinely work remotely are expected to continue to do so.

As a reminder, notifications will be sent by e-mail and the LiveSafe app.  

Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.  Naropa University trusts you to make thoughtful and wise decisions based on the conditions and situation in which you find yourself in.