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Low-Residency Degree Programs

Get a contemplative education that fits your life.

At Naropa University, we recognize that not everyone can relocate to Boulder, Colo. That’s why we’ve created distance-learning programs that combine the high engagement of our campus experience with online classes.

Academics

What Is a Low-Residency Degree Program?

Low-residency programs give you the flexibility of taking most of your classes online. By combining online learning with in-person intensives or retreats, which immerse you in contemplative practice and coursework while also building community, you can maintain your work and personal life and live the experience of contemplative education.

Each low-residency degree program brings you to Colorado for in-person, in-depth experiences, while also allowing you to continue your work and community engagements.

For example, the Ecopsychology master’s starts with a thirteen-day residency, continues with a five-day campus intensive later in the program, then culminates in a rite-of-passage wilderness experience. The Yoga Studies program asks you to attend two in-person retreats that offer meditation immersion and introduce courses for the upcoming semester. In addition to in-person intensives in Colorado, the low-residency Somatic Counseling concentration begins each semester with a 2–3 day virtual intensive to build community.

Quick Facts

7

Low-Residency
Master's Degree
Programs

2-3

Years to Completion

75%

of Graduate
Students Receive
Federal or
Institutional Aid

Naropa University’s Low-Residency Master's Degree Programs

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 60 Credits
Discover an education infused with the knowledge, skills, professional competence, and compassionate presence we believe is essential to counseling education.
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Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 60 Credits
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 Spiritual Care
The MA in Spiritual Care program cultivates compassionate and skilled leaders ready to serve diverse communities through spiritual care. 
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MA in Spiritual Care
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
Master of Divinity
Learn the path of authentic pastoral work, from the inside out.
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Master of Divinity
A young man sitting in an unmade bed. He's looking at his notebook computer.
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

Student, Transformed

Studying Ecopsychology through the combination of contemplative practice and academics appears to take education beyond just knowing about a subject, topic or field of study. I am finding that the combination of contemplative practice and academic study helps me to develop more personal discipline, an ability to cope with the challenges of life and a creative discovery of what makes me most alive.”—Christopher Quiseng, MA Ecopsychology

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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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. 

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. 

Support Naropa

At a time when the value of higher education is being questioned, Naropa University stands firmly rooted in its mission to create a more just and regenerative world by nurturing insight, awareness, courage, and compassion in its students. By making a gift to Naropa, you play a pivotal role in helping to create the authentic, effective & mindful leaders that the world desperately needs.

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