Deepen your understanding of the human-nature relationship and its importance in re-balancing our world for personal, societal and planetary health.
Naropa’s Ecopsychology Degree is both highly experiential and academically rigorous. We prepare future ecopsychologists for a shifting environmental landscape where they’ll apply their training, skills, and unique talents to a broad array of employment directions.
This low-residency MA program combines online courses and residential Intensives with a cohort model that builds a supportive community and long-lasting friendships. Over two years, you’ll engage in contemplative practices and meditation, deep immersion in the natural world, meaningful service-learning, and strong foundations in the field of ecopsychology, which blends transpersonal psychology with ecological principles.
In community with seasoned faculty and like-minded peers, you will learn to repair the bridge that connects humans to the natural world.
Following Naropa’s mission of contemplative education, the Master of Arts in Ecopsychology matches theoretical study with meditative practice. In the ecopsychology graduate program, nature is the added element, creating the opportunity to know oneself through the natural world.
The Master of Arts in Ecopsychology program seeks to expand contemplative education through its low-residency, online format. Because the ecological issues facing humanity exist on a global scale, we aim for a geographically diverse student body.
Through the Transpersonal Service Learning course, graduate students will apply their knowledge of transpersonal ecopsychology through community fieldwork. Service-learning placements, at sites from bereavement centers to nonprofits, include teaching art and ecopsychology, assisting teen wilderness rites-of-passage courses, and providing natural disaster relief.
The low-residency Master of Arts in Ecopsychology program is a two-year, 38-credit program that begins with an extended residential intensive at the Drala Mountain Center. It then continues with students learning from their own home online during the fall and spring semesters.
Students also attend a five-day intensive course in Boulder each January and begin the second year with a two-week summer intensive that includes a rites of passage wilderness camping trip.
Coursework integrates theory, experiential learning, and contemplative practice in the study of ecopsychology, including ecoresilience strategies. This is not a clinical program and does not lead to licensure. Students complete both written and service-learning projects.
This online course deepens understanding of the field of ecopsychology by seating its concepts in cultural and applied contexts. Application of the ecopsychological principles for addressing contemporary ecological problems and ethics are examined, along with options for effective and compassionate action.
Ecopsychology integrates psychology with ecology in the study of human/nature relationships. At Naropa University, contemplative practice and transpersonal psychology provide a foundation for this integration. The result is a unique contemplative and transpersonal orientation to the field of ecopsychology.
Our Ecopsychology Degree requires a total of 38 credits split and takes two years to complete. The required courses are as follows:
First year, fall (10 credits)
First year, spring (8 credits)
First year, summer (6 credits)
Second year, fall (6 credits)
Second year, spring (8 credits)
Explore a short, self-paced course with sample classes, teachings from faculty, and real stories from students and alumnx about their experience. Get a feel for how learning happens here through reflection, practice, and real-world application.
Your in-person intensives will take you to our Boulder Campus and the Drala Mountain Center. Engage in contemplative practice and develop a deeper understanding of the human/nature relationship in a nature-based setting.
Ecopsychology is an emerging field that is developing in recognition that human health, identity, and sanity are intimately linked to the health of the earth. Naropa University offers the only Graduate program in the U.S. where Ecopsychology is the main focus.
Naropa’s commitment to sustainability is a core part of our mission. We promote the individual and collective integration of ecological, economic, and spiritual well-being through institutional and community practices, with our curriculum and through all endeavors we pursue.
Transpersonal Service Learning is a method of teaching where students learn and develop through active participation in organized service experiences. These experiences take place in their communities and are integrated into the academic curriculum of the Ecopsychology MA program. They are designed to meet the needs of a community, provide structured time for reflection and help foster civic responsibility.
Transpersonal ecopsychologists recognize the essential role of multidisciplinary studies. Practitioners may explore religion, anthropology, ecology, physics, and other fields for a fuller understanding of the human being. Similarly, transpersonal psychology is, at its roots, strongly intercultural. The Ecopsychology program values diversity in its student body and faculty and includes explorations of diversity throughout its courses.
Students draw upon the opportunities offered by the Ecopsychology program as a vehicle for psychospiritual growth and transformation. The development of community among program students and faculty, the intellectual challenge of the program, and the experiential engagement with contemplative and transpersonal practices all foster transformation.
Take your love for nature a step further; learn how nature can heal.
Help restore the powerful link between humans and the natural world.
Gain wilderness skills you will use for a lifetime.
Learn about yourself through immersive wilderness experiences.
Create opportunities for healing where ecology meets psychology.
Our graduates apply the MA in Ecopsychology in a variety of career areas, including environmental education and advocacy, education, group facilitation and training, wilderness guiding, workshop and retreat leadership, social services, health care and healing, organizational development, coaching, and community development.
Naropa is not only preparing me for the immediate future but for the future of my grandchildren and their grandchildren, [teaching them] to act gently upon the earth.
Career opportunities for our graduates are many and varied. MA in Ecopsychology graduates have gone on to careers as naturopathic healers, green business consultants, healing journey guides, and wellness consultants. You can visit the Naropa Healers Directory to learn about the work that our alumnx are doing in the field. Naropa graduates are bringing their knowledge of environmental psychology to diverse professions in locations that span the globe.
No, this program is not a path toward clinical licensing as a counselor. However, this program includes a service-learning component where students engage with Ecopsychology in their community. If you are interested in becoming a clinical counselor, take a look at our Clinical Mental Health Counseling Degree.
Our low-residency model combines online courses and residential Intensives with a cohort model. In this program, you will come to Colorado four times spread throughout your two years of study. We build supportive community and long-lasting friendships between students who cannot relocate permanently to our Boulder campus, but still want to get the full experience of a Naropa contemplative education.
Naropa is the only university to offer a graduate Ecopsychology program. Ours is the only university where you can acquire professional training and rigorous academic knowledge at once with official accreditation. Besides these institutional advantages, Naropa’s Ecopsychology master’s degree is based on the principles of contemplative education, sustainability, regeneration, and balance.
Admissions Counselor
Admissions Counselor
Naropa University’s admission process follows our contemplative education principles. We value academic excellence as well as the commitment to introspective work. Admissions are rolling and applications will be accepted until the program is full.
Learn more about admission requirements, current deadlines, and the application process for the Ecopsychology Degree.
At Naropa, we believe quality education should be accessible. More than 75% of our graduate students receive some form of financial aid to help cover their costs. Our graduate costs & aid page covers costs and financial aid opportunities for graduate students, like scholarships, student employment, and loan options.
Scholarships are a great way to help with the costs of going to school. Naropa University offers an array of scholarship opportunities to graduate students. Students may be eligible to receive scholarships by applying for scholarships or by being nominated for a scholarship. For more detailed information about the different scholarships available and how to receive them, please review our graduate scholarship page.
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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.
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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.
