In this project-based course, students join visionary creative thinking and dreaming with the hands-on conceptual and artistic work of designing individualized interdisciplinary programs that will guide their work at Naropa and beyond. We engage in design thinking, connecting our values, passions and commitments to the lives and work of changemakers working in diverse fields. We examine and experiment with integrative mindsets, models and practices in the context of a vibrant learning community-working alone and together to connect prior learning with future selves, integrating, honoring and building capacity through joining head, heart and hands. Student must be a declared INTD major.
This interdisciplinary seminar introduces students to the emerging field of social entrepreneurship through readings, case studies, guest lectures, films, and field trips. As we examine the history, methods, challenges, and opportunities of local and global social entrepreneurs and innovators, we elicit our own bold visions for the future. We engage the local community as an incubator of social innovation, exploring the role of creativity, collaboration, courage, and compassion in social entrepreneurship. Students in this course build practical skills, developing business plans and models for ventures that address social challenges in education, health care, human rights, and food security, among others. Students from all disciplines who seek to build capacity as visionary, pragmatic change agents are welcome.
Compassion training is at the vanguard of the contemplative education movement nationally, and this course investigates compassion from personal, societal, and historical perspectives. What is compassion, and how can we become more compassionate? What contributions have the major religions of the world made to cultivating compassion? What has recent scientific research revealed about the cultivation of compassion? What contemplative practices and what activities deepen our empathy and compassion, and what are the results? These interdisciplinary studies are threaded by ongoing compassion meditation training, drawing especially from the Buddhist practices of loving-kindness and compassion.
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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.
From Naropa University: Due to adverse weather conditions, all Naropa campuses will be closed on 05/06/26. All classes that require a physical presence on campus will be canceled. Classes that are delivered online in our low-residency programs are to meet as scheduled.
Regardless of Naropa University’s decision, if you ever believe the weather conditions are unsafe, please contact your supervisor and professors.Graduate School of Counseling concentrations listed below will be offering online and low-residency courses to start their programs in January 2026 as well as our Summer 2026 terms.
Beginning a graduate program in Spring 2026 or Summer 2026 means that you will have access to apply for Graduate Plus loans as these loans will be eliminated at the federal level starting in Fall 2026.
Contact Admissions (admissions@naropa.edu) today to learn how you can begin the next step in your graduate education journey.
