Jun11
Explore CIIS' unique academic programs at the Summer Info Fair on June 11, 2026.
Department of Transformative Inquiry
Self-inquiry, and personal growth combined with rigorous academic inquiry and action in the world
In an era of increasing complexity with ever-multiplying challenges and opportunities, there is a critical need for wisdom and vision in a wide array of settings, from education and the environment to businesses and local communities. Our programs frame education as a creative, transdisciplinary process and integrate a focus on personal growth, action in the world, and explorations of the possible.
In Their Own Words
Hear what our faculty and students have to say
CIIS’ Transformative Inquiry programs have been intentionally online since their inception: our doctoral program was among the first of its kind, and we have over 30 years of experience facilitating rich, engaging online learning. We believe asynchronous conversation fosters thoughtful interaction and deep learning, and provides opportunities for students with additional responsibilities to discover the education that works with their schedules.
Our Programs
Through rigorous academic study and deep personal inquiry, our programs provide the framework to envision, and engage in transformative change.
Department of Transformative Inquiry
This two-year, online master’s is designed for students with a passion for leadership who want to make a difference in the world. Through self-exploration and dynamic courses with a community of like-minded individuals, they develop the skills to realize their vision.
Department of Transformative Inquiry
The online Ph.D. in Transformative Studies is an innovative, individualized, cohort-based, transdisciplinary degree that frames inquiry as a creative process. Students research a topic they are passionate about, developed in dialogue with faculty members.
Round Table for Creative Futures
Transformative Studies faculty combat the despair and increasingly dystopian expectations of the future, and share how creativity can be used to inspire hope and action.
Faculty Research and Scholarship
Our faculty have a broad range of research interests including: systems thinking as a catalyst for personal and social change, consciousness, education reform, creativity and improvisation, personal growth, leadership development, future studies, coaching, and spiritual intelligence.
Returning the Self to Nature
In this episode of the Radiant Rest podcast, Professor Jeanine Canty discusses her book Returning the Self to Nature: Undoing Our Collective Narcissism and Healing Our Planet. During the conversation she shares knowledge from the field of ecopsychology about the potential to repair our relationships to ourselves and to our world.
The Power of Somatic Dreams
Professor Daniel Deslauriers' essay “Heart-Knowing, Somatic Dreaming, and Trans-subjectivity: A Scholarly Personal Narrative,” published in ReVision: A Journal of Consciousness and Transformation, explores the power of somatic dreams and intersubjectivity. Such dreams, he notes, often engage deep philosophical questions and can help bring meaning and insight to critical questions in life.
Transforming Academia: Creativity and Transdisciplinarity
What does it mean to do creative work beyond a single discipline? Professor Alfonso Montuori explores where creativity has been marginalized in academia and why we're bringing it back. He examines what it means to frame academic inquiry as a creative process, one that draws on all knowledge relevant to our specific inquiries rather than the confines of a single discipline.
Our Upcoming Events
Our Department in Action
Campus News
How CIIS honors the Earth through curriculum, retreats, events, and practices that root learning in the living world.
Faculty Interview
Dr. Jeanine Canty on Earth Justice, Ancestral Roots, and the Ecological Self
Alumni News
CIIS students and alumni reflect on the moments that changed everything — inside and outside the classroom.