Graduate Programs
-
Master of Arts (M.A.) in
Asian Contemplative and Transcultural Studies
The online M.A. in Asian Contemplative and Transcultural Studies teaches and researches the contemplative traditions, practices and experiences of South and East Asia as agents for change in the modern world. The program offers a field of study for scholar-practitioners interested in experiencing personal transformation and in becoming leaders who catalyze world transformation.
Our graduates are prepared for professional careers in academia and research, activism and organizational leadership, and spiritual counseling or coaching. Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, among them: Asian wisdom traditions, yoga studies, Integral Yoga, traditional Chinese medicine, Depth and archetypal psychologies, Western religious and esoteric traditions, folklore and mythology, ecopsychology, indigenous psychospiritualities, plant medicines, non-ordinary states of consciousness, and transpersonal and existential psychologies.
-
Master of Science (M.S.) in
Critical Sexuality Studies
CIIS’ Human Sexuality M.S. is an interdisciplinary program in Critical Sexuality Studies, exploring the intersections of power and sexuality. Through coursework, students undergo an analysis of power structures by exploring the many socio-cultural organizations of sex and gender that influence societies.
Graduates of the M.S. program are prepared for professional careers in research, education, clinical and organizational settings, advocacy, policy, and more. Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, among them social and economic justice issues for the LGBTQ community, feminist conversations on power and gender, the biopolitics of HIV-prevention, reproductive journeys of transgender and nonbinary people, bioethics of sexual reorientation interventions, and bisexual representations in film and media.
-
Master of Arts (M.A.) in
Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion
CIIS’ online master’s degree in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion emphasizes an embodied, engaged approach in which contemplative practice and career exploration complement rigorous study. Our master's students are motivated by their deep concern for the state of Earth and their determination to find creative solutions for the future. In an engaged learning community with faculty and peers, students examine ecological issues from a variety of religious studies, social science, and policy perspectives.
Our graduates pursue professional careers in academia, the nonprofit sector, the arts, and other paths involving human-animal relations, religious rites and practices, ecopsychology, ecofeminism, environmental humanities, wilderness studies, and related themes. Our innovative and diverse faculty work to shape the global dialogue linking spirituality, religion, and cosmology with ecology and sustainability through research in environmental ethics, socio-ecology, evolutionary cosmology, theology, and religious studies.
-
Doctoral Degrees (Ph.D.) in
Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion
CIIS’ Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion Ph.D. offers a nurturing community engaged in revitalizing relationships to Earth while exploring the intersections of world religions, Indigenous traditions, eco-spirituality, eco-justice, and eco-feminism.
Our unique curriculum explores traditional cultures and emerging worldviews within a critically-informed methodological framework in order to help students understand, articulate, and address ecological trauma and transformation. Students gain skills and insight needed to transform practices, worldviews, and consciousness in service of a more just, sustainable, and flourishing planetary future.
Our graduates pursue professional careers in academia, the nonprofit sector, the arts, and other paths involving human-animal relations, religious rites and practices, ecopsychology, ecofeminism, environmental humanities, wilderness studies, and related themes. Our innovative and diverse faculty work to shape the global dialogue linking spirituality, religion, and cosmology with ecology and sustainability through research in environmental ethics, socio-ecology, evolutionary cosmology, theology, and religious studies.
-
Master of Arts (M.A.) in
Expressive Arts Coaching & Community Building
The Master of Arts in Expressive Arts Coaching & Community Building is a fully online, experiential, four-semester M.A. that trains skilled practitioners of arts-based individual and group coaching.
Students benefit from expert faculty with decades of professional experience, and learn multiple approaches to coaching, instead of just one, as is common in certificate programs. Graduates gain the knowledge and confidence to start or grow their careers in coaching, advocacy, or community settings; or advance an existing arts practice. They can apply their practice hours to credentials through the International Coaching federation (ICF) and Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE). This online degree is designed to complement busy adult lives, while instilling academic and artistic excellence in the coursework, and includes a capstone project and year-long supervised practicum.
-
Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in
Interdisciplinary Arts and Writing
CIIS’ Interdisciplinary Arts department offers a unique Master of Fine Arts degree that focuses on the vital role of inquiry in artmaking. We value the complex range of human experience that provokes art and welcome artists from all disciplines — literary, visual, performing, media, and interdisciplinary — into an innovative laboratory for individual and collaborative artmaking.
Our graduates are prepared for professional careers in journalism, coaching, arts administration, academia, and more. Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, among them: cognitive science, creativity, poetry, and the brain, pluralism in the arts, social construction of whiteness, critical media literacy, and social justice comedy.
-
Master of Arts (M.A.) in
Transformative Leadership
CIIS’ Master’s in Transformative Leadership is a degree program ideal for passionate and innovative leaders who want to attain personal growth and practical skills in the service of a greater future. The coursework in the Transformative Leadership master’s program invites you to engage in self-exploration around what matters most to you and how you can draw on all of your internal and external resources to lead your life. Through rigorous academic study, deep personal inquiry, and a culminating Capstone Project, the program provides the framework to envision, initiate, and engage in transformative change processes.
Our graduates go on to be passionately engaged in work that manifested as a result of their experience in our program, whether it’s leading a nonprofit, teaching in academia, working for environmental or social justice initiatives, or creating their own consulting firm. Our faculty have a broad range of research interests, among them 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.
-
Doctoral Degrees (Ph.D.) in
Transformative Studies
The mission of our Transformative Studies Ph.D. program is to develop transdisciplinary scholars committed to exploring leading-edge issues in innovative ways that combine scholarship, creativity, and self-inquiry. We invite students to take a systems view of a topic of interest, interrogating its context and complexity. From there, students will design a dissertation drawing on a wide range of qualitative and theoretical research approaches.
Our graduates are trained for professional careers as both thought and action leaders who work in fields such as broadcasting, coaching, academia, and policy. Our faculty have a broad range of research interests, among them 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.
-
Master of Arts (M.A.) in
Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice
CIIS’ master’s in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice honors the spiritual impulses that have guided movements for equality and justice across the globe. This program is best suited to those who are interested in developing a visionary approach to their work as activists, educators, healers, facilitators, artists, and socially conscious entrepreneurs.
Our graduates pursue a unique interdisciplinary curriculum which prepares them for professional careers in academia and research, teaching and education, coaching and counseling, media, and entrepreneurship. Our innovative and diverse faculty pursue research interests in the three areas of the curriculum: Women and World Religions; Feminist and Ecofeminist Philosophy and Activism; and Women's Mysteries, Sacred Arts, and Healing.
-
Doctoral Degrees (Ph.D.) in
Women’s Spirituality
The Ph.D. in Women’s Spirituality is a rigorous transdisciplinary online program building students towards thought-leadership and propelling change. The program explores varied spiritual, ecological, and political perspectives rooted in care for the Earth, each other, and the Sacred. Through your coursework and unique research, you will explore transpersonal and embodied ways of knowing holding womanist, feminist, Indigenous and decolonial lenses.
Our graduates pursue a unique interdisciplinary curriculum which prepares them for professional careers in academia and research, teaching and education, coaching and counseling, media, and entrepreneurship. Our innovative and diverse faculty pursue research interests in the three areas of the curriculum: Women and World Religions; Feminist and Ecofeminist Philosophy and Activism; and Women's Mysteries, Sacred Arts, and Healing.
Start Your Application for Spring/Fall 2026
CIIS is ready to help you meet your academic goals and create your dream path.