Goddard College

Program Information

Degree Offered

M.A. in Individualized Studies

Format: Hybrid

Program Description:

Students in the MA in Individualized Studies program design unique courses of study by starting with questions or issues that are compelling to them or to others. With faculty guidance, students build upon this foundation by researching the epistemologies, histories, cultures, and theories that are essential to their fields of interest. They refine the academic skills necessary to complete graduate study. They interrogate perspectives and assumptions, moving beyond traditional thinking that can limit problem-solving.

The low-residency model allows students to work with faculty and peers face-to-face, and pursue their studies independently. Between residencies, students and faculty maintain intellectual dialogues that emerge from students' packet work.

Each student-designed curriculum incorporates interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary methodologies and integrates personal experiences with other ways of knowing. The program's core values are self-knowledge, open-mindedness, awareness of history and context, questioning of dominant perspectives, rigorous research methodology, and creativity. These values are reflected in the degree criteria and guide students' studies.

As their skills become more advanced, students apply theoretical concepts to engaged practices, such as community workshops, teaching, or publication of research findings; and demonstrate how their work contributes to current bodies of knowledge.

Our commitment to integrated learning means that students meet professional and academic goals and achieve personal and social transformation while earning a degree that is both practical and intellectually rewarding.

The majority of IMA students create completely individualized courses of study. Students may also choose to follow a concentration in Consciousness Studies, Environmental Studies (with an emphasis on place), or Transformative Language Arts.

Accreditation:

NEASC

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities I

Institution Sector: Private not-for-profit

Locale: Distant Rural Area

Size & Settings: Under 1,000