Graduate Degree Programs at Pacifica

Pacifica’s internationally recognized and accredited graduate programs attract students from around the world.

A core Pacifica belief is that human experience is diverse and multi-faceted. Consequently, the Institute’s degree programs are interdisciplinary in orientation and in practice. At Pacifica, the study of literature, religion, art, and mythology enhance the study of the science of psychology. In the same way, scholarship in mythological studies and the humanities is enlivened by the development of an understanding and appreciation of the tradition of depth psychology and the recurring archetypal motifs that move through the human heart and soul.

Time to Complete a Degree

Pacifica’s unique mission primarily attracts innovative and creative working professionals who are interested in a rigorous intellectual experience that connects with their souls and positively transforms how they see the world. A Pacifica graduate degree equips them for the vocation they feel called to, whether to enhance what they are already doing or equip them for new and additional work in the world.

As with other schools designed for working adults in a variety of life stages, many of our students are balancing their studies with demanding careers and with engaging, and sometimes complex, personal lives. Our students generally are also committed to making the time to pursue the inner work required by an ongoing individuation process, a process which is fostered and facilitated by our curricula. Given these demands on our students’ lives, it often takes an additional 12-24 months beyond the time considered by national accrediting bodies such as WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) as “standard” time in which to complete any typical master’s or doctorate program.

We have found that many of our students whose studies prepare them for entry into a new career generally complete the degrees in less time than those who have established professions. Students who are studying with a goal of enhancing what they are already doing or advancing within the same field often are more likely to want to savor and extend the experience for its ongoing transformational effect. Their goals do not demand completion within a certain time frame.

For information about Pacifica graduates in the world today, please see the alumni web page.