This fall, Penn will be offering a new executive masters' course aimed at eliminating the cynicism of today's professional world.
The Master of Applied Positive Psychology program -- which will begin classes in September -- hopes to offer working professionals a "strength-based approach" to real-world environments, said James Pawelski, the education director for the MAPP program. "What would happen if professions looked at professionals' strengths and adapt[ed] to those?"
The program will be administered by the College of General Studies and taught by the faculty at the University's Positive Psychology Center, which was founded by Penn psychology professor Martin Seligman in 1998.
Seligman first conceived of Positive psychology seven years ago. This master's program marks the discipline's first foray from the world of academic research into professional application and education.
"It was one of the goals of positive psych not only to have a research wing, but also a teaching wing," Pawelski said.
Thirty-five students were admitted from an applicant pool of over 100, and they represent both professionals and college graduates with "clear visions" of their professional careers, he added.
Students will choose one of five tracks designed to relate professional fields: clinical psychology, coaching, education, health and organizational leadership.
What makes this program unique among others at CGS is its executive education model, which has been used mostly at business schools before now.
The students will meet for five on-site interactive weekends each semester for two semesters, followed by a capstone research project in the summer, making it a full 12-month program.
The weekend meetings will consist of lectures, group projects and discussions.
Between meetings, the students will participate in distance learning activities by telephone or Internet.
This method is intended to allow students and professors from outside the local area to participate. One-third of the students accepted to the program are from far away, including one who will be commuting from Zurich, Switzerland, each month.
"It's great to have students living in their professional environment," Pawelski said.
The rationale behind the executive model is that it allows students to apply positive psychology in their professional environment and then share the results with their professors and fellow students during the interactive weekends.
The purpose of the degree is not for "credentialing or licensing," but for immersion and application, Pawelski said.
The vision for the program is that the students will not just be able to improve their own professional habits, but to affect their professions as a whole.
Penn Psychology professor Paul Rozin, who is teaching a segment of the program, said he plans to add a broader context to the discipline -- designed mostly for professional application -- by demonstrating that there are "other ways someone can live a fulfilled life" depending on the "framework you put it in."
"There is an applied side, but there is a close link to the scholarly, academic side," Rozin said, comparing MAPP to Penn's program in clinical psychology.
"It has a long way to go, but this is unusual because Seligman is starting a movement," Rozin said.
"This is the first thing of its sort," he added.
In creating the program, Seligman and Pawelski sought input from CGS and other professors.
The MAPP faculty and staff have already had discussions with the Wharton School and plan to reach out to other professional schools such as the schools of medicine, law and education in the future.
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