Positive psychology

University of Missouri-Columbia
Graduate certificate
a multi-color watercolor representation of waves flowing through a human head
Request more information

Get started with MU

Apply here

Graduate certificate

Help individuals, communities and workplaces thrive. The University of Missouri’s (Mizzou) online graduate certificate in positive psychology connects 21st-century theories with ancient philosophies to expand your understanding of this subfield’s methods and applications.

Ideal for current counseling and psychology professionals, this 15-credit-hour program equips you to support individuals and organizations as they think about their place in the world — including relationships, culture, purpose and meaning — and dedicate themselves toward transformation, improvement and fulfillment.

About the online graduate certificate in positive psychology

As a discipline, positive psychology focuses on the intersection of culture, science and mental health. This overlap highlights the path forward, allowing individuals, communities, cultures and organizations to fully embrace their potential. In the process, each entity contemplates what brings them fulfillment and develops strategies to reach this goal and ultimately thrive.

Overseeing the program, the Department of Educational, School & Counseling Psychology fosters a diverse, supportive environment rooted in a scientist-practitioner instructional model. For professionals aiming to enrich their practice, the online graduate certificate in positive psychology:

  • Encourages advancement of the individual and their collective well-being
  • Explores the science of well-being and how applied theories and interventions guide individuals toward personal and professional success
  • Applies principles toward lived experiences to nurture an individual's personal, social, academic and professional development
  • Considers well-being in relation to self-reflection, emotional health, personal strengths, relationships, meaning, purpose, achievements, culture and community
  • Emphasizes the importance of conducting research to observe modern positive psychology applications and develop interventions
  • Goes beyond the individual to highlight how positive psychology theories enrich businesses, government agencies and educational environments

Quick facts

Official name

Graduate certificate in positive psychology

Campus

University of Missouri-Columbia

Program type

Graduate certificate

Academic home

College of Education & Human Development | Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology

Delivery mode

100% online

Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission, Teacher Education Accreditation Council

Credit hours

15

Estimated cost

$8,025.00

*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.

A black female laughs with a colleague

Career prospects

Enrich what you know about the psychology profession, make yourself more marketable or serve clients through a broader array of services. Or, venture into the field of organizational psychology: work with businesses and other entities to overhaul their culture, support the professional and personal development of employees and improve engagement.

When you earn an online graduate certificate in positive psychology, you'll enhance your credentials as a:

  • Life/career coach
  • Manager
  • Organizational consultant
  • Teacher

Note: This graduate certificate does not provide counselor certification.

Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
11.8%
employment growth
Burning Glass Technologies. 2021. Salary numbers and employment growth numbers are based on models that consider advertised job posting salary, Bureau of Labor Statistics data and other proprietary and public sources of information for multiple occupations.
$59,000
median salary

Program structure

The online graduate certificate in positive psychology requires 15 credit hours and allows for flexibility. Through one core course and 12 credit hours of electives, delve into the foundation of positive emotions, engagement and supportive relationships. Use these principles to help clients identify their strengths, virtues, purpose and personal meaning and strive toward a sense of accomplishment.

The program uses a fully online, semester-based structure. No campus visits are required. Students typically take one or two classes each semester and finish in less than two years.

Course work includes

Grow what you know about:

  • Positivity, creativity and fulfillment in human behavior
  • Applying positive psychology theories
  • Life and career coaching strategies
  • Identifying meaning in work
  • The significance of community, including in relation to personal and social well-being
  • Positive organizational psychology tactics

Review all requirements for the online graduate certificate in positive psychology.

Delivery

100% online

Calendar system

Semester-based

Typical program length

2 years

Typical course load

2 classes per semester

Accreditation

The University of Missouri is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The College of Education and Human Development is a member of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council.

Learn more about this program