Naropa offers new, redesigned degree programs

BOULDER — Naropa University, a Buddhist-inspired liberal-arts university, plans to introduce eight new or redesigned degree programs in spring 2027, expanding offerings in leadership, public administration, sustainability, healthcare and other fields as it seeks to attract more students.

The expansion comes after the Boulder-based institution lowered tuition for incoming students this fall, along with a tuition freeze for continuing students.

“The world needs people who can bring both skill and heart to the challenges we share,” Naropa University President Paul Burkhardt said in a prepared statement. “These programs carry our mission forward by preparing students to care for others, strengthen their communities, and imagine new possibilities. Making that education accessible to more people is central to our future.”

New or redesigned programs include:

• MA in Leadership: Combines contemplative practice, systems thinking, and ethical inquiry to prepare leaders who can navigate complexity, build trust, and guide meaningful change.

• Master of Public Administration: Builds skills in policy, budgeting, and public management, with an internship and capstone grounding learning in service to the public good.

• BA in Leadership: Connects self-awareness with practical skills in collaboration, project management, and community engagement, helping students turn their values into action.

• MA in Cooperative Management: Prepares students to lead member-owned enterprises through cooperative finance, democratic governance, and organizing that supports shared ownership and community well-being.

• BA in Sustainability Studies: Integrates sustainability studies with contemplative inquiry, preparing students to respond to environmental challenges with care for communities and the Earth.

• BA in Integrative Health: Brings together psychology, neuroscience, somatic studies, yoga, and contemplative practice to support a whole-person, trauma-informed understanding of health and well-being.

• MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Certificates: Offers a redesigned 60-credit pathway toward professional counselor licensure, with electives or embedded certificates in somatic, dance/movement, nature-based, mindfulness-based, transpersonal, and Buddhism-informed counseling.

• MA in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences: Invites students to weave diverse fields of study, contemplative practice, and original research into a personally meaningful inquiry that crosses disciplinary boundaries.

Selected programs also are streamlining the application process, enabling eligible undergraduates to begin graduate coursework while completing their bachelor’s degree.

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