Next Cohort Starts:
January 21st, 2026
Registration closing date: January 7th, 2026
Total Tuition: $17,700
Our Students & Graduates
Business & Organizational Leadership
Applying happiness studies in business settings fosters a positive work culture, enhancing employee well-being. This approach leads to increased productivity, creativity, and job satisfaction, while reducing absenteeism and turnover.
Education & Academic Development
Integrating principles of happiness into educational curricula and teaching methods boosts student engagement, motivation, and academic performance. Educators equipped with these strategies can create more supportive and effective learning environments.
Social Services & Mental Health
Professionals in social services utilize happiness interventions to assist individuals in overcoming mental health challenges, promoting overall well-being. These techniques are instrumental in fostering resilience and improving quality of life.
Chief Happiness Officer (CHO)
A CHO is dedicated to cultivating a fulfilling workplace environment. Responsibilities include implementing well-being programs, conducting employee feedback sessions, and developing initiatives that promote work-life balance and job satisfaction.
Career Counseling & Life Coaching
Experts in happiness studies contribute to public policy by designing programs that enhance community well-being. Their work informs initiatives aimed at improving quality of life through evidence-based strategies.
Public Policy & Community Development
Experts in happiness studies contribute to public policy by designing programs that enhance community well-being. Their work informs initiatives aimed at improving quality of life through evidence-based strategies.
Career Paths
Discover the roles and opportunities MA in Happiness Studies graduates can pursue, applying their skills across sectors to create meaningful impact.
Course Syllabus
The MA in Happiness Studies offers a dynamic and interdisciplinary curriculum grounded in the SPIRE model. Courses blend science and practice, guiding students to explore, apply, and teach the principles of wholeperson wellbeing across diverse fields.
GHS 509
Foundations of Happiness Studies
3 Credits - 8 weeks
This short and intensive course provides students with a technical foundation as well as a psychological foundation for the entire program. In terms of the technical foundation, students will learn to navigate through the syllabus, understand the ins-and-outs of the Learning Management System (LMS) and become familiar with the building blocks of each course. In terms of the psychological foundation, students will learn a set of particular tools and techniques, as well as some general approaches, that will accompany them and help them grow throughout the program. The two-week course includes a fair amount of preparation that primarily includes reading texts, experimenting with various practices, and watching online lectures.
GHS 510
Integrative Leaders on Happiness
3 Credits - 8 weeks
This course explores seven disciplines—Economics, Business, History, Religion, Education, Biology and Music—through the lens of fourteen influential thinkers. The work of each of the thinkers is integrative, in that it brings together theory and practice, different aspects of their chosen discipline, as well as different elements of SPIRE. They have shaped and continue to shape their discipline, while contributing both breadth and depth to our understanding of wholebeing.
GHS 520 & GHS 521
Introduction to Happiness Studies
6 Credits - 16 weeks
The course explores happiness through the lens of wholeperson wellbeing (wholebeing). Drawing on psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, economics, theology, literature and other disciplines, this survey course focuses on each of the five dimensions of wellbeing: Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Relational, and Emotional (SPIRE). The course is both theoretical, providing an overview of the twelve principles that define wholebeing, as well as practical, providing tools and techniques for helping individuals and groups pursue and attain higher levels of wellbeing.
GHS 530 & GHS 531
Facilitating Happiness
6 Credits - 16 weeks
Facilitating Happiness focuses primarily on tools and techniques that can help individuals and groups increase levels of wellbeing. The course introduces the topic of change, followed by twelve lectures, each delving into a particular technique or set of techniques. Each of the lectures introduces the science behind a particular technique and then provides concrete steps that you can take to make a meaningful difference in your life and the life of others. To gain a deeper grasp of the material, beyond understanding the theory, it is essential that you experiment with, and apply, the tools and techniques in your life.
GHS 540
Philosophy & Happiness
3 Credits - 8 weeks
This course explores how philosophy, considered the mother of all disciplines, informs the study of happiness. Each week, students delve into a seminal philosophical text and with the help of complementary material explore its relevance for personal and societal wellbeing. The texts that students read each week are roughly associated with one of the twelve principles; however, given the interconnectedness of all things, each text sheds light on the different elements of happiness, on wholebeing.
GHS 550
A SPIRE Retreat
3 Credits - 8 weeks
In this course students get to apply as well as deepen their understanding of much of what they’ve learned in previous courses. The focus will be on bringing together reflection and action (ReflAction) for the purpose of personal and collective transformation—for students to help themselves become happier, as well as for students to learn how to help others do the same. Students will spend an average of 80 minutes each day engaged in individual as well as group activities that cultivate the SPIRE elements, including but not limited to the following: Meditation, Goal setting, Yoga, Physical exercise, Breathwork, Different forms of journaling, Reminders.
GHS 560
Wholebeing Coaching
3 Credits - 8 weeks
This course introduces participants to evidence-based coaching techniques that fall into a number of coaching approaches, including Positive Psychology Coaching, Appreciative Coaching, Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, and more. Throughout the course students will experiment with the different methodologies and ultimately formulate their own coaching approach—one that they can apply to helping themselves and others reach higher levels of wholebeing.
GHS 570
Happiness in Literature & Film
3 Credits - 8 weeks
Stories, throughout history and in every civilization, have moved individuals and nations—inspired real and meaningful change. Each week throughout the course students watch a film and then closely read a poem and a short story—all relating to one of the twelve wholebeing principles. The course explores ways that can help individuals and groups better understand, pursue and attain happiness.
Meet the Minds Behind the MA in Happiness Studies
The MA in Happiness Studies was created and is led by Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Dean of the program and a global thought leader in the field of positive psychology. Known for his bestselling books, international lectures, and pioneering work bridging science and practice, Tal developed the SPIRE model and founded the Happiness Studies Academy to bring interdisciplinary wellbeing education to the world. As Dr. Martin Seligman once said, “Tal Ben-Shahar is the master teacher of happiness.”
At the heart of the program is its extraordinary faculty—carefully selected not only for their academic excellence and professional experience but also for their ability to teach with purpose, passion, and presence. Our instructors are leaders in their fields who embody the very principles they teach, offering students both intellectual depth and emotional resonance. Together, they create a rich, supportive, and transformative learning environment.
The Faculty
Ashley Michael
United States
Ashley has a background in HR, business, and law. She loves reading, writing, tea, and once won a slow bike race in her hometown. She’s excited to be part of the HSA community.
Blenda Batista de Oliveira
Portugal
Blenda is an HSA professor, PhD student in Positive Psychology, and certified Happiness Trainer, dedicated to teaching and promoting wellbeing across communities and workplaces.
Henrique Bueno
Brazil
Henrique is a happiness expert, speaker, and HSA professor. He leads WBI Brazil and Portugal, and teaches leaders and teams to thrive through Positive Psychology worldwide.
Phoebe Atkinson
United States
Phoebe is a therapist, coach, and educator with 20+ years' experience. She blends positive psychology and experiential methods to help individuals and teams grow and thrive.
Estefanie Martens Briceno
Peru
Estefanie is a biologist, happiness trainer, and podcast host who helps people and companies grow through science-based tools, storytelling, and a passion for human flourishing.
Arlen Solodkin
Mexico
Arlen is CEO of Instituto de Bienestar Integral and an HSA professor. She brings positive psychology to Spanish-speaking communities through teaching, training, and social work.
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See What Our Graduates are saying
Alicia Furlow
“Transformed my life and leadership”
United States
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Molly Jo (Xiaojie Zhou)
"This journey has been truly worthwhile."
China
James Jim Schatzle
"I'm a better parent, a better boss, and a better civic leader."
United States
Dear Potential Student,
Dear Potential Student, I am the director of the MA in Happiness Studies at Centenary University and the Happiness Studies Academy. I extend a heartfelt welcome to you as you consider joining our program and becoming the leader the world needs right now.
In a rapidly changing world, where challenges and uncertainties abound, it is crucial that we cultivate a deep understanding of happiness and wellbeing. Through our program, we will explore the transformative power of happiness, equipping you with the knowledge and tools to make a meaningful difference. Together, we can create a world where individuals thrive and communities flourish.
Our collective objective is to merge a solid theoretical foundation with practical knowledge to foster the skills necessary to co-create a better, happier world.
I am excited about the prospect of embarking on this journey together. The MA in Happiness Studies promises to be an intellectually stimulating and transformative experience. Join us on this incredible journey of personal growth, positive change, and the pursuit of a brighter future.
Yours sincerely, Tal Ben-Shahar
Become the leader that the world needs right now.
This fully online accredited MA degree in Happiness Studies focuses on educating leaders who are committed to the cultivation of wellbeing in themselves and others, to the fulfillment of society’s potential for both happiness and goodness. Regardless of your area of interest and action—be it in business, education, psychotherapy, coaching, health or law—the rigorous ideas and evidence-based interventions that are part of the MA in Happiness Studies will help you bring out the best in your family, colleagues, clients, students and yourself.
This degree is offered in partnership with Centenary University. Centenary University has a 150-year tradition of providing high quality liberal arts and professional studies while helping students gain the skills and connections they need to prosper in today's world.
Fully Accredited
