Originally metaphysics was a branch of
philosophy, and the word referred to certain writings of
Aristotle and then came to mean the study of “speculative
philosophy”. However, metaphysics now has another popular
meaning, encompassing the study of mystical, paranormal,
esoteric, New Age and similar subject areas. Especially in the
United States, some private (or church-owned) universities offer
degrees in Metaphysics in the popular sense of the word. These
degrees are of varying content and quality.
If
you are comparing Calamus degrees to other advertised
“Metaphysics” degrees, you should be aware that the American
religious movement called “New Thought” often refers to its
teachings as “Metaphysics” and to its practitioners as
“Metaphysicians”. Certain “New Thought” universities offer
degrees in “Metaphysics” that are really degrees in New Thought
religion, and that do not offer a broadly-based set of options
for studying psychic or paranormal matters or other avenues of
contemporary spirituality. “New Thought” is essentially a
Christian movement based upon a positive relationship with God,
though it is a very liberal and tolerant movement. However, it
is not “New Age” and there are important differences between the
two streams of spirituality. Calamus is not a “New Thought”
university, although a Calamus course unit in New Thought
philosophy is offered for those who would like to understand
that branch of spirituality, and other units can be taken that
will help in understanding the place of “New Thought” within the
spectrum of contemporary spirituality. The study of metaphysics
offered by Calamus is much broader than that offered by some
“New Thought” universities – see Note 2 for some of the options
you can choose.
You can see the metaphysics course units listed in the Calamus
Course Unit List. Also, it is important to note that (a)
metaphysics is a very broad ranging subject and many of the
courses you could choose are listed under other categories, and
(b) the "metaphysics" courses listed are not core courses and
you do not have to choose those if you don't want to.
A
metaphysics or esoteric studies degree can include course units
from the following areas: metaphysics, esoteric studies,
parapsychology, hypnotherapy, counselling, transpersonal
psychology, thanatology, shamanic studies, religious studies,
contemporary spirituality, personal development, reincarnation
studies, healing studies, and other areas.
In
general, if your approach to the area is predominately
intuitive, self-actualising, mystical or psychic, a
“metaphysics” major may be more appropriate, and if your
approach is more academic, systematic, intellectual, historical,
analytical or comparative, an “esoteric studies” major may be
more appropriate.
Important Notes about our Metaphysics-related Degrees
1. Calamus is independent and not owned by any religion,
church or sect. We are aware that some metaphysics universities
are owned by New Age or New Thought churches and their degrees
reflect mainly the teachings or beliefs of the church founder.
Some degree programmes require minimum effort and only require a
few one-page statements of faith in order to complete the
degree. In contrast, we offer genuine wide-ranging academic
programmes which will be intellectually satisfying. (If you
require ordination, we do not provide that but there are many
metaphysical churches in America you could approach).
2. We believe that we offer the widest range of
courses/topics to metaphysics and esoteric-oriented students.
This is because our metaphysics students can take courses from
related topics such as: comparative religion, contemporary
spirituality, healing studies, energy medicine, parapsychology,
shamanic studies, regression and reincarnation studies, , etc.
as well as subjects of importance to anyone helping others such
as skills for adult and child counselling, units on the
psychology of specific problems, introductions to various styles
of psychotherapy, transpersonal psychology, and the psychology
of positive thinking. This is because we are not just a
metaphysical university. We also have a range of units on
the spiritual uses of hypnosis e.g. past life regression, entity
release, etc.
3. We always have further units under development, as well as
a range of possible units that are unlisted at present,
including units on philosophy, dreamwork, Spiritualist studies,
possession, Wicca, Kabbalah, Jewish studies, dowsing, radionics,
runes, Jung, and other topics.
4. Our units mostly require textbooks by well-known authors.
Some universities only use their own materials written in-house,
but we do not believe the quality of such materials can compare
with being able to study the original works of well-known
writers, thinkers, practitioners and professors. Some
metaphysical colleges just offer units based on the teachings of
one man who is the head of the college. Sometimes a course like
that has not changed for many years, even though plenty of new
and exciting material has been published by new authors! We
have received very disappointing reports on the poor content of
such courses from certain people who have studied them and then
come to Calamus to fill in gaps in their knowledge!
5. Our units let you study more material, in more
depth, than the units offered by several other popular
metaphysical colleges. Where one of these colleges might sell
you a 50-page booklet – at a high price - for a specific course
block, we ask you to read at least one typical full-length book
– an average of 4 to 6 times as much knowledge! This is why we
do not grant three degrees (Bachelor, Master’s and Doctorate)
all in one year like some colleges – it is impossible to study
in depth if you do so little work! Our degrees are not aimed at
people who want to gain many degrees quickly – they are meant
for those who really want to learn. Decide for yourself which
is the better university – Calamus, or competitors who let you
gain a bunch of degrees easily. Especially if you are serving
the public through spiritual counseling and other holistic work
– your clients, when they see the degrees after your name,
deserve to know that those degrees were not earned lightly.
6. The pace of study is flexible and you can arrange study
interruptions if you wish - this can be important for someone on
a multi-degree programme or someone who has many commitments.
7. When we know your specific interests we will do our best
to provide some units on them even if we do not have them at
present. If you are a member of a specific sect, church,
religious order, lodge, etc. we cannot guarantee to provide
material related to that specific group. Another way of gaining
credit is by challenge essay, which is an essay based on work
you already know or books you already have. A challenge essay
can be the ideal way of gaining credit for unusual study topics,
knowledge gained through individual esoteric practice or
esoteric groups, and so on. Therefore we can work with what you
already know and do, as much as possible. You can even suggest
books to us to use as textbooks, and if we approve them they
will be available as units for future students. We can develop
reading lists, or lists of Internet sites, for you to study
independent topics, and set essays on them.
8. You can get credit for external studies done during your
registration with Calamus. So if you fancy doing a local evening
class or workshop, some on-line course, a diploma in some
subject through another institution, or a spiritual development
programme offered by your own group, you can integrate that into
your Calamus studies subject to approval. Credit is generally
allowed at the rate of 1 credit for 10 contact hours.
9. You can have a choice of majors. Because "metaphysics" is
often not the most attractive major to appear on a resume, we
often suggest that students register for different majors
especially during a multi-degree course. A Bachelor's major we
would recommend is "Personal Development" because that would
accommodate Liberal Arts credits for your previous study etc.,
and could include metaphysical and all related topics. If you
are deeply interested in one of our specialist metaphysical
topics (or in another area that we can create a syllabus for)
you could devote a Master's degree to that topic subject to
approval. At doctoral level there is the Met.D. (Doctor of
Metaphysics) degree, but we also have a D.H.Sc. (Doctor of
Holistic Sciences) or Doctor of Esoteric Studies (D.E.S.) and
it is possible to change your degree title after enrolment to
reflect the pattern of your studies. Our Ph.D. in Metaphysics
is a European style research and dissertation degree, without
taught courses. The Ph.D. is suitable for those who have an
ongoing project, a proposed project, or an unpublished
manuscript which can be accepted in lieu of a dissertation. In
exceptional circumstances we can consider a Ph.D. route
comprising a substantial body of other work, e.g. work presented
in multimedia or audio format, or documented teaching/training
work for a metaphysical college. Also, we can offer the
honorary D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) degree to persons involved in
spiritual work, especially those ordained by spiritual
ministries, and we can now also offer the honorary Ph.D. (Ph.D.
honoris causa) in Metaphysics to those involved in appropriate
study, practice and training.
10. Even after your doctorate we could provide further study
for you if you like the Calamus way of learning. We would
advise you at the appropriate time what other degrees/diplomas
you might be able to qualify for, and over the period of your
study we expect to introduce new programmes.
11. We offer an attractive tuition fee for multi-degree
programmes and our BA degree can include credit for the widest
range of previous education and achievements in all areas. When
we see your CV or resume we can give you individual advice about
the best and most economical route to your choice of degree(s).
12. If you run a metaphysical college, New Age
training school, etc., and would be interested in affiliating it
with Calamus International University so that your
qualifications could count towards Calamus degrees, we would be
delighted to receive details for consideration. We would need to
see sample lessons, bibliographies, etc. Please bear in mind
that our approach to metaphysical education is eclectic and
schools applying for affiliation should offer a broadly-based
education in their field of study and not just the teachings of
one spiritual master, school of thought, etc. We also are
looking for institutes teaching substantial courses with a high
academic content. Most applications we receive are from schools
whose courses are too short, whose programmes do not contain
enough in-depth material to be worthy of university affiliation,
or whose quality of written English is poor and unprofessional.
On the other hand we also receive approaches from schools whose
material is too inaccessible to the general student, because it
is so esoterically specialized that it would only appeal to
people with advanced knowledge of a very specific path. The
ideal affiliation candidate will provide material that satisfies
the intellect as well as the spirit, that is approachable by the
general student, and that is not exclusive, denominational,
dogmatic, sectarian or secret. We would expect the person(s)
currently tutoring the programmes to be university-educated,
preferably with at least Master’s degrees, though suitable
persons could be placed on a Calamus degree track towards
Master’s and Doctorate.
We
hope that this information answers your initial queries but if
you need any more information please feel free to contact us.
Please email
info@unicalamus.org for further advice.
The Accelerated Bachelor’s
Degree
The
Calamus Bachelor’s degree is by distance learning only, and is
normally meant for people with some work, study and other
skilled experience. It is an accelerated programme rather like
second-year or third-year entry to a conventional full-time
British degree. The student should have a range of credit
already. This can be from any field and can include university
credits, further education (e.g. HND), skilled work experience,
and other documentable skilled experience gained via hobbies,
sports, military service, travel, charity or voluntary work,
etc. This way of building up a degree is similar to the
well-established American “Liberal Arts” system in which
students take general courses and specialise in their final
year(s).
The
final phase of the degree is made up by taking Calamus taught
distance learning units and a project is usually required.
Ongoing credit can also be given for achievements after
enrolment, which could include
attending conferences or retreats, completion of practical trainings, workshops, running groups,
writing books or articles, practice of metaphysical arts as a
profession, etc.
The
exact major (title) of the Bachelor’s degree would depend on the
overall balance of your studies, and an individualised syllabus
is outlined for you drawing from relevant topics and course
units.
The
time taken to complete the advanced-entry Bachelor’s degree can
vary from a few months to about a year depending on the amount
of previous credit and the time you have available.
For
those who have insufficient previous credit, we can give advice
on how to attain a Bachelor’s degree within a reasonable time,
perhaps by incorporating a recommended diploma course to bridge
the gap. Please contact Dr Morris Berg PhD in confidence, by e-mail
to
info@unicalamus.org
or by post to our London address, providing a
copy of your Curriculum Vitae or résumé.
If you have no Bachelor’s degree
but would like a Doctorate without studying for years
Many people without a Bachelor’s degree are put off aiming for a
Doctorate because of
the time they think the total study will take. CIU offers
various options that can allow you to achieve your Doctorate
more quickly. For example, we can enrol you directly into a
joint MA/Doctoral programme without a Bachelor’s degree, as long as
we are satisfied with your qualifications and
academic ability. For joint MA/Doctoral students, certain portions
of the degrees may overlap, and this together with credit from
university-level trainings or Board-approved CEUs, and credit
from ongoing practice or ministry, and/or other qualifying
activities, can
speed up your progress to the doctorate.
Study of Individual Course Units
Study of selected occasional units is possible under our Occasional
Study Scheme - please click here
for further details
Links
For an article on
the meanings of metaphysics see
http://websyte.com/alan/metamul.htm That website also
lists various metaphysics-related links.
Go to list of
degrees
Go to course unit index
Go to prospectus (catalogue) downloads
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