DISTANCE DEGREES BROCHURE - THANATOLOGY

THANATOLOGY: M.A., Ph.D.

Awarded by

CALAMUS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Thanatology is the multidisciplinary study of death, dying and bereavement.

We offer the Calamus International University distance learning MA in Thanatology. A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent is normally required for entry, but other acceptable qualifications may be considered (e.g. Counsellor/Psychotherapist, Nurse, Social Worker, or other professional qualification).

The MA can be earned by taking 45 credits (equivalent to 15 x 3-credit units) which can comprise entirely taught courses or 12 x 3-credit units plus a written project worth 9 credits.

The syllabus for the MA Thanatology is negotiated individually according to the student’s interests and prior relevant education/experience.

You will see a range of textbook-based units under Thanatology in the Calamus Course Unit list. Others are in preparation. Topics can include:

Death and Bereavement (including relevant studies in comparative religion)
Counselling skills
Bereavement counselling (various units will be available)
Transpersonal psychology
Regression and reincarnation studies (a large number of units is available covering many aspects of this topic)
Spirit Releasement and Depossession
Shamanic Soul Retrieval
Contemporary and historical Spiritualist studies
The Near-Death Experience
Relevant areas of parapsychology
Interpretation of Patients’ Drawings
Hypnotherapy and guided imagery for children
Scientific experiments suggesting life after death
Jewish attitudes to life after death
Exploring afterlife knowledge through the Hemi-Sync Consciousness Model
Eye Movement Therapies and After-Death Communication

Electives may also be taken from course unit listings in contemporary spirituality, counselling skills and other topics. If you require a specialist area of study not listed we can consider making it available as a unit, and will be pleased to receive recommendations of textbooks. If you have specialist knowledge through experience or private study it is possible to gain credit for that knowledge through doing “challenge essays”. Altogether these options provide the opportunity for a highly personalised programme of study.

As well as providing a broad base of theoretical knowledge, the course aims to allow the student to build up a personal eclectic model of the survival of consciousness after death and to integrate that model with the student’s own philosophy and practice.

The distance learning degree comprises academic study and does not in itself include fieldwork of any kind. However credit can be given for ongoing relevant work during the period of enrolment, such as hospice work or counselling those with terminal illness. The degree may be taken for personal interest, as a way of gaining intellectual knowledge to supplement professional training or practice, or as a way of learning more about the subject before deciding whether to commit yourself to a suitable internship.

Alternative degree majors you may be interested in:

Parapsychology
Contemporary Spirituality
Transpersonal Psychology

Advanced Diploma in Bereavement Counselling and Thanatology

This diploma is available by correspondence from UK College of Holistic Training – see www.ukcollege-holistic.co.uk It uses (with permission) units created by Calamus. The Advanced Diploma is for:
People who do not need the Calamus International University MA or are seeking a cheaper alternative.
People who want to do a Diploma course first before proceeding to the MA.

Credit will be given for Advanced Diploma graduates towards the Calamus MA. However, the MA fees will remain the same, so going direct for the MA is a cheaper option overall if you are aiming for an M.A. degree.

Joint MA/Diploma Programme

If you enrol on the Calamus International University MA, you will be able to gain the Advanced Diploma from UK College of Holistic Training at a special fee of £125 as soon as you complete 6 Calamus units.

The normal entry requirement for the MA is an acceptable Bachelor’s degree in any field plus demonstrable interest and/or experience in transpersonal psychology. However, exceptional applicants without a degree may enter the MA directly - they should have a previous professional qualification such as teaching certificate, complementary medicine qualification, counselling or psychotherapy qualification, nursing or social work diploma, ordination as a minister of religion, etc. If necessary, an entrance examination may be set to determine whether the candidate can cope with the course.

A combined MA/PsyD programme is also available which will comprise 60 credits (subject to approval).

Ph.D. degree

The Ph.D. degree is by research and dissertation only ( without taught courses) and we welcome enquiries from suitable candidates.

BA degree

There is no BA in Thanatology. However this field overlaps with certain other fields in which thanatology topics can play a part, e.g. Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Personal Development, Contemporary Spirituality, Religious Studies, Metaphysics, Hypnotherapy, etc. BA degees are available in those fields.

This brochure should be read in conjunction with the Calamus catalogue and course unit list (and any other subject brochures if necessary).

Entry to the course can be arranged at any time of year subject to availability of places.

For information about the status of the university please see www.unicalamus.org/status.htm

CIU is a non-UK university and does not have government accreditation.

The application form and prospectus can be downloaded at
www.unicalamus.org/downloads.htm

If you have any queries please contact us, preferably by email on info@unicalamus.org

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