Atlantic University is an American private non-profit distance education institution of higher and continuing education in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The university is associated with

Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce (; 18 March 1877 – 3 January 1945) was an American clairvoyant who claimed to channel his higher self while in a trance-like state. His words were recorded by his friend, Al Layne; his wife, Gertrude Evans, and later by his s ...

Association for Research and Enlightenment The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), also known as Edgar Cayce's A.R.E., is a non-profit organization founded in 1931 by clairvoyant Edgar Cayce to explore spirituality, holistic health, and other psychic topics, as well as pr ...

(A.R.E.), and its administrative offices are in the Don and Nancy de Laski Education Center on the main A.R.E. campus. The university is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), for its distance education and hybrid programs. The university also maintains licensure with the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

History

Atlantic University received its charter on April 29, 1930, with a goal of offering a

liberal arts education Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

through a

holistic Holism () is the idea that various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social) should be viewed as wholes, not merely as a collection of parts. The term "holism" was coined by Jan Smuts in his 1926 book ''Holism and Evolution''."holism, n." OED Onl ...

perspective. The university closed in 1931, but the

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

was kept active. In the fall semester of 1985, Atlantic University reopened as a

graduate school Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...

with a curriculum that focused on Transpersonal Studies. The first class graduated in 1989. Initially the

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

Transpersonal Studies The transpersonal is a term used by different schools of philosophy and psychology in order to describe experiences and worldviews that extend beyond the personal level of the psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυ ...

was offered as a residential program with a few independent study distance education options via a

correspondence course Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

model. Over the years, the ratio of distance to residential courses changed until the majority of courses were taught as distance education. The method of instruction of distance courses also changed from a correspondence course model to web-based courses to courses on CD. In 2010, the conversion to a truly online school with three semesters began. As the university changed, continuing education and personal enrichment courses were added. In 2017, the university changed from three 14-week semesters to four 12-week semesters allowing for students to complete their program more efficiently. In recent years, the Master of Arts in Transpersonal Studies was changed to Master of Arts in

Transpersonal Psychology Transpersonal psychology, or spiritual psychology, is a sub-field or school of psychology that integrates the spiritual and transcendent aspects of the human experience with the framework of modern psychology. The ''transpersonal'' is defined a ...

, thus making the program more accessible and understandable to the outside public. In addition to the Transpersonal psychology degree, Atlantic University offers a Master of Arts in Mindful Leadership, a Graduate Certificate in Regression

Hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

, a Graduate Certificate in Mindful Leadership, a non-credit certificate in Spiritual Guidance Mentor Training, and Lifelong Learning certificates to adult learners.

Programs

*Master of Arts in Transpersonal Psychology with specializations in: ** General studies ** Applied spirituality ** Consciousness ** Creativity ** Leadership and Conflict Transformation *Master of Arts in Mindful Leadership Other programs: * Graduate Certificate in Integrated Imagery: Regression Hypnosis * Graduate Certificate in Mindful Leadership * Spiritual Guidance Mentor Training (non-credit certificate) * Lifelong learning (non-credit)

References

External links

Official websiteAssociation for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.)
{{authority control Private universities and colleges in Virginia Distance education institutions based in the United States Distance Education Accreditation Commission Universities and colleges established in 1930 1930 establishments in Virginia Education in Virginia Beach, Virginia