Centenary U in New Jersey Offers New PhD Degree in ‘Happiness’
“In the face of this global mental health crisis, the study of happiness is not a luxury, but a necessity”
This sounds frivolous, but according to the article, there are jobs you could get with such a degree.
The New York Post reports:
NJ university launches world’s first PhD in ‘happiness’: ‘The need has never been greater’
A small New Jersey college has launched the world’s first Ph.D. in Happiness Studies — a fully virtual, four-year program designed to train experts in the science of wellbeing.
“The need has never been greater,” said Tal Ben-Shahar, director of Happiness Studies at Centenary University in Hackettstown. “Around the world, we’re seeing a surge in anxiety, depression, loneliness and overall dissatisfaction — not only among adults, but increasingly among children and adolescents.”
“In the face of this global mental health crisis, the study of happiness is not a luxury, but a necessity,” added Ben-Shahar, the co-founder of the Happiness Studies Academy who previously taught Harvard University’s wildly popular “Positive Psychology” and “Psychology of Leadership” courses.
The 66-credit degree blends neuroscience, psychology, religion, philosophy, literature and leadership to promote what the university calls “human flourishing” — across schools, workplaces and society at large.
The goal: to help individuals and society “better understand, pursue and attain happiness,” Ben-Shahar said.
“Our graduates will be uniquely equipped to serve as chief wellbeing officers, policy advisors, educators, researchers, consultants and mental health advocates. From multinational corporations to school districts, nonprofit organizations to national governments, the demand for expertise in happiness and human flourishing is growing,” Caldwell added.
The Ph.D. builds on Centenary’s fast-growing Master of Arts in Happiness Studies — the first master’s degree of its kind. Launched in 2022 and fully online, the program has drawn students from around the globe, including the U.S., Brazil, India, Israel, Japan and South Africa, according to the university.
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Comments
“ it says here on your résumé that you have a PHD and happiness. You can’t be serious!”
“I’m VERY serious.”
Surely you can’t be serious?
Yes I am and don’t call me Shirley
As long as they didn’t simply rename their Department of Pharmacology.
Remove their accreditation. They aren’t a serious place.
“Around the world, we’re seeing a surge in anxiety, depression, loneliness and overall dissatisfaction — not only among adults, but increasingly among children and adolescents.”
Take away all broadcasting licenses from the communist establishment media, and freeze “Stinky” Soros & Son’s assets. The problem will go away without stupid indoctrination courses at college brainwashing centers.
An old tomcat ran into a kitten who chasing his tail.
“Why are you chasing your tail?”
“Because that’s where happiness is. When I catch it, I will be happy.”
“Ah,” mused the old tomcat, “I remember doing the same when I was your age. No matter how much I chased my tail, I could never catch it. But when I just let it be and went about my day, I found that my tail, and the happiness inside, would follow me wherever I went.”
Do the school administrators and regents believe idiocy like this does anything but attract ridicule, mockery, and scorn to the school? Why in the world was this program approved?
I suspect we just circled back to the Department of Pharmacology.
Most teachers came from the bottom third of their high school classes.
Offer any garbage that stupid kids think they’ll easy college credit from.
Sort of ironic that those who desire self-esteem are also those who are most reluctant to perform esteemable acts. Do something good first thing in the morning, and you will then be unable to say that “nothing good happened today.”
Speaking of rename. A co-worker once had a package go missing which the company claimed was delivered. Six months later were down on the loading dock and off in the corner was a box with that company’s distinctive packing/security tape. Some how it was not deliverable to the Dept of Farm Ecology as addressed. Still gets a chuckle. Probably explains why “hooked on phonics” is no longer a thing.