Master of Applied Positive Psychology

Positive psychology, says Jasmine Shu-Kay Choi, is like a “psychological vaccine. And I believe that prevention is better than cure." Although she already had a master’s degree and years of professional experience in social work and education, Jasmine decided to pursue the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program to enhance her impact. “First thing, I really want to deepen my academic knowledge in positive psychology from the world’s leading scholars and experts.

Long before discovering the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) at Penn, Dacia Carter had committed herself to community service in and around Waterloo, Iowa. She worked in the juvenile court services, with school districts, and with family and community programs. Along the way, Dacia learned how to help youth and adults build resilience skills and cultivate their best lives.

“To be a really good agent or detective, you need to be incredibly curious about everything,” reflects Eric Patterson (Master of Applied Positive Psychology ’20). “You should be curious about every single person that you're coming in contact with—you should want to learn as much as you can about them.” As a veteran of federal law enforcement for nearly 20 years, Eric’s curiosity informs his approach to interviewing techniques—both as an interviewer and an instructional designer who trains law enforcement officers around the world how to ask the right questions.

Dr. Ellen Cole (Master of Applied Positive Psychology ’11) remembers the moment she learned about positive psychology. It was 1998, the year Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) founder Martin E. P. Seligman presented his vision for a new psychology in his presidential address at the American Psychological Association annual convention. Ellen, an established counseling psychologist and longtime APA member, was moved. “It was a turning point for me,” she recalls.

As the Area Vice President, West at the global coaching network BetterUp, Chad Thomas feels fortunate to work at a company that takes positive psychology seriously in the workplace as it fulfills its mission of helping its clients “pursue their lives with clarity, purpose, and passion.” He applies positive psychology fundamentals daily with the eight sales executives he oversees by incorporating positive interventions like gratitude exercises.