Master of Applied Positive Psychology
Master of Applied Positive Psychology scholarship recipients focus on applied learning to transform their communities and workplaces
Students in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program find that the coursework empowers them and provides them with scientific credibility for so many of the practices they are already embracing at home and at work. Students apply to the MAPP program looking for an academic experience that will help them gain more knowledge and tools in their pursuit to cultivate well-being.
Dr. Julie Haizlip
Dr. Julie Haizlip holds an MD and a BS in pharmacy, so it’s not surprising that she was drawn to the scientific nature of positive psychology. Julie began her path to the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program nearly a decade before she actually enrolled, when she realized that she was burned out as a physician after having practiced for only three years. However, an appreciative inquiry workshop she attended left her feeling more hopeful about her career.
Brianna Booth
“Human sexuality and positive psychology each need the other,” says Brianna Booth, Director of Positive Sexuality at Stanford University. Brianna was drawn to the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program in the midst of her graduate work in human sexuality studies when she realized that sex education needed a new paradigm. “If you get through high school and don’t have an STI or an unintended pregnancy, does that mean you’re experiencing sexual well-being, or that you’re flourishing?” she asks.
Service Learning Projects - 2019
Service learning projects completed in 2019 include:
Maggie Yue Zhao, PhD
Dr. Maggie Yue Zhao, a 2021 graduate of the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program, describes herself as a “pracademic.” As an academic, her journey of learning will be lifelong, but as a practitioner, she is passionate about “making a positive impact on the greater community.” Dr.
Dawaine Cosey
As the Director of Culture and Empowerment at Ron Brown Preparatory High School in Washington D.C., Dawaine Cosey manages the student experience as well as parent and social media engagement. Dawaine says that he essentially had the opportunity to create the position for himself, and now, as a student in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) at Penn, he sees that he has been using fundamentals of positive psychology in his job all along.
Frank Jackson, 2020 Fellowship Recipient
Growing up with a father who was an educator at Strawberry Mansion high school, notorious for being one of the most underserved high schools in the country, Frank Jackson, a student in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program, never imagined that he would be drawn to being an educator; however, upon completing his undergraduate degree in journalism at Texas Christian University, he joined Teach For America because he says he was “drawn by its mission of equity.” Frank was no stranger to inequity, for in contrast to the un
MAPP 2023-2024 Announcement
From our program director, Dr. James Pawelski:
The Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program offers a world class education in positive psychology. Responding to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the MAPP program shifted to an all-online format in 2020.
The lifelong learning division of Penn Arts & Sciences
3440 Market Street, Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3335
(215) 898-7326
lps@sas.upenn.edu
