Degree in PSI aka Parapsycology

Where can I get a degree or a job in parapsychology?

Many people would like to study human consciousness, parapsychology, transpersonal psychology, or some combination of these fields. While these topics are of great interest, the number of courses and degrees available in these topics are - surprisingly - very few. People often believe that there are undergraduate or graduate-level programs at universities known for having parapsychology labs, especially Duke University. And while it is not widely known, both Harvard and Stanford Universities have fellowships endowed explicitly for psychical research (but they don't advertise it, and most of the available funds have been usurped for other purposes).

Historically, academia has regarded psychic phenomena as an embarrassment due to the sensational spin that the entertainment industry puts on this topic, along with the often outrageous claims made by proponents of New Age ideas. As a result, while funds to create programs and courses have been available, they've languished for years.

The bottom line is that there is not a single accredited academic program in parapsychology offered anywhere in the United States.

This is not to say that classes in parapsychology aren't offered occasionally, even at major universities (such as the University of California, Davis), or that you cannot work on an accredited PhD with emphasis in parapsychology - because you can. The point is that you cannot earn an accredited degree in this topic. If you were really desperate to get a PhD in parapsychology, you could always buy one from any number of diploma paper mills. But you might as well save your money and print one up yourself.

If your interest in consciousness research can be focused on a relatively accepted aspect of it (say, biofeedback research) you may be able to find a professor at some mainstream university doing research that you could work with. If your primary interest is parapsychology, things get much tougher. You can forget virtually all mainstream academic institutions if you want to get seriously involved in this topic at the professional level. Fortunately, the situation is dramatically different in some European countries, especially Great Britain and Germany, where parapsychology is rapidly becoming a respectable academic topic.

Most parapsychologists (and by this we mean professionally trained scientists, not "paranormal investigators") usually make a living teaching or doing some other conventional job. Most students solve the problem of wanting the advantages offered by a mainstream academic position, but without giving up their interests in parapsychology, by going to a recognized school (where they are wisely discrete about their deeper interests). They learn how to conduct research in some well-accepted discipline, they get their degree, and then quietly join the Parapsychological Association and start reading the primary parapsychological journals. This may not satisfy the student's passion, but at the present time many academicians today do not consider this topic a legitimate academic pursuit.

This are a few exceptions: Psychological and sociological studies about belief in psychic phenomena are marginally acceptable topics of research, as are anthropological studies of psychic practices and rituals in indigenous societies.

Pursuing parapsychology as a career requires (1) strong entrepreneurial skills, (2) enormous persistence, creativity and resourcefulness, (3) solid training in one of more of the mainstream sciences or in a scholarly discipline, and (4) the ability to acknowledge but not acquiesce to the fads of conventional wisdom and academic dogma. This is not a career track for the faint-hearted or for the orthodox.

The payoff is that parapsychology, like other scientific frontiers, is an extremely challenging discipline with plenty of room for exploring creative ideas and making significant advancements to the state-of-the-art. If you expect fast solutions to easy problems, or absolute answers to clear questions, then parapsychology is definitely not for you. If you enjoy exploring the full range of human potential and pushing your creative talent to its limit, then there is no better discipline than parapsychology.