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The Taos Institute Diploma in
Social Construction and Professional Practice

Your education re-imagined...

Explore your curiosity 
Expand your interests
Set your own goals
Open doors to social innovation
Deliberate with a seasoned “thought companion”

As Gregory Bateson says, let's engage "rigor and imagination!"

The Taos Institute is pleased to offer a two-year program of study, culminating in the awarding of a Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practice. The program will enable you to take your professional life and capabilities to the next level. The program offers a unique experience, tailored to your needs and interests. There is enough freedom to allow you to achieve the goals to which you aspire, and enough structure to insure a high-quality learning experience and an innovative, culminating project.

Program Features

While the program is open to all, it is especially suited for professionals wishing to extend their knowledge and capabilities relevant to a particular work context. Participants enter the program with a vision of what they wish to explore or create, and are paired with a Taos Advisor with relevant interests. This vision may include the in-depth exploration of a topic, the writing of a book, the development of an innovation, or the conducting of an action research project.

The course of study consists of four semesters of six months each. Learning activities during any given semester may include:

• One-on-one discussions with the Taos Advisor (typically electronic),
• Participation in a Taos Institute workshop, seminar, conference, or on-line course,
• Participation in on-line discussions and webinars within the Taos community,
• Selected readings and video lectures.

The primary outcome of the two years of study will be a capstone project. This may be a book manuscript, a paper (or series of small papers), a video, a journal article, or web-work. The capstone project should reflect systematic, reflective inquiry in the candidate’s area of practice. The decision to award the Diploma will be made by the Diploma Board of the Taos Institute.

Background

The Taos Institute is a non-profit, educational organization with over 25 years of experience in providing educational opportunities to professionals. The Institute brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world for mutual inquiry, growth, and innovation. In addition to its several educational programs, the Institute offers conferences, publishes books, offers on-line seminars, awards grants, and fosters interchange among some 650 Taos Associates from over 40 countries.

The intellectual core uniting these pursuits is an appreciation of the processes by which people together create their realities, rationalities, and values. Relational processes are central to human functioning, affecting the well-being of the individual, family, community, nation and the world. The Diploma program is nestled within this intellectual and practical context. Applicants for the program should have at least a rudimentary familiarity with this tradition and its emphasis on dialogue, collaboration, relational process, inquiry, and action research. Numerous resources are available on the Taos Institute website (www.taosinstitute.net).

Take Aways  

What do I gain from the Diploma Program?

• The opportunity to work on a project of personal interest with professional guidance and support from the Taos Advisor and the Taos community.
• Mastery of cutting edge ideas relevant to your personal interests ad career opportunities.
• An introduction to a world of practical tools for sparking innovation and solving problems in new ways.
• Entry into a global, multi-disciplinary community of experienced and supportive collaborators.
• Resources for exploring social construction, relational practice, and other forms of collaborative/appreciative practices.
• Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practice from an internationally recognized institute of professionals.

Who Should Apply

The program is open to all, but is especially designed for professionals who wish to think more deeply and creatively about their practices, who wish to develop and explore a particular innovation, or who wish to pursue new departures in theory and practice. Applicants should be prepared to propose a topic of inquiry that will culminate in their capstone project. Topic areas are not restricted, but areas of particular program strength include:

• Education
• Mental Health
• Organizational Development
• Healthcare
• Community Building

If you have a team of people from your organization or school, and you are interested in exploring how your team might work on a project together, to work towards a Diploma, please let us know. We will consider "team" or "group" projects and will customize a pricing structure that works for your team. 

Program Cost: 

The program fee per six-month semester is $3,200. This fee includes participation in one workshop or online course per semester, one-on-one advising from the Taos Advisor, access to the Taos Institute Online Learning Community, participation in the Relational Research Network, and other offerings by the Taos Institute, some of which may require an additional fee.

• Fall semester - September 1 - February 28
• Spring semester - March 1 - August 31

For Further Information: 

Contact Dr. Duane Bidwell at [email protected]  

For application: Click Here

Deadlines for application:

• Fall semester (begins Sept. 1st) applications should be submitted by August 1.
• Spring Semester (begins March 1st) applications should be submitted by February 1.