About
Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization
Course 1
Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science
Course 2
Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions
Course 3
Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods
Course 4
Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills
Course 5
Positive Psychology Specialization Project: Design Your Life for Well-being
About this Specialization

The University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman welcome you to Foundations of Positive Psychology. Our five-course specialization provides you with the key theories and research in the field of positive psychology as well as opportunities for application.

Course topics include

• Positive Psychology: Martin E.P. Seligman’s Visionary Science with Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman

• Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions with Dr. James Pawelski

• Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods with Dr. Angela Duckworth & Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft

• Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills with Dr. Karen Reivich

• Positive Psychology Specialization Project with Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman

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100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Beginner Level

Beginner Level

Clock

Approx. 4 months to complete

Suggested 6 hours/week
Comment Dots

English

Subtitles: English

What you will learn

  • Check
    Choose goals that support your personal well-being
  • Check
    Identify your five signature strengths
  • Check
    Understand the scientific foundations of Positive Psychology
  • Check
    Utilize inferential statistics for data analysis

Skills you will gain

Research DesignCoachingJournalismMental Health
Globe

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Beginner Level

Beginner Level

Clock

Approx. 4 months to complete

Suggested 6 hours/week
Comment Dots

English

Subtitles: English

How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

how it works

There are 5 Courses in this Specialization

1Course

Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science

4.8
1,189 ratings
•
450 reviews
Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman—renowned worldwide as the “father of Positive Psychology”—has led visionary leaps in the scientific research, empirical data and personal understandings of human flourishing. This course explores the past, present and future of positive psychology as a journey through the key scientific leaps led by Dr. Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center and Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. There are no prerequisites....
2Course

Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions

4.7
525 ratings
•
133 reviews
Positive interventions are one of the building blocks for the application of positive psychology in our day-to-day lives. In this course taught by Dr. James Pawelski, we explore positive interventions through theory, research and practice. We provide learners the basic tools for using and measuring positive psychology in professional or personal contexts. Suggested prerequisite: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science....
3Course

Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods

4.3
331 ratings
•
89 reviews
Learners discover how apply to research methods to their study of Positive Psychology. In this course, we study with Dr. Angela Duckworth and Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft. Through an exploration their work "True Grit" and interviews with researchers and practitioners, you develop a research hypothesis and learn how to understand the difference between internal and external validity. You also begin to understand and apply the strengths and weaknesses associated with different types of measurements and evaluation designs. You then interpret the results in an empirical study. Suggested prerequisites: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science and Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions....
4Course

Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills

4.9
449 ratings
•
136 reviews
Learn how to incorporate resilience interventions into your personal and professional life with Dr. Karen Reivich. In this course, you are exposed to the foundational research in resilience, including protective factors such as mental agility and optimism. Several types of resilience interventions are explored including cognitive strategies; strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude; and a critical relationship enhancement skill. Throughout the course, you will hear examples of individuals using resilience skills in their personal and professional lives. Suggested prerequisites: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science, Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions and Positive Psychology: Character, Grit & Research Methods....
5Course

Positive Psychology Specialization Project: Design Your Life for Well-being

4.7
182 ratings
•
50 reviews
You are encouraged to take the first four courses of the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization before starting this course and completing the Specialization Project. This course, taught by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman brings all the key concepts from the first four courses to practice as you develop and test a new positive intervention for an audience of your choice. You identify opportunities in your daily life to increase the wellbeing by using knowledge you developed in the first four courses of the Specialization. In this final project, you evaluate the efficacy of a positive intervention based on subjective and objective measures. Then, you compare how empirical and non-empirically-based positive interventions can be applied to influence a person's wellbeing. Lastly, you reflect on how the fundamental elements of research methods are important in the everyday application of positive psychology. After completing all five courses, learners earn a certificate signed by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman, Dr. James Pawelski, Dr. Angela Duckworth, Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft and Dr. Karen Reivich....

Instructors

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James Pawelski, Ph.D.

Director of Education and Senior Scholar
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Angela Duckworth, Ph.D.

Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology
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Claire Robertson-Kraft, Ph.D.

Director, ImpactED
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Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.

Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology & Director, Positive Psychology Center
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Karen Reivich, Ph.D.

Director of Resilience Training Services

About University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies. ...

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.

  • This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.

  • This Specialization doesn't carry university credit, but some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.

  • Sessions for each course will start every two weeks on a Monday. Enrollment closes five days after a Session starts.

  • Each course in this specialization is four modules/weeks long and can be completed at your own pace once the Coursera session begins.

    Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions: 4-6 hours/module

    Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods: 4-6 hours per module

    Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills: 5-7 hours per module

    Positive Psychology Specialization Project: Design Your Life for Well-being: 2-5 hours per module

  • No specific background knowledge is needed in order to complete the courses in the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization.

  • The courses in this specialization can be taken in any order. However, the course Positive Psychology Specialization Project: Design Your Life for Well-being is intended to be a culminating capstone experience and should be taken last. Why? Because your growing knowledge and experience throughout the other courses is what matters most, and will deliver the greatest benefit from this special project-based course.

  • Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

    Describe the past, present, and future of the science of positive psychology

    Use intervention strategies to improve well-being

    Read critically as a consumer of the research literature in positive psychology

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center

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