metaphysical sciences degree program questions and answersFrequently Asked Questions

You will find many questions and answers about our metaphysical degree program below. If your questions require a more detailed answer, please feel free to submit a contact form here.

You may also give us a call at 707-822-2111 to talk with an advisor  directly, or email us at ums@umsonline.org. We are available by phone Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm Pacific time.

About UMS

The University of Metaphysical Sciences (UMS) is headquartered in Eureka, California, about seven miles away from our previous office in Arcata, California. Our administrative office serves students worldwide.

UMS was founded in 2004 by Christine Breese, who envisioned a modern-day ‘mystery school’ where students could explore metaphysical studies, heal old wounds, raise their consciousness and train for work in metaphysical fields. You can learn more about Christine here.

University of Metaphysical Sciences is owned and operated by Wisdom of the Heart,501(c)3, a registered non-profit in California and Minnesota.

UMS courses are created by a team of more than 40 writers and teachers, each bringing unique backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise.

Having a wide range of voices, writing styles, and perspectives keeps the material fresh, interesting, and dynamic. Courses are updated regularly and serve as a reference library that can be used well into the future. Learn about some of the UMS course authors here.

UMS has highly positive reviews with hundreds of testimonials praising the curriculum, staff support, transformations, and spiritual growth. You can read through many reviews by clicking below:

For UMS policies on non-discrimination, confidentiality, withdrawals, and program completion, click here.

“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.” ~Carl Sagan   Read More: Why Metaphysical Sciences?

Enrollment and Cost

The only requirements for enrollment are a high school diploma (or equivalent), and the ability to read and write fluently in English. You are not required to submit proof. If you qualify for enrollment, simply check the box on the enrollment form verifying that you have completed the equivalent of high school in your country.

UMS requires all students to begin with the bachelor’s level and then proceed to master’s and doctorate. Our program is very unique, and unlike anything offered through academic programs, or even other metaphysical programs.

Many of our prospective students already have advanced degrees or are professionals in a metaphysical field.

We stand behind our program and our graduates, and must know that each graduate has been exposed to the material we cover in our program. Additionally, the program is most beneficial when experienced in its entirety.

The program is self-guided and self-paced, and we have an open enrollment, so you can get started whenever the time is right for you.

The University of Metaphysical Sciences offers its programs online only, so it can be completed from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Courses are downloaded and exams are submitted through our online student center.

Tuition starts at $875 (paid in full), with flexible payment plans available to spread the cost out over 1, 2, or 4 years.

All tuition plans cover the full program- bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate, for one price. 

Digital course materials are included in the cost of tuition, and printed materials are available within the United States for an additional fee.

UMS is a non-secular, religious school, and is therefore ineligible to receive funds from FAFSA student loans or the GI Bill. We offer the different payment plan options with the intention of making this metaphysical education attainable to anyone interested in this path.

Yes. UMS offers a partial scholarship option that waives the down payment on the long-term payment plan, allowing the student to get started by making the first monthly payment. See pricing information here.

If you feel you would qualify for this scholarship, and it would be helpful to you in getting started with the program, please apply! It is a simple process and we will let you know if you qualify when we respond to your enrollment form submission. Please submit the scholarship application at the same time that you submit your enrollment application.

Once you have completed the program your degrees and ordination are yours to keep. UMS does not charge a fee for you to remain in good standing.

The second doctoral degree costs $400 in addition to the full tuition cost of your first three degrees.

Refunds are available within the first 60 days of enrollment.

  • Withdrawals within 30 days receive tuition minus $150.
  • Withdrawals within 30–60 days receive tuition minus $300.
  • After 60 days, no refunds are given.
  • Course materials sent through the mail are not refundable.

Credentials, Accreditation & Limitations

The degrees offered by the University of Metaphysical Sciences are non-secular, religious degrees. Our bachelor’s, master’s, and all doctoral degrees except the Ph.D. degrees, are through California; the Ph.D. degrees through Minnesota. University of Metaphysical Sciences operates under spiritual exempt status, meaning that UMS is exempt from registration and licensing through the Department of Postsecondary Education in each state.

For a complete list of degree titles, visit Metaphysical Degrees & Credentials.

Upon completion of the master’s program you are also offered the option of being ordained by Wisdom of the Heart Church.

University of Metaphysical Sciences is accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) and the American Alternative Medical Association (AAMA).These are professional bodies in the metaphysical and holistic fields.

The AADP and AAMA meet the need of accreditation on the part of those who practice and teach metaphysics. It consists of many metaphysical practitioners and schools. The University of Metaphysical Sciences degree program has been evaluated by both agencies and meets all of the criteria to be granted accreditation. The AADP accredits the undergraduate degrees at UMS, and the AAMA accredits the doctoral level degrees at UMS.

UMS, as a religious exempt school,  is not eligible for the same type of accreditation available to academic universities. For more information about accreditation, visit the accreditation page on our website.

The Doctor of Divinity, (D.D. or D.Div) degree is more recognizable as a religious degree. If you will be practicing as a minister, or as a spiritual counselor or teacher, this is a good choice for your doctoral degree.

The Ph.D. is a great option for those who wish to publish books and give lectures, as the Ph.D. is preferred by publishers and event promoters. Some students choose to get both credentials, and in this case, the second doctorate can be applied for.

Students are not required to choose a doctoral degree title until after completing the master’s, and most students gain clarity about which doctoral degree title to pursue as they are reaching that level.

Yes, you may use the doctoral title, but only in a religious or spiritual context. For example: Dr. Jane Doe, D.D., Doctor of Divinity.

If you choose to use the title of “Dr.” in front of your name, you must be very clear about what your credentials are and to never misrepresent yourself. If you do use the title, expand on it to state specifically what your degree is in, for instance: Dr. Jane Doe, D.D., Doctor of Divinity. If you are working in the medical field in any capacity, we recommend against using this title, as it could easily be mistaken to mean that you are a medical doctor. Similarly, if you are offering counseling services it is very important to be clear about your credentials and that you are counseling in a spiritual capacity to be sure you are not mistaken as a psychologist or licensed therapist.

The University of Metaphysical Sciences does not issue honorary degrees. An honorary degree is one where the awarding institution has waived the usual requirements for receiving the degree. In order to receive a doctoral degree from UMS, a student must complete the requirements for the bachelor’s and master’s curricula, and pass their doctoral dissertation.  All degrees issued from UMS have been earned.

UMS degrees are religious in nature and specifically intended for use in spiritual / metaphysical careers. They are generally not recognized in secular or government-regulated fields, though there are exceptions.

We encourage our students to be very clear in presenting their credentials, especially when using the title of “doctor,” so there is never any cause for confusion by the public.

More and more people are feeling the call to enter careers in metaphysics as the population looks to its spirituality and seeks guidance. This program is purposely designed to give qualifications and credentials to the future spiritual teachers who are serious about becoming a source of guidance and love to others. For information on the careers you might pursue with an education in metaphysics, or to see what others are doing with their degrees, please visit the Careers in Metaphysics page, and / or browse through the bios of some UMS graduates.

Spiritually based healing, counseling, or teaching is not (at this time) regulated in most parts of the world, meaning there are no laws that govern this type of work. However, we always encourage you to check with local county, state, or country to learn about any local guidelines.

Upon completion of the master’s degree you have the option to be ordained by Wisdom of the Heart Church. This is a way of strengthening your status as a spiritual teacher, mentor, and counselor. It shows that you have completed a rigorous process of spiritual growth through Wisdom of the Heart Church and UMS, and that we stand behind you as a spiritual leader. This lends support and a sense of validity to your work with others. It helps to give others a sense of confidence and security that you have met the personal and spiritual qualifications to be ordained.

A doctoral degree adds a new level of professionalism and legitimacy to your credentials. It shows that you have such a deep interest in and respect for your work that you have intensively focused on research and contributed to the information available in your area of study. This can be especially relevant if you are teaching, lecturing, or writing books, as agents and expo producers specifically look for this level of education in their writers and presenters. Learn More about the University of Metaphysical Sciences Doctoral Degree Program here.

Yes, you are able to earn more than one doctoral degree. Some students choose to complete a Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or D.Div) as well as a Ph.D. in Metaphysical Sciences or other title. The requirement for the second doctorate is a second Doctoral Dissertation written on a different metaphysical topic. There must be at least a two-month gap between doctoral degrees, and the cost for an additional doctorate is $400. You can view the degree title options here.

Curriculum & Course Format

UMS offers a broad, inclusive curriculum covering world religions, metaphysical belief systems, healing modalities, intuitive development, and self-discovery. The UMS curriculum is designed to give you a broad understanding of the field of metaphysics, and to create awareness of the multitude of ideas and beliefs that exist in the world.

Because acceptance of all people’s spiritual experiences and belief systems is something that UMS deems vitally important, we focus on a neutral and factual presentation of all kinds of beliefs. We do not ask that you believe or practice anything that you feel is not right for you, but we do ask you to keep an open mind when learning about the great variety of spiritual beliefs people hold. This can be especially helpful when, as a spiritual teacher or counselor, you find yourself working with people from many different spiritual backgrounds.

We encourage you to browse the list of spiritual / metaphysical courses offered on the bachelor’s curriculum and master’s curriculum pages, as well as our many elective course options.

The most powerful thing that you will learn as a student, is about your Self, your gifts and skills, and your own true nature. We also encourage you to peruse through our course excerpts for a glimpse into what you will experience as a student.

Courses are delivered as downloadable PDFs with optional printed copies. About a third of the courses also include guided meditations offering an experiential aspect to the course material.

Courses vary a great deal in length, but are generally between 20-100 pages in length. Each course has an exam that includes true/false and multiple choice questions. These exams are primarily meant to enhance your integration of the material. If the course has meditations, you will be asked to share your experiences with each of the meditations. Download sample courses and meditations here.

The guided meditations are focused on teaching skills, affirming concepts, and assisting you in accessing expanded states of awareness. They are very different from, though generally complementary to, silent meditation, and can support you in having deeper experiences within your own practice. The first course in the curriculum, Meditation Skills, offers guided meditations which offer an introduction to meditation in general, and methods of quieting the mind and going inward. While it is helpful, there is no need to have prior experience with meditation.

These meditations were all created by Christine Breese, the founder of UMS, with music by accomplished new age musician, Michael Hammer. They are very unique and powerful, and are the heart and soul of the UMS curriculum.

We encourage students to fully experience these meditations to whatever degree they are able. Going as deeply as possible with the meditation work is what gives you the greatest potential for having a truly transformational, life changing journey with UMS.

Listen to Sample Meditations

Courses are available by internet download for all students through the student center. The written courses are PDF files, with a larger print option which is helpful if you will be reading on a device. Guided meditations are MP3 files. For examples, you can download sample courses and meditations here.

Upon completion of your enrollment, you will be set up with a profile in the student center, which you will be able to access through our website. This is the main hub for your metaphysical degree program, and where you will download course materials, choose your electives, submit your exams, view your transcript, and keep your contact information up to date. You will be sent your login information via email upon completion of your enrollment.

If you are in the United States or other country we ship to, you have the option of adding printed material for an additional fee.

Postal Add-on:

  • Printed materials are 3-hole punched for insertion into binders, and guided meditations are on CD.
  • For all students, the first set of courses is sent inserted into a 1-inch binder.
  • For payment plans, future shipments contain printed material only, and you will supply your own binders.
  • With the prepayment option, the remainder of the courses, inserted into an additional nine 1-inch binders, is sent out after electives have been chosen, usually about three weeks after enrollment.

International Shipping:

  • If you are outside of the United States and are interested in having the printed material sent to you, please email ums@umsonline.org for shipping costs.
  • Due to the expense of international shipping, we only send the printed material with the prepayment option. You are always welcome to have the courses printed locally.
  • We are sorry, we are not able to ship to the European Union.

Yes. Each course includes a multiple-choice exam, and some exams include short written reflections on meditations.

Multiple choice exams are submitted through the online student center, and are automatically graded by our system. All exams are pass/fail, a passing score being 80% or better.

About a third of our courses have guided meditations as part of the course, and those exams include short answer questions asking for feedback on your experience with each of the guided meditations. Once submitted those exams go into a queue to be reviewed and responded to by our exam proctor, which usually takes about a week.

In the exams, we encourage you to write about your process, whatever it was, and be gentle and accepting with where you are on your own path. We have a very supportive philosophy, and feel that there is no wrong way to experience these meditations, as long as you bring your full awareness and presence to the experience.

Once an exam is reviewed and passed you will receive a copy of the exam, including any feedback from faculty, by email and be able to view it in your transcript in the student center.

Projects & Dissertation
All student projects and dissertations are submitted electronically, via email.

Our system will allow you to submit an exam 3 times. Beyond this, staff is alerted so that we may connect with you, and open the exam to be submitted again. You are able to retake exams as many times as you need.

All exams are pass/fail, a passing score being 80% or better. Scores are not tracked, and grade point averages are not used at UMS. However, you will always receive an email of your graded exam, which will include your score.

The master’s project and dissertation are also not graded. If your submission does not meet our requirements it will be returned with a request for changes to be made. Once passed, you will receive comments on your work from faculty through the student center or via email.

All of the coursework is in the bachelor’s and master’s programs; there is no actual coursework in the doctorate program. Doctoral degrees are based on your own personal research and work, which is presented in your Doctoral Dissertation. Learn More: Doctorate Program

Program Progress & Timing

The UMS program is self-paced. Students take from a minimum of one year to up to four years or more to complete bachelor’s through doctorate. We require the one year minimum to ensure that students have time to integrate the material and get the most out of the journey.

The length of time it takes to earn your degrees depends on how much time you have to devote to your studies, as well as the payment plan you choose.

All students begin at the bachelor’s level and proceed through the master’s and then onto the doctorate.

  • The bachelor’s curriculum has a total of 50 courses. The courses vary a great deal in length, but on average you can figure you will need to spend about 6 hours per course, depending on how you study.
  • The master’s program has a total of 30 courses and a large final project (written options are a minimum of 3,000 words).

The requirement for the doctorate is a 10,000 word dissertation on a metaphysical topic written to our specifications.

The minimum time requirements for each degree are as follows:

  • Bachelor’s Degree: 6 months from date of enrollment
  • Master’s Degree: 4 months from completion of bachelor’s degree
  • Doctoral Degree: 2 months from completion of master’s degree

Students who prepay or enroll in short-term payment plan and dedicate roughly 12 hours per week can finish within these limits. There is no maximum time limit.

If you prepay for the program you will receive all courses in about three weeks. However, you may contact us to request your courses be released sooner. If you are enrolled in a payment plan, and wish to move more quickly, you may make additional payments to receive courses at a faster rate.

*For prepayment or the short term plan please review the time minimums for completion mentioned above.

Student Support

UMS has skilled student advisors who are available to answer questions and offer encouragement, guidance, and support to potential and current students. Advisors are spiritually focused and knowledgeable, and genuinely love to connect with and get to know students. A high level of program support is maintained throughout the process, and advisors work with students on a personalized and individual basis. Extra support is offered as needed by trained thesis advisors for students who are doing their final projects.

There are several staff members who are able to answer student questions, so there is not a single advisor permanently assigned to each student.

UMS staff provide only limited spiritual support through brief calls and emails. We do not offer in-depth counseling, psychic readings, or crisis intervention.

We strongly encourage you to cultivate and utilize your own support system and have access to local teachers, mentors, healers and counselors as needed, particularly in cases where you have experienced trauma, abuse, or mental health issues.