The Individualized Program Degree Process:

Immersion: Once you are ready to take on this new learning experience, you become immersed in new information and habits of perceiving. You begin learning a new set of constructs, new vocabulary, new theories and ideas...Systems, Design, Wholism...with the result that you engage in new, more systemic ways of thinking. The Immersion into Whole Systems Design course encourages rigorous grappling with new ideas. You are encouraged to begin applying these learnings to your work or other settings.

Divergence: Students come into the program with varying levels of clarity about their areas of interest. During the period of divergence, you will explore everything you can concerning not only areas in which you are currently interested, but also areas outside your current interests. You will be assisted in this venture by your advisor, peers, and your Degree Committee, all of whom can provide direction and support.

Convergence (Focus): In this stage of the creative process, you will begin to hone in on a specific area of focus. You have diverged enough by this time to make informed decisions about the domain you will be studying during the next part of your program. This is the time for bringing into focus all the experience and knowledge gained thus far. At this stage, you will articulate your area of focus intentions as a key question or questions.

You are now near the Design Development stage of the Degree Process. Consciously setting aside time for the incubation of new ideas is a critical piece of the creative process. Incubation allows time for inner creative processes to surface and unformed ideas to develop. You come to new insights in ways other than the rational, analytic process. As your ideas are given time to incubate, there comes an "aha," a crystallization of your thoughts and ideas. All of the input from the previous stages crystallizes into a clear (though not yet detailed) pattern. Things that were unclear to you make sense, connections are made that were not obvious before.

Design Development: Your "aha" experience is followed by concentrated design development--first to articulate the pattern, and then to fill in its details. The product is the conceptual design state of your Graduate Project--used for demonstrating and verifying competencies and original thought to your Degree Committee, advisor, and peers for discussion and evaluation.

Innovation Stage Evaluation, Implementation, & Testing: After formally presenting the Project at your Candidacy meeting, you will refine it based on committee input and then engage in the proposed innovation activities--putting your ideas at risk in a real world setting. You will document this activity, evaluating and further refining the project based on your experience.

Synthesis: The final stage involves synthesis of the work completed, developing coherency, and clarifying, understanding, and communicating the emergent qualities of your degree experience. Graduation documentation is completed, providing closure on this part of your academic development in preparation for taking your new learning's into the world.

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