The Wilmette Institute offers courses to people of diverse backgrounds and ages interested in world religions and Bahá'í history, texts, and teachings for individual and collective transformation. Our community courses aim both to enhance personal understanding and to strengthen involvement in community building.
Hone your writing and research skills
Engage in solution-based awareness of issues that matter to you most
Create presentations and contribute to discourse right where you are
Gain a global perspective
Explore sustainable social change from an integrated spiritual and scientific perspective.
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Analyze Bahá'í history and community development; explore sacred texts.
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Discover new perspectives on world religions, interfaith dialogue, and indigenous faith traditions.
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Build capacity for happy marriages that blend family life with spirituality and service for a healthy world.
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Compose and create art that expresses your spiritual journey. Explore Bahá'í Administration, personal transformation, and community building.
View DepartmentIndependently investigate reality to discern fact from conjecture.
Analyze global issues through critical thinking.
Apply knowledge, spiritual and scientific insights and skills for the common good.
Examine the root causes of global issues from a Bahá'í perspective, and explore the prerequisites for building a just and peaceful society.
Apply consultation, action, study, and reflection to community-building through participatory social action and discourse.
Engage family, friends, and community in becoming change agents for their own spiritual and material well-being.
This course was excellent. The readings and references were exemplary. Not officially being a Bahá’í, I was duly impressed by the presentation of Christian materials and the affirming support Bahá’ís give to the concepts of Christianity.
The harmony of science and religion is something I have always taken for granted, but this course has given me a more intimate understanding of the nuance of feedback between the two.
I feel much more hopeful about the future after this course. I learned that there is a way out of the mess we're in... I was also heartened to learn about the many people in the world successfully working on these problems in a spirit of global unity.
International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Relationship & Marriage Educator, author, and coach
Storyteller, Cultural Ambassador, Performing Artist
Director, Center for Peace and Global Governance (CPGG)
The fee is typically $75 for a 6-9 week course. The fee for shorter courses is $50 or less. Senior citizens, Bahá’í pioneers, and full-time students are eligible for a 20% discount. In 2020, first-time Wilmette Institute students will get a 30% discount.
Follow the steps below to register for our community courses
Browse the courses and choose one that’s open for registration.
Click the Register button and complete the registration form. Payment and tuition support options are detailed on the form.
That’s it! You will immediately receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the course. Browse our courses now.
Browse the courses and choose one that’s open for registration.
Click the Register button and complete the registration form. Payment and tuition support options are detailed on the form.
That’s it! You will immediately receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the course. Browse our courses now.
To apply for an interest-free installment payment plan, or for a needs based scholarship
complete this simple online application.
Study Groups are a great way to enrich your learning experience and also save you some money. A group can be as small as two people, or as large as ten.
We use an educational platform called Moodle. It works with your internet browser (no downloads required). We provide Moodle Tutorials. To attend a live tutorial, register at: bit.ly/WI-Tutorial.
Our courses are spread throughout the year, to allow learners to take more than one or two courses annually. Some courses from the Marriage and Family Department are available on demand. Courses generally start on a Thursday, and there is a 4-day introductory unit when learners create or update their profile, create a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) and introduce themselves to other course participants. After that first unit, new course materials are posted on Mondays, and you will have one week to reflect on those materials and to complete any unit activities such as discussion in the unit forum.
