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 courses aim both to enhance personal understanding and to strengthen involvement in extension 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 extension 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 extension 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 extension-building through participatory social action and discourse.
Engage family, friends, and extension in becoming change agents for their own spiritual and material well-being.
What an amazing course--fabulous, knowledgeable, spiritually Inspiring instructors and enthusiastic well read participants! Delight upon delight. Boundless appreciation.
Taking this course has been an enjoyable, rewarding and enriching experience. I now feel more confident in my abilities to contribute to the public discourse in a wide range of subjects and using different styles.
The format of this course was really nicely laid out. Zoom calls to share art and thoughts (which was more intimate) and the online forums which was more classroom like. Without either component of the course, there would have been something lacking.
Professor Emerita of Urban planning, University of Michigan
Director, Center for Peace and Global Governance (CPGG)
WI Associate Director, Faculty, Institute for Humane Education
Assistant Archivist, National Bahá’í Archives, US
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 extension 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.
The standard course is 7 weeks long, although some courses are shorter (3–6 weeks), and some, longer (8–12 weeks). This does not include the Grace Period (two to four weeks), which can be used to catch up or to work on your final project. Ideas for projects include a devotional program, a presentation such as a fireside talk or a public speech, a work of art including poetry and music, a PowerPoint slide presentation, a research project or paper, or a community project that uses information from your course materials.
Our courses are spread throughout the year, to allow learners to take more than one or two courses annually. As of 2023, extension courses for adults will start on a Wednesday, with a 1-week introductory unit when those participants who have not yet taken our orientation course may do so. In the first week participants will also be invited to create a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) and introduce themselves to other learners taking the course. After that first unit, new course materials are posted on Wednesdays, and you will have one week to reflect on those materials and to complete any unit activities such as discussion in the unit forum.
