The Edward Debono Institute at the University of Malta grants a Master of Creativity and Innovation and a Master of Science in Strategic Innovation and Future Creation. A close look at their curricula shows the programs look just about the same – how they are delivered differs. The first is held on campus, the second over a two year period conducted asynchronously on-line and with week long modules 4 x during that period. The programs launched in 2009.
Credentials for Creativity Professionals?
I particularly like reading the course descriptions for their language about what students will gain. Leads me to wonder how people without credentials or advanced learning show their professional credibility. Or, in another way, I wonder what proof they use to assure clients that they are operating from a valid base. Are they up on their research? Do they know creative professional good practice, ethics?
Do Creativity Professionals need credentials? Should they all have the basic grounding and framework, like, say, lawyers, accountants or psychologists? If so, what would they be?
Debono and Sir Ted Robinson
Debono is famous for influencing new perception creative thinking though his books such as Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking. His CoRT method for teaching has been taught in schools among communities in Canada, United States, China, Ireland, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malta, Venezuela, and South Africa. Think he’s seen the TED Sir Ken Robinson 2006 video “Do schools kill creativity”? It’s the most favorited TED talk of all time. Wonder what his take is.
Debono’s Programs
Creativity and Innovation Masters courses include, among others
- Enhancing Business Performance through Strategic Innovative Design
- Foresight Techniques for Creativity and Innovation
- Creativity and Innovation in the Media
- Creativity: Idea Generation, methods and applications
- Entrepreneurship: Innovation and Foresight in Practice
- Strategic Marketing and Creative Decision Making
- Creativity, Innovation and New Digital Technologies
- Creativity: Psychological Perspectives
- Innovation Diffusion: Selection, Complexity and Probability Dynamics
- Innovation in Organisations
- Creativity and Innovation in Education, Science and Technology
The M.Sc. in Strategic Innovation and Future Creation has four main subject areas: creativity and idea generation, innovation management, entrepreneurship and foresight/futures studies. It is delivered by asynchronous e-learning complemented by four intensive residential seminars of one week each, spread over two years (one week at each partner University – University of Potsdam, Germany; Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Finland; Teesside University, England; University of Malta, Malta).
Program courses:
Creativity and Idea Generation
- Creativity: Idea Generation, Methods and Applications
- Creativity and Innovation in the Media
- The Application of Creativity and Innovation to Digital Technologies
- Creativity: Psychological Perspectives
Innovation Management
- Innovation Management
- Patent Management/IPR
- Design and Innovation
Entrepreneurship
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship
- Business Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Behaviour
- Business Opportunities: From Ideas to Action
Foresight/Future Studies
- How can we explore the future?
- Futures research methods
- Futures Research in Practice
Other advanced degree and other programs in creativity and innovation, including my alma mater, the International Center for Studies in Creativity will be highlighted in future posts.
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Marci Segal
New Ideas. New Decisions. Creativity. 
Hello,
I got interested in studying creativity and innovation. I would like to ask you if you think it is worthy to study creativity at the university of Malta. I know you have study creativity in the USA and you do not have personal experience at studying at the university of Malta, therefore it might be hard for you to compare or give an advice. But for me it is a huge decision to make, therefore I would be very happy for any opinion. Also do you think that on today´s job market is having creativity and innovation degree a plus or the market is still not ready for this quite unique field? (I read about your success, but there are maybe more graduates of creativity than opportunities for work). Would you then recommend studying creativity and innovation? Thank you very much for any comment and advice, I really appreciate this.
Helena
Helena, life continues to unfold in very interesting ways. Having a studied background in processes and methods that enliven the human spirit to build a better future will prepare you to contribute significantly to the kind of future you want to have as a member of your community, your family and yourself.
People choose an area of study for many reasons. As such, what’s important is for you to assess what is driving your need for further education and to align your decision with meeting that need. Are you future minded? Do you have visions of what could be and how you can play a role? Are you present minded? Is making an impact important to you? Are you security minded? Do you want education that will guarantee an income to support your lifestyle? Are you people minded, interested in developing people so they can realize their potential?
The field of creativity and innovation is growing. Some organizations want to have staff with these skills and knowledge. The doors for new thinking are being thrown wide open. Others with disciplines in many other areas (engineering, IT, human resources, management, etc) use creativity methods or innovation processes without the foundations of a good creativity or innovation education. Many organizations however do not yet value this area of special expertise as they would the skills and knowledge of an accountant, business systems, information technology or marketing professional.
Are you open to experimenting and exploring, making mistakes? Are you willing to balance the confusion of failure and rejection with the elation of doing a good job? These are all what it means to be a professional. As of now, our young field lacks professional standards of achievement, a code of ethics and checklists of competencies. It is slowly developing a definition of creativity and of innovation that is globally accepted from which the roles and accountabilities of professionals in innovation and creativity can be defined, understood and communicated.
Whether you decide to study creativity and innovation or not, keep in mind, that whatever decision you make is the right one for you, for now.
Hello Merci Segal,
that was very nicely written respond, thank you very much for that. I read it several times and then I took some time and after that returned to the questions again and finally my vision of what I would love to do started to evolve. I know 3 basic things: I enjoy creating valuable things, I enjoy making people happy and I wish to have interesting job with a meaning. And I want to strive to fulfill all of them.
I thank you very much for the last sentence, which made me calm down and feel good about any decision I make.
You do really great job with this blog, I am an happy to be a subscriber of it. Thank you again!
Helena
The question is not just whether Edward de Bono has seen/heard Sir Ken Robinson it is has he ever read anything written by anyone else in creativity in the past 50 years.
Only once between his NEWTHINK and SERIOUS CREATIVITY books did he ever reference one researcher, E. Paul Torrance, and that, in a backhanded way, and not even by name.
Funny thing EdB has spoken at CPSI, ACA and other similar well respected creativity organizations around the world yet he never references any members of them in his own writing.
BTW weren’t CoRT materials used in some Canadian school districts years ago?
Also I don’t recall it being Argentina (I don’t know for a fact) but rather Peru. Can’t find a reference on the www. Will ask Lynda Curtain, she should know having been a de Bono-ite for 20 years or so.
Alan
Thanks Alan – I think I got the Argentina info from the Debono Institute website. Maybe it was Peru, or Ecuador.
In doing a little digging, found another critique on Wikipedia of his work
Still, his work has made a tremendous difference in people’s lives.Quirky field, creativity professionalism, ain’t it?
fyi Will be doing a post on the Torrance Center over the summer to let people know about the Ph.D program you took in Creativity in Athens, GA.
Made the corrections Alan. Thanks to your sleuthing about the education programs influenced by CoRT worldwide.