Overview

Credits per Trimester

6-7

TOTAL CREDITS

Duration

6 trimesters

Trimester of Entry

Fall

FORMAT

Online, Hybrid

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE: This program will next enroll students for the Fall 2023 trimester. MUIH is planning for this program to be delivered in both the online and hybrid format for students entering the program in the Fall 2023 trimester. Students that choose the online format will complete all their courses online and are not required to come to campus. Students that choose the hybrid format will come to campus for two 4-5 day intensive course experiences and the rest of their courses will be taken online. MUIH’s Health and Safety Plan describes the University’s protocols for ensuring safety on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination for the COVID-19 virus is not required to enter or use MUIH’s facilities.

MUIH offers the only M.S. Herbal Product Design and Manufacture program in the U.S. The program is designed for individuals whose passion for herbal medicine focuses on producing herbal products instead of practicing as a clinician. The program integrates traditional perspectives on the use of herbs with evidence-based scientific research as a foundation for improved development and commercialization of herbal supplements. Our graduates engage with existing companies or as entrepreneurs in multiple roles, providing quality assurance, research, product development, and Federal regulatory guidance. The program is 37 credits, can be completed in 2 years, and is delivered entirely online, with an option to experience two courses in person.

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Audience

This program is designed for individuals with a wide range of interests in the growing herbal supplement industry. Graduates of the program will be poised to contribute as change agents for quality, rigor, and efficacy in diverse areas of the herbal product field, including herbal product development, formulary, sustainable production, quality control, research, education, retail, marketing, and sales.

Program Description

While sales of herbal supplements have doubled over the past ten years, the expertise has not. The need for innovators who can create quality herbal products remains more vital than ever. To meet this need, MUIH offers the only M.S. Herbal Product Design and Manufacture program in the U.S.

Students of this program learn to evaluate complex problems applying evidence-based scientific research and traditional perspectives for the development of safe and effective herbal products. Topics include botanical supply chains, medicine making, herbal safety, research, quality assurance, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), analytical chemistry, phytochemistry, Structure/Function claims, New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) claims, as well as pharmacology and product stability strategies.

Students have the opportunity for hands-on herbal identification and harvesting through field experiences, practical and applied learning through an internship experience, and mentor-guided learning from a distance. Students engage in scholarship, learn to think experimentally, ask penetrating questions, and develop innovative solutions for the challenges faced by the herbal dietary supplement industry.

The content of MUIH’s program is informed by the guidance of its Herbal Design Business Advisory Group, with representation from nationally recognized industry leaders, federal agencies, and trade associations in the herbal product field.

While not a prerequisite, the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Herbal Studies can serve as an entry point and advanced standing in MUIH’s M.S. Herbal Product Design and Manufacture degree. The four courses of this certificate program are transferrable and make up the first four required courses of this master’s degree.

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Admission Requirements

Trimester of Entry:	Fall, Spring
Application Priority Deadline:	Application deadline by Trimester
General Requirements:	Bachelor’s Degree from a degree-granting college or university accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, Minimum 2.5 GPA Resume Transcript(s) TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international students)
Program Specific Requirements:	Complete Essay Questions in application: Why are you interested in studying Herbal Product Design & Manufacture? What do you intend to accomplish professionally using your newly developed skills working in the herbal supplement marketplace?

Curriculum

Required Courses

The program consists of 37 credits of the following required courses:

HRB600 Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
HRB605 Materia Medica I (3 cr)
HRB622 Herbal Pharmacy: Evaluating and Manufacturing Quality Herbal (3 cr)
HRB641 Safety of Botanical Medicine (3 cr)
HRB636 Botany Intensive: Exploring Sustainable Supply Chains (3 cr)
HRB637 Business of Herbal Products (3 cr)
HRB642 Dispensary Practices and Quality Assessment of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
HRB653 Extraction, Analytical Methods, and Formulation Strategies (3 cr)
HRB656 Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Introduction to Analytical Methods (3 cr)
HRB691 Internship (1 cr)
HRB705 Materia Medica II (3 cr)
HRB781 Research in Botanical Pharmacognosy (3 cr)
HRB794 Case Studies in Herbal Product Design and Manufacture (3 cr)
MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:

Summarize and synthesize traditional, pharmacological, and clinical data to make an informed decision about the suitability of herbal formulas.
Analyze evidence-based literature and traditional knowledge to support the safe and efficacious development of herbal supplements.
Investigate rationale extraction design and applied analytical techniques to produce herbal products.
Establish and administer Quality Assessment and Quality Control (QA, QC) procedures in a federally regulated Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environment.
Create a business plan, a launch strategy and a branding concept for an herbal product business using effective business strategies.

Program Format & Schedule

Program Format

This program is offered in the online and hybrid formats. Click here to view MUIH’s definition of online, hybrid, and on-campus course and program formats.

Students that choose the online format will complete all their courses online and are not required to come to campus.

Students that choose the hybrid format will come to campus for two 4-5 day intensive course experiences and the rest of their courses will be taken online. HRB636 is a hybrid course that requires both online participation and on-campus participation in a 4-5 day intensive experience in Trimester 3 of the program. HRB642 is a hybrid course that requires both online participation and on-campus participation in a 4-5 day intensive experience in Trimester 5 of the program.

Program Schedule

For trimester start and end dates, see the Academic Calendar.

The schedule of courses is shown below:

Trimester 1

HRB600 Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
HRB622 Herbal Pharmacy: Evaluating and Manufacturing Quality Herbal (3 cr)
MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Trimester 2

HRB605 Materia Medica I (3 cr)
HRB641 Safety of Botanical Medicine (3 cr)

Trimester 3

HRB636 Botany Intensive: Exploring Sustainable Supply Chains (3 cr)
HRB637 Business of Herbal Products (3 cr)

Trimester 4

HRB656 Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Introduction to Analytical Methods (3 cr)
HRB705 Materia Medica II (3 cr)

Trimester 5

HRB642 Dispensary Practices and Quality Assessment of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
HRB653 Extraction, Analytical Methods, and Formulation Strategies (3 cr)
HRB691 Internship (1 cr)

Trimester 6

HRB781 Research in Botanical Pharmacognosy (3 cr)
HRB794 Case Studies in Herbal Product Design and Manufacture (3 cr)

Tuition & Fees

Fall 2023 Intake

Course Code	Cost per Credit	# of Credits	Tuition Cost*
HRB	$928	37	$34,336
	Total	37	$34,336

*Prices subject to change. Tuition costs are for illustrative purposes only.

Timeline

Average Credits per Trimester	Typical Completion Time
6	6 Trimesters

Additional Fees

Fees	Cost
Application Fee	$50
Non-Refundable Tuition Deposit	$150
University Fee (per trimester)	$275 All students, including students taking a voluntary break in enrollment. Click here to learn more about the fee.
Late Registration Fee	$75/course After registration deadline and before start of the schedule adjustment period for current students$150/course During the schedule adjustment period for current and new students who have confirmed before the late confirmed student registration period begins
Cooking Lab Fee	NUTR 681 – $40/course NUTR 682 – $40/course NUTR 683 – $45/course NUTR 684 – $45/course NUTR 686 – $30/course NUTR 687 – $40/course NUTR 688 – $40/course
Cooking Kit Fee	$225 M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health students (1st trimester) and other students taking cooking labs (NUTR 681 – 689)
Herb Kit Fee	Students enrolled in the following herbal medicine courses: HRB 605 $160 HRB 614 $185 HRB 622 $150 HRB 642 $220 HRB 653 $85 HRB 705 $180 Due to international customs requirements, we do not ship herb kits outside of the United States Facilities/Food fee: HRB 636 $175
Credit Card Adjustment Fee	2.75% of amount paid by credit card
Graduation Fee	$75

Career Opportunities

The herbal supplement industry continues to expand and provides graduates of MUIH’s M.S. Herbal Product Design and Manufacture program with career paths and opportunities. More than 40 million individuals in the U.S. used non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements in 2012, up from 38 million users in 2007. In 2017, total U.S. retail sales of herbal supplements surpassed $8 billion for the first time, reaching nearly $8.1 billion. In addition, U.S. consumer spending increased 8.5%, from 2016 – the strongest sales growth for herbal supplements in more than 15 years. Total U.S. retail sales have increased every year since 2004, and since that time consumer spending on herbal supplements has nearly doubled. The global herbal medicine market is projected to grow from $165 billion in 2022 to $347 billion by 2029.

The herbal product sector supports the continued projected growth of healthcare occupations in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects healthcare occupations to grow 13% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. One hundred percent (100%) of recent graduates (2021) of MUIH’s M.S. Herbal Product Design and Manufacture program were employed or self-employed within one year of graduation. Recent graduates in herbal product design and manufacturing are employed in the natural products and herbal supplements fields in settings such as industry, herbal dispensaries, pharmacies, government agencies, agriculture, and education ranging in size from large to small organizations. Such individuals are employed in a variety of roles including product development, substantiation of product claims, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) specifications, quality control, regulatory compliance, retailing, growing, processing, extraction, manufacturing, and marketing of herbal products, and design of educational materials, and research. Their employment encompasses starting their own companies and working with others.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) jobs site provides an ongoing and robust list of jobs nationally.

Click here if you are interested in applying the skills and knowledge of the M.S. Herbal Product Design and Manufacture in the cannabis industry.

View more about career opportunities.