COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE: This program will next enroll students for the Fall 2023 trimester. This program will be delivered in its standard online format for students entering the program in the Fall 2023 trimester; the program can be completed by taking only online classes, and there are no requirements to come to campus.
The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Integrative Health Studies provides the opportunity to acquire advanced knowledge of integrative health care practices, and how complementary health approaches can be integrated with conventional health care approaches. MUIH’s program is the only such program to include both the evidence-informed efficacy of integrative health practices and the practical and business models for the inclusion of integrative practices in conventional medical and health care settings. It is designed to meet the increasing and widespread interest in exploring and understanding the benefits and application of integrative health principles and practices. A personalized capstone course project provides the opportunity to focus on incorporating integrative health practices into students’ profession and/or health care organization. This non-clinical interdisciplinary program covers a broad spectrum of integrative practices, rather than focusing on a single modality as is the case for all other MUIH programs. Students can choose from elective courses in five categories of integrative health including nutrition, herbal medicine, health promotion and education, mind-body practices and self-care, and whole medical systems. This 30-credit program can be completed fully online in 5 trimesters (1.5 years).
This program is designed for professionals in health care and related professions, who wish to integrate complementary health approaches in their practice or organization. It provides a variety of health care professionals with the opportunity to explore and understand the benefits and application of integrative health principles and practices, especially as related to their individual professional area within the broad health care spectrum. The primary audience for this program is two-fold. First, are healthcare practitioners seeking to expand their professional knowledge and skills and complement their current specialty with an understanding of the integrative health field. This audience includes, among others, nurses, social service and behavioral health professionals, allied healthcare professionals, and other licensed/certified healthcare and medical providers. Second, are professionals who support the health care field through their work in administration, management, policy, and advocacy, as well as health and science writing and communication.
The program provides students with an understanding of:
This program provides foundational knowledge (18 credits) in the theoretical and philosophical foundations of integrative health practices, the efficacy and effectiveness of such practices, and practical and business models for the inclusion of integrative practices in conventional care settings. The opportunity for direct relevance and application of learning is achieved through a capstone course whose project focuses on incorporating integrative health practices into each students’ unique profession and/or health care organization.
Students can personalize their study through the addition of elective courses (12 credits) which provides the opportunity to explore particular integrative health care practices in greater depth. These specific elective categories are:
Integrative Nutrition
This category of elective courses provides foundational knowledge in nutrition. Students learn an integrative approach to nutrition that explores the health benefits of diet from a whole person perspective.
Herbal Medicine
The category of elective courses provides students with the opportunity to learn about the practice of herbal medicine and develop an in-depth knowledge of common herbs and their indications and safety.
Health Promotion and Education
This category of elective courses provides a deeper exploration of health promotion and health literacy in integrative health. It is designed for students looking to expand their skills in promoting and supporting the practice of integrative health through communications, and administration. The courses in this category can be used for beginning preparation for the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing’s Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam.
Mind-Body Practices and Self-Care
This category of elective courses provides skills in mindfulness and meditation practices which can be incorporated into the student’s existing practice or organization.
Whole Medical Systems
This category of elective courses provides students with the opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine to help bridge their own practice with these traditional medical systems and support strong interprofessional healthcare systems.
The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Integrative Health Studies can serve as an entry point and advanced standing in the M.A. Integrative Health Studies degree. The four courses of the certificate program are transferrable and make up the first four required courses of the master’s degree.
Semester of Entry: | Fall |
Application Priority Deadline: | Application deadline by Trimester |
General Requirements: |
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Program Specific Requirements: | Complete Essay Questions in application:
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This program consists of 18 credits of required courses and 12 credits of elective courses.
The program consists of 18 credits of the following required courses:
The program consists of 12 credits selected from five categories of integrative health. This provides the student with interactions with future practitioners from outside their own discipline and fosters interprofessional understanding and communication skills. The selection of elective courses will also deepen the student’s foundational knowledge in various areas of integrative health that are tailored to their unique career paths.
Nutrition
Herbal Medicine
Health Promotion and Education
Mind-Body Practices and Self-Care
Whole Medical Systems
*If AOM601 is selected, the student will need to add a minimum of one credit from one of the other areas of concentrations above.
Undeclared Area of Concentration
Students may craft a personalized elective curriculum to combine 12 credits from any of the three areas above to complete the degree.
Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.
Upon completion of this program students will be able to:
This program is offered in the online format. Click here to view MUIH’s definition of online, hybrid, and on-campus course and program formats.
For trimester start and end dates, see the Academic Calendar.
The schedule of courses for this program is shown below.
Trimester 1
Trimester 2
Trimester 3
Trimester 4
Trimester 5
Course Code | Cost per Credit | # of Credits | Tuition Cost* |
---|---|---|---|
APP | $928 | 3 | $2,784 |
IHED | $928 | 3 | $2,784 |
INHS | $928 | 9 | $8,352 |
ISCI | $953 | 3 | $2,859 |
Elective | $953** | 12 | $11,436 |
Total | 30 | $28,215 |
*Prices subject to change. Tuition costs are for illustrative purposes only.
**Calculation of elective credit based on Nutrition Course rate.
Timeline
Average Credits per Trimester | Typical Completion Time |
---|---|
6 | 5 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 |
Complementary and integrative health care approaches are increasingly a key component of access to high quality, high impact, and affordable health care. McKinsey and Company reported the wellness industry “a demographic sweet spot of enormous potential” and calculated this market as close to $16.5 billion per annum. The 2012 National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics demonstrated significant use and spending on integrative health care approaches. One-third of U.S. adults and nearly 12% of children ages 4 to 17 used complementary health approaches. An estimated 59 million persons aged four years and over had at least one expenditure for some type of complementary health approach, resulting in total out-of-pocket expenditures of $30.2 billion per year. Out-of-pocket spending for complementary health approaches represented 9.2% of all out-of-pocket spending on health care. The 2017 National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics demonstrated continued growth and significant use of complementary and integrative health approaches. A 2010 study conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the American Association of Retired Persons indicated that 50% of Americans age 50 and older reported using complementary and alternative medicine.
Traditional health care organizations, employers, and regulators are responding to increased consumer demand for integrative health therapies. In 1999, only 7.7% of hospitals offered integrative therapies. By 2004 that number had increased to 18.3%, and by 2005 25% of hospitals were offering services in a complementary or integrative fashion. The 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics found that nearly 42% of hospice care providers offered complementary and alternative therapies, had a provider on staff or under contract, or both.
High job growth rates are projected by the U.S. Bureau for Labor and Statistics for the period 2018-2028 for the target audience for this program. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects healthcare occupations to grow 14% from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations. Two of the top twenty projected fastest growing occupations for the period 2018-2028 are among the audience for this program; these projected growth rates are 31% for physician assistants (#7), 28% for nurse practitioners (#9). In addition, the occupation predicted to add the third most new jobs during the period 2018-2028, registered nurses, is among the audience for this program. Other occupations among the audience also have strong growth projections for the period 2018-2028. Much faster than average growth rates are projected for substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors (22%), physical therapists (22%), massage therapists (22%), athletic trainers (19%), occupational therapists (18%), medical and health services managers (18%), fitness trainers and instructors (13%), social workers (11%), and health educators and community health workers (11%). Faster than average growth rates are projected for exercise physiologists (10%), technical writers (including health and science writers, 8%), physicians (7%), and chiropractors (7%). View more about career opportunities.
Take a look at what our Master of Arts in Integrative Health Studies program offers and how MUIH is the choice for you!
Marybeth Missenda, RPh. M.S. C.N.S.
Program Director
Rachel Voss, M.P.A.
Department Manager
Chelsey Barrett, M.S.
Academic Advisor