Master of Arts in Integrative Health Studies

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:

• the fundamental principles and effectiveness of a range of complementary and integrative health practices;
• how complementary health practices can be integrated with conventional care in a responsible way;
• research literacy skills unique to the field of integrative health, including how to find, appraise, and apply integrative health research to disease and health challenges;
• how complementary and conventional health care practitioners can work alongside one another, and
• the practical considerations of incorporating complementary health approaches in conventional health care settings, including business models, insurance coverage, and professional and legal requirements.

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 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 transferable and make up the first four required courses of the master’s degree.

In addition, students who have previously completed one of MUIH’s Post-Baccalaureate Certificates (PBC) may be eligible to apply those credits toward the M.A. Integrative Health Studies. See the Curriculum section below for additional details.

This program consists of 18 credits of required courses and 12 credits of elective courses.

Required Courses

The program consists of 18 credits of the following required courses:

• APP606 Becoming a Healing Presence (3 cr)
• ISCI630A Survey of Complementary Health Approaches (3 cr)
• INHS610 Complementary and Integrative Health Interventions for Common Conditions (3 cr)
• INHS620 Integrative Care Models (3 cr)
• INHS710 Seminar in Integrative Health Studies (3 cr)
• RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Elective 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.

Health and Wellness Coaching

• COA-605 Foundations of Healthy Lifestyles
• COA-610 Fundamentals of Health and Wellness Coaching

Nutrition 

• NUTR601 Redefining Nutrition (1 cr)
• NUTR672 Mindful Eating and Nourishment (2 cr)

Herbal Medicine

• HRB600 Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
• HRB605 Materia Medica I (3 cr)

Health Promotion and Education

• IHED610 Fundamentals of Health Education and Health Behavior (3 cr)
• IHED615 Health Promotion Leadership, Administration and Resource Development (3 cr)
• IHED621 Communication Strategies in Health Care (3 cr)
• IHED626 Health Education Needs Assessment and Program Planning (3 cr)
• IHED637 Principles and Practices of Health Behavior and Self-Care (1.5 cr)
• HED-777 Health Care Systems: From Macro to Micro (3 cr)

Mind-Body Practices and Self-Care

• APP700 Mindfulness, Meditation, and Health (3 cr)
• ISCI671 Physical Activity and Health (3 cr)
• NUTR672 Mindful Eating and Nourishment (2 cr)
• IHED637 Principles and Practices of Health Behavior and Self-Care (1.5 cr)

Whole Medical Systems

• AYUR630 Foundations of Ayurveda (3 cr)
• AYUR631 Ayurveda and the Mind (3 cr)

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

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Advanced Standing for an MUIH Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC)

Students who have previously completed one of the following MUIH Post-Baccalaureate Certificates (PBC) may be eligible to apply those credits toward the M.A. Integrative Health Studies. This advanced standing opportunity reduces the credits, time, and cost of achieving a master’s degree, as students will be exempt from taking some courses in the M.A. Integrative Health Studies degree. This option allows students to achieve the M.A. Integrative Health Studies degree within one year by completing, in most cases, just 12 to 18 credits beyond the credits they have already earned in one of the following MUIH PBCs:

• PBC Ayurvedic Wellness Practices
• PBC Cannabis Science
• PBC Culinary Health and Healing
• PBC Health and Wellness Coaching
• PBC Herbal Studies
• PBC Integrative Health Studies
• PBC Sports Performance and Integrative Nutrition
• PBC Workplace Wellness

To be eligible for this advanced standing, students must submit their MUIH transcript showing completion of one of the above PBCs with their application for admission. Contact the Office of Graduate Admissions () for additional information about the number of credits of advanced standing available based on the PBC and other courses you have completed at MUIH. 

Advanced Standing for Integrative Nurse Coach Academy (ICNA) Program Completion

Graduates of the Integrative Nurse Coach Academy (ICNA) Program are eligible for three (3) graduate elective credits of advanced standing in MUIH’s M.A. Integrative Health Studies program. Advanced standing reduces students’ credits, cost, and time to program completion. To receive advanced standing, students must indicate ICNA Program completion at the time of their application for admission and must submit official documentation of ICNA Program completion before starting their first class at MUIH.

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:

• Explain the foundational principles, philosophies, practice, and models of integrative health care
• Evaluate the principles, practice, and application of particular areas of the integrative health care field
• Apply research literacy skills to critically analyze integrative health research literature
• Select evidence-based integrative health interventions aligned with prevalent health conditions
• Analyze the factors associated with incorporating integrative health practices in their profession and health care organization

Program Format

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.

Program Schedule

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

The schedule of courses for this program is shown below.

Trimester 1

• ISCI630A Survey of Complementary Health Approaches (3 cr)
• RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Trimester 2

• INHS610 Complementary and Integrative Health Interventions for Common Conditions (3 cr)
• INHS620 Integrative Care Models (3 cr)

Trimester 3

• Elective courses (6 cr)

Trimester 4

• APP606 Becoming a Healing Presence (3 cr)
• Elective courses (3 cr)

Trimester 5

• INHS710 Seminar in Integrative Health Studies (3 cr)
• Elective courses (3 cr)

Complementary and integrative health (CIH) care approaches are increasingly a key component of access to high quality, high impact, and affordable health care. The growth of this industry and use of such practices is driving the need for more CIH professionals and practitioners.

McKinsey and Company reported the wellness industry as “a demographic sweet spot of enormous potential” and calculated this market as close to $16.5 billion per annum. The National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrated significant use and spending on integrative health care approaches (2012, 2017). One-third of U.S. adults and nearly 12% of children ages four to seventeen 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. Studies by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the American Association of Retired Persons (2010) and the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation (2022) indicated that 50%-66% of Americans 50 and older reported using CIH approaches.

National healthcare bodies such as medicine’s leading accreditor, The Joint Commission, the federal government’s lnter-Agency Task Force on Pain Management, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American College of Physicians recommend and, in some cases, require nonpharmacologic CIH approaches in patient treatment planning for pain. Traditional health care organizations, employers, and regulators are responding to increased consumer demand for integrative health therapies. The percent of hospitals offering CIH approaches has increased steadily from 8% in 1999, to 18% in 2004, to 25% in 2005. The 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that nearly 42% of hospice care providers offered CIH approaches.

MUIH’s M.A. Integrative Health Studies program serves the career expansion and advancement of a wide range of professions within the healthcare, medical, behavioral health, and health and wellness industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) projects healthcare occupations to grow 12% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. This program also supports community and social service occupations; BLS projects jobs in this field to grow 10% from 2021 to 2031, faster than the average for all occupations. Technical writers, including health and science writers, are also supported by this MUIH degree; BLS projects jobs in these fields to grow 4% to 7% from 2021 to 2031.

View more about career opportunities.

Contact the Department:

Marybeth Missenda, RPh. M.S.
Program Director

Brenda Helsing
Department Manager

Caressa Olivo, M.S.
Academic Advisor

Click here to view the faculty.