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, interpret, 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 personalize their study through the addition of elective curriculum (12 credits) which provides the opportunity to explore particular integrative health care practices in greater depth through areas of concentration. Areas of concentration are selected from one of three domains:

Nutrition and Herbal Medicine

This group of electives provides foundational knowledge in nutrition and herbal medicine. Students learn an integrative approach to nutrition that explores the health benefits of diet from a whole person perspective. Students also learn about the practice of herbal medicine and develop an in-depth knowledge of common herbs and their indications and safety.

Health Promotion, Education, and Research

This area of concentration provides a deeper exploration of health promotion, health literacy and research in integrative health. This concentration is designed for students looking to expand their skills in promoting and supporting the practice of integrative health through communications, administration and research initiatives.

Mind-Body Practices and Whole Medical Systems

This area of concentration provides skills in mindfulness and meditation practices which can be incorporated into the student’s existing practice. Students also gains a deeper knowledge of Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine to help bridge their own practice with these traditional medical systems.

Students may also decide not to pursue a specific area of concentration (i.e., “Undeclared” area of concentration) and instead craft a personalized elective curriculum to combine 12 credits from any of the three areas above to complete the degree.

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.

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

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 the following areas of concentration:

Nutrition and Herbal Medicine Area of Concentration

• NUTR601 Redefining Nutrition (1 cr)
• NUTR602 Nutrition: Food and Balance (3 cr)
• NUTR672 Mindful Eating and Nourishment (2 cr)
• HRB600 Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
• HRB605 Materia Medica I (3 cr)

Health Promotion, Education, and Research Area of Concentration

• IHED610 Fundamentals of Health Education and Health Behavior (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)
• RSCH610 Introduction to Scientific Writing (1.5 cr)

Mind-Body Practices and Whole Medical Systems Area of Concentration

• APP700 Mindfulness, Meditation, and Health (3 cr)
• ISCI671 Physical Activity and Health (3 cr)
• AYUR630 Foundations of Ayurveda (3 cr)
• AYUR631 Ayurveda and the Mind (3 cr)
• AOM601 History of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine* (2 cr)

*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

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

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.

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)

Marybeth Missenda, RPh. M.S. C.N.S.
Program Director

Rachel Voss, M.P.A.
Department Manager

Chelsey Barrett, M.S.
Academic Advisor