Updated: September 29th, 2021

Laurel, Md. – Maryland University of Integrative Health announced today that it has been approved to offer a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Culinary Health and Healing. This program is one of only a few graduate programs in the U.S. to focus on the emerging field of culinary health and medicine.

The program blends the nutrition and culinary fields and prepares students with the scientifically based principles and practices of whole foods selection and preparation as a foundation for health and wellness. Graduates of this program will be prepared to enhance the palatability and nutritional quality of the foods they prepare and to teach others to do the same. They will also be prepared to help others translate their nutritional goals and the recommendations of nutritionists and dieticians into personalized, family, and community recipes and menus. The program celebrates global cuisine and explores multicultural and culturally specific meal plans. The program is offered online and can be completed in two trimesters (8 months) and begins in January 2022.

A distinctive feature of MUIH’s program is a focus on whole foods. A fourth of the program is comprised of cooking labs where students develop strategies and techniques for working with unprocessed or minimally processed ingredients. Students learn to apply new knowledge and skills to support the health and wellness of others after they graduate, said Dr. Kathleen Warner, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Department Chair, Nutrition and Herbal Medicine.

MUIH’s culinary health and healing program is designed for individuals seeking careers that promote health and wellness through the application of nutrition principles to whole foods cooking. The program sets graduates apart from their peers in careers such as whole-foods chef or caterer; personal, specialty, and restaurant chef; therapeutic chef working with nutritionists, dieticians, or in integrative healthcare settings; food and cooking educator or consultant; professional food writer or blogger and/or cookbook author; and hospitality industry professional. It also provides the opportunity for integrative health professionals such as health and wellness coaches, community and health educators, dieticians, herbalists, Ayurveda practitioners, acupuncturists, and yoga therapists to expand and diversify their professional practice and career opportunities.

“While this program works well as a standalone learning experience, it also serves as a steppingstone for students interested in earning a master’s degree in nutrition. Depending on the master’s track, some or all of the credits earned in the program can be applied to the requirements for MUIH’s Master of Science in Nutrition and Integrative Health,” notes Dr. James Snow, Dean of Academic Affairs.

The program is grounded in MUIH’s holistic and natural approach to health and wellness, and its long-standing expertise in nutrition. MUIH has offered graduate programs in nutrition since 2011 and online programs since 2013. MUIH offers the Doctor of Clinical Nutrition, M.S. Nutrition and Integrative Health, and Post-Master’s Certificate in Nutrition and Integrative Health, as well as non-credit professional and continuing education courses in nutrition.

About Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH)

Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) is a leading academic institution focused on the study and practice of integrative health and wellness and one of the few universities in the U.S. dedicated solely to such practices. Deeply rooted in a holistic philosophy, its model for integrative health and wellness is grounded in whole-person, relationship-centered, evidence-informed care.

Since 1974, MUIH has been a values-driven community educating practitioners and professionals to become future health and wellness leaders through transformative programs grounded in traditional wisdom and contemporary science.

MUIH has more than 20 progressive graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines, offered on-campus and online. In the on-campus Natural Care Center and community outreach settings, MUIH provides compassionate and affordable healthcare from student interns and professional practitioners, which delivers more than 20,000 clinical treatments and consultations each year.

For more information visit www.muih.edu