Online Holistic Medicine Schools and Courses
Learn about certificate programs, standalone courses and degree programs related to holistic medicine. Find out about topics covered in these programs and tips on choosing a program.
What You Need to Know
Holistic medicine is an approach to health care that factors in the whole person, including the mental, physical and emotional. Unlike traditional medicine, which localizes problems and often attempts to solve them with medication, holistic medicine looks at their patients' entirety and will often prescribe changes in diet or lifestyle in place of medication. Depending on professionals' specialty areas, they may hold an undergraduate or graduate degree; certificates are available as well.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Schools</b></td><td> Universities and colleges; must be recognized through the U.S. Department of Education</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Courses</b></td><td> Nutrition, medical botany, environmental medicine, aromatherapy, acupuncture</td></tr>
<tr><td><b>Degrees</b></td><td> Certificate in holistic nutrition, graduate certificate in herbal medicine, master's degree in acupuncture, among other options</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---WhatWillILearn">What Will I Learn?</h3><p>You might explore topics like whole food cooking and weight management in a holistic nutrition program. A graduate certificate program in herbal medicine could help you learn how to select botanical ingredients and evaluate manufactured herbal medicines. Topics covered in standalone courses may include nutrition and cancer prevention. These topics may also be covered:
</p><ul><li>Mineral absorption
</li><li>Organic foods
</li><li>Creation of herbal remedies
</li><li>Medical botany
</li><li>Environmental medicine
</li><li>Aromatherapy
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatAboutAdvancedCourses">What About Advanced Courses?</h3><p>Acupuncture master's programs usually involve a significant amount of clinical experience. Most master's programs are designed to prepare graduates for licensure as professional acupuncture practitioners. These topics might be discussed:
</p><ul><li>Pressure points
</li><li>Needle application techniques
</li><li>Body meridians
</li></ul><h3 id="section---HowDoIChooseASchool">How Do I Choose a School?</h3><p>Your program should be accredited by an organization that's recognized through the U.S. Department of Education. Learn all you can about program faculty, including whether the teachers have a significant amount of experience in their respective fields. You might want to consider schools that offer job placement or career counseling services for students and alumni. The following schools offer holistic medicine courses:
</p><ul><li>American College of Healthcare Sciences
</li><li>Northern Vermont University
</li><li>Everglades University
</li><li>Maryland University of Integrative Health
</li><li>The University of Arizona
</li><li>Arizona State University
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatKindsOfOnlineHolisticMedicineProgramsAreAvailable">What Kinds of Online Holistic Medicine Programs Are Available?</h3><p>Because training in this field often requires hands-on experience, holistic medicine programs have typically only been available on campus. However, there are now a variety of options to study holistic medicine online through diploma, certificate and undergraduate and graduate degrees. You might be able to find some of these programs that have online courses:
</p><ul><li>Certificate in Holistic Nutrition
</li><li>Diploma in Herbal Studies Master Herbalist
</li><li>Associate of Applied Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine
</li><li>Bachelor of Science in Wellness and Alternative Medicine
</li><li>Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Herbal Studies
</li><li>Graduate Certificate in Herbal Medicine
</li><li>Master of Science in Herbal Medicine
</li></ul><h3 id="section---AreThereAnyPrerequisites">Are There Any Prerequisites?</h3><p>You'll need to earn a bachelor's degree before enrolling in an herbal medicine graduate certificate program. Some of these programs also expect applicants to hold a professional healthcare license. Completion of a bachelor's program is usually required prior to enrollment in an acupuncture master's program.</p>