Integrative Health and Wellness

Degree Offered

Postbaccalaureate Certificate

Program Description

The Integrative Health and Wellness postbaccalaureate certificate is a 12-credit program that can be completed entirely online.

This program teaches students about integrative therapies and how individuals can bring these therapies into their own professional and personal experiences. The Integrative Health and Wellness certificate is designed for students who are interested in learning more about an integrative, holistic approach to health and healing. This holistic approach appreciates and attends to the role of the body, mind, and spirit in creating and maintaining health and wellness. In this program, students study the differences between the philosophy, theory, and application of allopathic medicine and integrative medicine. Students critically evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of both approaches as well as the strengths and limitations of the empirical evidence for the efficacy and safety of integrative health therapies. In this program, students may practice the key integrative skills they are learning, including popular forms of mind-body interventions, health coaching strategies, and integrative assessments and treatment plans. In addition to professional growth, students can benefit personally from self-reflection exercises and guided experiential learning. Individuals interested in this program will have backgrounds in health care, fitness, nutrition, or psychology. However, the concepts presented in this certificate are useful for students from a variety of backgrounds who are interested in integrative medicine and how it can benefit them professionally and personally. Graduates of this program will have the unique advantage of having studied with leading professionals in this field and possessing a sound knowledge of the empirical research in integrative medicine and basic proficiency in fundamental skills for the practice of integrative health and wellness.  Integrative Health and Wellness also is a concentration of study within the Master of Science in Health Science (MSHS) program. Credits earned in the stand-alone Integrative Health and Wellness certificate program may be applied toward MSHS degree requirements.

Certificate Objectives

This certificate is designed to:

• Provide students with empirically based knowledge of holistic approaches to health and wellness.
• Improve the quality and breadth of care of health care practitioners.
• Plan and facilitate programs that will bring awareness to integrative health and wellness health care options.
• Work effectively within various health care facilities to provide complementary and integrative approaches for those seeking nonallopathic treatments.
• Build interdisciplinary teams and communicate with clinical providers, administrators, and patients using integrative approaches.

Learning Outcomes

At completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Describe the fundamental concepts of integrative health and wellness, including the history, philosophies, theories, and methods of prominent integrative therapies.
• Identify the differences between, and applications of, allopathic medicine and integrative medicine.
• Explain the interaction among emotional, physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of health and well- being.
• Describe the types, uses, benefits, and potential adverse effects of commonly used mind-body approaches in the United States.
• Critique the strengths and limitations of the empirical evidence for the efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action of integrative health therapies.
• Demonstrate basic proficiency in skills for communicating and educating patients about integrative health and wellness approaches.
• Use scientific evidence for clinical decision-making, treatment recommendations, and outcome evaluation.
• Contrast integrative assessment with conventional medical assessment and develop an integrative treatment plan.
• Analyze case studies demonstrating the application of integrative approaches for the treatment and prevention of common and chronic diseases.
• Apply the philosophy and fundamental principles of health and wellness coaching in your chosen health care profession.
• Use knowledge of health behavioral change theories to inform coaching strategies and empower clients’ change process.
• Experience and reflect upon the use of integrative approaches for health and healing through guided experiential learning and self-practice.

Program Admission

General application requirements for admission to postbaccalaureate certificate programs are outlined in the Admissions section of this catalog. UMB recognizes that the coursework designed for the Integrative Health and Wellness certificate has the potential to benefit learners who are pursuing multiple clinical and professional degrees and credentials. To apply for this postbaccalaureate certificate, individuals should have at least a bachelor’s degree and a professional or personal interest in integrative health and wellness. No specific undergraduate course of study is required.

Degree Requirements

Certificate candidates must complete a minimum of 12 credits. Students must maintain a minimum, cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. All courses must be taken for letter grade. All requirements for the certificate must be completed within three years after admission and all credits for the certificate must be completed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Complete guidelines and requirements for progression and completion are outlined in the Academic Performance and Progress in a Postbaccalaureate Certificate Program section of this catalog.

Required Courses

All courses are eight weeks in length, 3 credits, and offered online.