Integrative Health, Minor

Introduction

The Integrative Health minor (IHM) is an interdisciplinary minor housed in the School of Health Sciences. Its goal through interprofessional education (IPE) is to advance the understanding of complementary and integrative health care through education, critical thinking, and research with an array of healthcare professionals and business practices.

The IHM is not a training program that will allow students to practice in any given field but will provide a foundation to explore various holistic therapies and integrative medicine. Further professional training and licensing appropriate to a particular field would be required. The program is designed to provide students with the knowledge and background necessary to understand relevant issues in integrative health. 

The two main goals of the program:

Interprofessional Education

To provide courses taught by a qualified and interdisciplinary faculty that identifies and defines the available holistic therapies and their relevance in modern health care. Students learn the philosophical rationales and aesthetic foundations for such therapy. Further, they learn to think critically about holistic health evaluating therapies based on empirical, peer-reviewed research, and to apply this perspective to decision-making processes with various disciplines in healthcare. 

Information Literacy/Research

To encourage faculty and students to collaborate in undertaking quality research. These efforts would help address the need to evaluate critically and fairly the theoretical bases, efficacy and safety of holistic treatments and their role in the health care system.

Admission to the Program

The program is open to students in all majors. Students should contact the coordinator of the Integrative Health program to indicate their interest in pursuing the minor. It also is helpful for students to inform their preceptor of their intention to pursue the minor as the requirements for Integrative Health can simultaneously fulfill other graduation requirements. With early planning, the requirements for the Integrative Health Minor (IHM) can be fulfilled within the framework of completing any undergraduate degree at the University. 

Graduation Requirements

Completing a minor in Integrative Health involves completion of 20 undergraduate credits. An e-portfolio is required, which compiles the learning from all five courses and fosters an overarching personal holistic health philosophy at the completion of requirements. Students will be required to enroll in HLTH 2101 (zero credit course) the final semester of their graduation to complete the capstone e-portfolio. Established clubs related to integrative health invite your participation to improve overall well-being in your journey to the completion of your degree. 

General Integrative Health Minor Required Core Courses

Students are required to complete five courses (20 total credits) to receive the Integrative Health Minor. One course (4 credits) must be in Research Methodology, and the other four courses (16 credits) include approved courses with the Integrated Health attribute. These courses provide students with a broad introduction to integrated health, as well as background in research methodology. For example: while POLS 2150 is a political science course, it covers the relevant research background and techniques, and students can arrange with the instructor for the research projects to cover integrated health-related topics. Other course options can include Study Abroad opportunities or Independent Study with an instructor within the Integrative Health Minor, as approved by the Integrative Health Minor Coordinator. 

Full curriculum details for the integrative health program can be explored using the Degree Works web based tool or are accessible on the program’s website.

Career Opportunities

A sizable proportion of Americans consult complementary and alternative treatments for health problems, particularly chronic conditions such as chronic pain, back problems, anxiety, depression, and headaches. For example, more than half of Americans experiencing anxiety or depression report using alternative therapies to treat these conditions. Recent estimates indicate that over $30 billion per year are spent on holistic health treatments for illness. A sizable proportion of Americans do not inform healthcare providers about their use of such therapies. At present, a majority of American medical schools’ report that they now offer some course work on integrative health, including biobotanicals, although many healthcare workers feel inadequately informed about integrative therapies and the benefits of biobotanical treatments.

The Integrative Health minor provides useful background for those interested in pursuing careers in business, public health, government, journalism, insurance, and any of the various areas of healthcare (e.g., medicine, nursing, social work, physical occupational and speech therapy).Integrative therapy opportunities include massage, aromatherapy, yoga, tai chi, and other mindful movement interventions within community-based health and fitness arenas. 

Course descriptions and schedules can be found online in the Catalog of Courses.