Overview
Credits Per Trimester
6
Total Credits
12
Duration
2 trimesters
Trimester of Entry
Fall
Program Format
Online

Notre Dame of Maryland University's School of Integrative Health (NDMU SOIH) Ayurvedic Wellness Practices Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (PBC) program provides a solid foundation in modern Ayurvedic practices, incorporating a progressive scientific perspective while maintaining its roots in traditional practices. NDMU SOIH's program is the only accredited program that can be completed fully online. This program is well suited to individuals interested in helping themselves and others support their health and wellness.

Ayurveda (“science of life”) is one of the oldest systems of self-care in the world, with seminal texts dating to the height of the Vedic civilization (circa 2000 BC). It focuses on an individual’s relationship with their own body, mind, and spirit, and with the natural world. Its aim is to integrate and balance these aspects to help prevent illness and promote promotes physical health and well-being along with the pursuit of a purposeful, meaningful life, in individualized ways. This proactive and relationship-centered approach is designed to re-establish harmony and balance by cleansing the body of substances that can cause sickness, and integrate and balance the body, mind and spirit. Ayurveda blends well with modern medicine and other integrative health fields, both philosophically and practically, owing to its inclusivity of multiple perspectives. This program offers graduate-level education that prepares graduates to enhance their professional health and wellness and health care practices with Ayurvedic wellness approaches and to apply this healing framework when considering disease prevention and management.

This online 12 credit program can be completed in as little as eight months (two trimesters).

 

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Audience

The Ayurvedic Wellness Practices PBC provides educational and career opportunities for professionals in a variety of integrative and conventional health and wellness fields. It provides graduates with the skills, knowledge, and framework needed to specialize in the wellness therapies used in traditional Ayurveda.

It also provides students with existing practices in integrative or conventional health and wellness disciplines with in-depth working knowledge needed to incorporate Ayurvedic approaches in their primary practice, and combine it with and complement other modalities such as yoga therapy, nutrition, herbal medicine, naturopathic and conventional medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, nursing, chiropractic, midwifery, health and wellness coaching, health education, and personal training, athletic training, and fitness.

Program Description

The program is designed to provide students with practical exposure to the array of ancient and contemporary modalities and approaches that has garnered Ayurveda the title of “mother of healing.” It enables graduates to create general approaches to promote, build, and maintain functional levels of health and vitality in daily life, present basic Ayurvedic lifestyle and wellness education to the public, and apply the principles of Ayurveda to enhance their current professional practice with a unique set of assessment and health promotion skills.

Students will gain a solid foundation in modern Ayurvedic practices which incorporates a progressive scientific perspective while maintaining its roots in traditional practices. The curriculum includes key components of the science of Ayurveda: the incorporation of diet and herbs, the influences of season and climate on physiology, and lifestyle and self-care choices to build a healthy and meaningful life. The program covers a well-developed set of self-care principles and practices to live a healthy and meaningful life, and the use of these principles and practices to develop routines to maintain health and achieve life goals. The program provides a comprehensive, in-depth, and working knowledge of the major aspects of traditional Ayurvedic health and wellness therapies including foundational Ayurvedic principles; constitutional and metabolic typology; Ayurvedic food science; yoga, breathing, and meditation skills; experiential healing and energy points; and seasonal rejuvenation and health restorative measures.

The program’s design aligns with the general educational principles outlined by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Benchmarks for Ayurveda, Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA), and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). Graduates of this program are qualified for certification by the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA) as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant.

NDMU SOIH's Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Ayurvedic Wellness Practices is a graduate program, which differs from training programs offered in the field. Click here for a description of the added value of a graduate program.

Admission Requirements
Trimester of Entry: Fall
Application Priority Deadline: Application deadline by Trimester
General Requirements:
Program Specific Requirements: Complete Essay Questions in application:

 

  • What is your experience with Ayurveda and how do you employ Ayurvedic principles and practices in your life currently?
  • Are you trained in other disciplines such as body work, acupuncture, social work or other healing arts?
  • What is your vision for sharing this information with others?
Curriculum

Required Courses

The program consists of 12 credits of the following required courses:

  • AYUR630 Foundations of Ayurveda (3 cr)
  • AYUR631 Ayurveda and the Mind (3 cr)
  • AYUR633 Ayurvedic Nutrition and Herbs (3 cr)
  • AYUR635 Ayurvedic Lifestyle Skills and Self-Care (3 cr)
  • MUIH550 Academic Scholarship and Research (0 cr)

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

  • Create Ayurvedic approaches to promote, build, and maintain functional levels of health and vitality in daily life.
  • Present basic Ayurvedic lifestyle and wellness education to the public.
  • Apply the principles of Ayurveda to enhance current professional practice with a unique set of assessment and health promotion skills.
Program Format & Schedule

Program Format

This program is offered in the online format.

For trimester start and end dates, see the Academic Calendar.

Trimester 1

  • AYUR630 Foundations of Ayurveda (3 cr)
  • AYUR631 Ayurveda and the Mind (3 cr)
  • MUIH550 Academic Scholarship and Research (0 cr)

Trimester 2

  • AYUR633 Ayurvedic Nutrition and Herbs (3 cr)
  • AYUR635 Ayurvedic Lifestyle Skills and Self-Care (3 cr)
Tuition & Fees

Tuition

Course Code Cost per Credit* # of Credits
AYUR Fall ’25 $960 6
AYUR Spring ’26 $960 6

*Prices subject to change. Tuition costs are for illustrative purposes only.

Additional Fees

Fees Cost
Application Fee $0
Non-Refundable Tuition Deposit $150
University Fee (per trimester) $275
All students, including students taking a voluntary break in enrollment. Click here to learn more about the fee.
Licensure, Certification, & Credentialing

Graduates of the program are eligible for certification as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant with the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA).

Students in MUIH’s PBC Ayurvedic Wellness Practices program may be eligible to fulfill the continuing education requirements of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and Yoga Alliance. Individuals who complete PBC Ayurvedic Wellness Practices program or individual courses in the program can apply directly to these organizations for continuing education credits. For more information about these continuing education requirements and application process visit IAYT and Yoga Alliance.

Career Opportunities

Increasing and significant use of holistic health and Ayurvedic wellness practices has led to a need for well-educated professionals in the field. The 2002, 2007, and 2012 National Health Interview Survey indicated a substantial and consistent use of Ayurveda by U.S. adults.

Increasing professionalization of the field is demonstrated by a growth in professional membership in the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and the establishment of the NAMA Certification Board in 2017. View more about career opportunities.

A number of career opportunities are available to graduates of the Ayurvedic Wellness Practices program, as they will be well positioned to serve as practitioners, guides, coaches, and educators in settings such as:

  • Healthcare professional practice enhancement through a new and unique set of assessment and health promotion skills.
  • Wellness, spa, yoga, fitness, and athletic professions.
  • Ayurvedic herbal, food and beauty product lines.
  • General education classes and workshops in fundamental Ayurvedic concepts in community and workplace wellness programs.
  • Individual and group health, wellness, and menu coaching, consulting, and planning.
Program Administration

Contact the Department: muih-yoga@muih.ndm.edu

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D., C-IAYT
Department Chair

Rachel Voss, M.P.A., RYT-500
Department Manager

Caressa Olivo
Academic Advisor

Click here to view the faculty.