The program is designed for clinicians and practitioners who wish to diversify and expand their care modalities to include herbal medicine. It also serves individuals who want to become a clinical herbalist as a stand-alone profession. 

Clinicians and other health professionals suited for this master’s program include:    

• Credentialed herbalists (e.g., AHG registered) without a graduate clinical herbal degree
• Nutritionists
• Pharmacists
• Nurses
• Nurse practitioners
• Physicians assistants
• Medical doctors
• Osteopathic doctors
• Chiropractors
• Ayurvedic practitioners
• Acupuncturists
• Midwives
• Physical therapists
• Yoga therapists
• Massage therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Fitness trainers
• Social workers
• Counselors
• Health coaches
• Health educators
• Veterinarians

This 2-year, 36-credit program empowers students with critical thinking skills, health information literacy, and expertise in herbal medicine to become leaders in integrating herbal medicine into modern healthcare.

This scientific and research-based program builds upon awareness and appreciation of herbal medicine traditions. The program begins with extensive education in materia medica, herbal sciences, medicine making, and clinical theory. Students are also trained in group therapies in herbalism, writing case study reports, and embodying the core concept of becoming a healing presence. Students synthesize their learning in an advanced residency in herbal practice, where they design and implement clinical strategies. 

Experienced faculty with a contemporary evidence-informed understanding of how to use herbal medicines guide the courses. Class groups are interactive and rely on the group’s collective experience to inform the learning experience. Coursework provides practical, real-world experience in herbal medicine. It allows students to deepen their competencies as clinical herbalists by discussing cases with peers and faculty. Students who are already clinical practitioners can work within their specialty.

While not a prerequisite, the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Herbal Studies can serve as an entry point and advanced standing in the M.S. Clinical Herbal Medicine degree. The four courses of this certificate program are transferable and make up the first four required courses of this master’s degree.

Transfer Credit Options

Students are encouraged to consider the following options to transfer credits to reduce their costs and time to degree completion at NDMU SOIH.

Students who have previously completed the following types of courses at other colleges and universities may be eligible to transfer those credits to NDMU SOIH and be exempt from taking some courses in the M.S. Clinical Herbal Medicine program: 

• Physiology – undergraduate or graduate courses
• Research literacy – graduate courses

In addition, students are exempt from taking NDMU SOIH's ISCI547a Physiology I course if they have completed BIO201 Anatomy & Physiology 1 AND BIO202 Anatomy & Physiology II from StraighterLine.

Required Courses

The program consists of 36 credits of the following required courses:

• HRB600 Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
• HRB605 Materia Medica I (3 cr)
• HRB622 Herbal Pharmacy: Evaluating and Manufacturing Quality Herbal (3 cr)
• HRB624 Applied Herbalism in Clinical Practice (3 cr)
• HRB641 Safety of Botanical Medicine (3 cr)
• HRB-705 Materia Medica II (3 cr) 
• HRB731 Clinical Experience I (3 cr)
• HRB732 Clinical Experience II (3 cr)
• HRB738 Clinical Theory in Practice (3 cr)
• HRB759 Applied Therapeutics (3 cr)
• ISCI547A Physiology I: Healthy Function (3 cr)
• RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Course Descriptions

Course descriptions are available in the Academic Catalog.

Upon completion of this program students will be able to:

• Summarize and synthesize traditional knowledge, pharmacological, and clinical data to make an informed decision about the application of herbal formulas.
• Evaluate and analyze traditional knowledge to bridge the information gap of evidence-based data to make rational decisions in developing safe and effective herbal products and formulas.
• Determine safety concerns of herb-herb and herb-drug interactions for herbal product users.
• Design a comprehensive wellness plan incorporating herbal, dietary, and lifestyle recommendations integrating self-awareness and lessons of nature.
• Assess clients and develop the tools to evaluate and adjust individualized plans and goals in response to the changing needs of the client.
• Determine the legal parameters of herbal practice within their field and the strategies to navigate them.

Program Format

This program is offered in the online format. 

Program Schedule

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

The schedule of courses is shown below:

Trimester 1

• HRB600 Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine (3 cr)
• HRB622 Herbal Pharmacy: Evaluating and Manufacturing Quality Herbal (3 cr)
• MUIH550 Academic Research and Scholarship (0 cr)

Trimester 2

• HRB605 Materia Medica I (3 cr)
• HRB641 Safety of Botanical Medicine (3 cr)

Trimester 3

• HRB738 Clinical Theory in Practice (3 cr)
• ISCI547A Physiology I: Healthy Function (3 cr)

Trimester 4

• HRB759 Applied Therapeutics (3 cr)
• HRB-705 Materia Medica II (3 cr)

Trimester 5

• HRB731 Clinical Experience I (3 cr)
• RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health (3 cr)

Trimester 6

• HRB624 Applied Herbalism in Clinical Practice (3 cr)
• HRB732 Clinical Experience II (3 cr)

Tuition

*Prices subject to change. 

Additional Fees

• Master of Science in Herbal Product Design & Manufacture
• Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Cannabis Science: Therapeutics, Product Design, and Quality Assurance
• Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Herbal Studies

NDMU SOIH's M.S. Clinical Herbal Medicine fulfills 100% of the educational requirements and 100 hours of the 400 required hours of the clinical experience hours of the American Herbalists Guild’s (AHG) Registered Herbalist (RH) credential. MUIH’s program also provides opportunities to pursue additional optional clinical experience hours by working with an external mentor on clinical cases. For additional information on the requirements to achieve the Registered Herbalist credential from AHG, visit https://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/becoming-ahg-rh-member.

Seventy five percent (75%) of recent graduates (2021) of NDMU SOIH's M.S. Clinical Herbal Medicine program were employed or self-employed within one year of graduation. Graduates of NDMU SOIH's herbal medicine programs frequently assume leadership roles in the herbal medicine industry and community as lead formulators, teachers, speakers, writers, executive directors, and business owners. Many are employed in a variety of settings including private practice; integrative group practices; herbal shops and dispensaries; wellness centers; community, non-profit, and outreach organizations; herbal and botanical gardens; herbal product research, development, and manufacturing companies; agricultural companies and agencies; colleges and universities. Many graduates chose to have a portfolio career in which they have multiple positions and employers within one or more profession, rather than one full-time job. A portfolio career provides such individuals with variety in their work life and the opportunity to develop a wide and varied professional network.

More than 40 million individuals in the U.S. used non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements in 2012, up from 38 million users in 2007. The increasing use and impact of herbal medicine on the relative degrees of wellness and disease on public health, society, communities, organizations, and economies has led to a need for well-educated professionals in herbal medicine. The health-improving and cost-saving impact these professionals can have will be increasingly important in the changing world of public health, healthcare, and workplaces. The U.S. Department of Labor projects a much faster than average growth rate (12%) for health educators such as herbal medicine professionals for the period 2021-2031.

View more about career opportunities.

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

James Snow D.C.N.
Department Chair

Bevin Clare, M.S.
Program Director, Clinical Herbal Medicine

Rachel Voss, M.P.A.
Department Manager

Casey Opperman
Academic Advisor

Click here to view the faculty.