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All programs within the ��������'s School of Integrative Health (NDMU SOIH) share a set of characteristic hallmarks. They lay the framework for the curriculum, how students will demonstrate their learning, and how learning will be assessed. They also connect the curriculum to the skills and attributes sought by employers after students’ graduation.  

Healing Presence: Students learn to demonstrate professional qualities, relationship skills, and professional behaviors that support the innate wholeness of individuals and their capacity to heal themselves.

Relationship-Centeredness: Students learn to demonstrate awareness of self, individuals, and the community to develop shared goals, identify opportunities and barriers, and facilitate meaningful change.

Scientific Principles: Students learn to use knowledge of scientific concepts as part of analysis and decision-making in health and health care.

Research Literacy: Students learn to access, evaluate, and apply the best available evidence to answer questions and inform decisions.

Resilience: Students learn to utilize personal assets, external resources, and positive coping strategies to adapt and thrive in changing environments.

Inter-professionalism: Students learn to collaborate with individuals of other professions to address health and healthcare needs and maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values.

Skillfulness: Students learn to demonstrate proficiency in their field of study, integrating the knowledge and theories of their discipline into sound practice.

Discernment: Students learn to analyze information from a variety of perspectives to make a reasoned judgment based on evidence and reflection.

Ethics: Students learn to apply ethical principles and standards in alignment with the guidelines of their profession to make decisions and take actions.

Intercultural Competency: Students learn to distinguish the impact of race/ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion, socio-economic status, veteran/military and political ideology on individuals, groups, and communities and are proficient in establishing relationships across different cultures to impact health perspectives and outcomes.

Business/Practice Management: Students learn to apply best principles and practices in business management to sustain their livelihood while providing in-demand quality services to patients and clients.

��������'s School of Integrative Health (NDMU SOIH) courses and programs have been offered fully online since 2013. Online learning provides students with flexible and convenient opportunities to earn degrees while also balancing work, family, military service, and community responsibilities. Online learning opportunities provide individuals from across the U.S. and internationally with access to degrees in integrative health fields which are not commonly available at other colleges and universities. 

Over six million students in the U.S. take at least one online credit-bearing course each year. If they can do it, so can you! Students studying online can have the same rewarding and successful learning experience as students who study on-campus, they just do and achieve it in different ways. Online learners often report that they appreciate being able to experience a sense of empowerment in their learning, create a flexible and individualized study schedule, receive personalized communication and feedback from their faculty, and the opportunity to get to know a diverse range of classmates. Our students and alumni report how much they appreciate the opportunity to learn from students who are local and who live around the world.
Online courses are held to the same rigorous graduate and professional standards and have the same learning outcomes as on-campus courses. Online courses and programs are ones in which all in-person instruction is replaced with online instruction. Students taking online courses receive the same quality instruction, mentoring, and interaction with highly qualified faculty as they would in an on-campus course. Online courses expect and require the same commitment, rigorous graduate-level work, and time as on-campus courses. For example, students enrolled in a 3-credit didactic (lecture) course that is 14 weeks long should expect to spend at least nine hours per week on the course. Students are expected to have active, consistent, and timely engagement in online and hybrid courses and to participate in the course’s academically related activities.

Online courses have specific start and end dates and adhere to the University’s academic calendar. Online courses have a structured weekly schedule and specific due dates. Most online courses are conducted asynchronously (not in real time) but are structured by a course schedule and specific due dates. Students can work on their courses on days and times that suit their schedule while also adhering to the due dates specified in the syllabus. Some courses require synchronous (real-time) participation on specific days and times; these online or phone meetings, lectures, or other learning experiences are designed to support the unique learning objectives of the course. Typically, synchronous experiences are provided at multiple times and/or at times that the class has agreed upon; such experiences are often archived for students’ viewing at a later time.

Online courses are offered using the Canvas learning management system. Canvas provides a structured, organized, and self-contained online learning environment. Each online Canvas classroom provides students with the syllabus, learning materials, activities, and assignments needed for success. It provides various means to communicate and engage with the faculty members and fellow students, submit assignments and receive faculty feedback and grades, and access other supportive learning resources and services. Instead of discussing lecture topics, engaging in small group work, or giving a presentation synchronously (in real-time) in an on-campus classroom, these same activities occur asynchronously within the online Canvas classroom mediated by technology. Videos and various interactive media enable students to learn in a number of different ways and review the material more than once. Students gain access to their Canvas classrooms seven days before the start of the course, allowing advance time to review the syllabus and plan ahead.

A degree earned online from the School of Integrative Health carries the same prestige and credibility as a degree earned on campus. There is no distinction on the transcript between online and on-campus courses and programs.

A ��������'s School of Integrative Health (NDMU SOIH) graduate education includes three types of learning experiences. They combine to develop holistically prepared integrative health professionals: curricular learning, co-curricular learning, and extra-curricular learning. 

Curricular Learning

Curricular learning is the primary means of learning. This occurs in courses, and it is the traditional type of learning that you think of when considering earning a degree. This involves acquiring, mastering, and applying knowledge and skills specific in a particular field. 

Co-Curricular Learning

Co-curricular experiences broaden learning and add value to the degree. Co-curricular learning occurs through structured activities designed to complement and extend the formal curriculum. They align with the degree and are part of the overall program-specific learning experience. These informal and optional learning experiences play a key role in supporting students’ professional and career development. Co-curricular learning occurs through activities such as the research symposium, student journal and research clubs, integrative grand rounds, telehealth and healing presence mini-enhancement courses, career community roundtables, and guest speakers, webinars, and workshops focused on timely and practical topics in the field of integrative health and practice management. 

Co-curricular activities give students the opportunity to extend what they learn in their degree program.

1. Co-curricular learning is experiential. Students can hone the knowledge and skills gained in courses. They can put ideas into practice by engaging in practical settings with other integrative health professionals. Students have the flexibility to explore and try new ways of thinking, solving problems, and answering questions in a low-stakes and ungraded environment. They can generate new knowledge. These learning activities offer the opportunity to gain experience beyond reading, watching videos, and listening to others.
2. Co-curricular learning creates personalization. Students can become a co-creator of their holistic curriculum and can personalize their learning experience. Because co-curricular learning activities are informal and optional, students can choose the experiences that match their interests and goals. Students can explore emerging areas of interest and subspecialities in their field that are not covered in their courses. Students can directly express their own values, goals, and interests, and connect them to their degree program.
3. Co-curricular experiences are collegial. Students, faculty, and alumni are invited to participate in MUIH’s co-curricular learning activities. They engage as peer colleagues in a professional learning community. Students bring their unique and prior experiences and their program learning into the educational exchange. This community of practice offers the opportunity to engage with integrative health professionals from multiple fields. This diversifies students’ perspectives and strengthens their ability to understand and work with a wide range of professionals after graduation.
4. Co-curricular opportunities are transformative. These learning experiences provide ever-expanding development opportunities. They broaden horizons and perspectives. Students can reflect on their inner talents and aspirations, such as their leadership qualities, creative skills, and comfort level with public speaking. They can discover an aspect of their field, a career path, and professional characteristics they did not know about before. These experiences help students sharpen skills and attributes that employers seek – critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills.

Engagement in co-curricular learning experiences can enhance employability and career success. These activities prepare students for their future in practical ways.

1. Co-curricular experiences are future focused. They provide the opportunity to participate in authentic scenarios like those students will encounter after graduation. Students can build comfort and confidence in these situations while still in school. They can learn how to contribute and make the most of these situations in their career. Such scenarios include discussing patient or client cases with practitioners from other fields, debating the implications of peer-reviewed journal articles, sharing research findings through poster presentations, and questioning guest speakers from across the country about their care models.
2. Co-curricular learning promotes a T-shaped education. Students gain depth and breadth. The formal curriculum (the vertical part of the T) develops a depth and a strong disciplinary core. Co-curricular learning experiences (the horizontal part of the T) develop breadth. A T-shaped degree provides deep knowledge, skills, and expertise in one area and a broad base of general supporting knowledge and skills. This foundation leads to an adaptable degree and professional. Graduates can apply and transfer what they have learned to different and changing settings and circumstances. Employers value these same attributes in a rapidly evolving workplace.
3. Co-curricular engagement demonstrates professionalism. Your participation in optional co-curricular learning experiences signals to employers that you are committed to your ongoing professional and career development. It communicates that you are motivated and curious. It indicates that you take initiative and responsibility for your professional growth. Highlighting your participation articulates your personal brand and the distinctive value proposition you bring to an employer, collaborator, patient, or client.

Extra-Curricular Learning

Extra-curricular learning occurs through activities that provide the opportunity to cultivate personal knowledge and skills that support academic and career success. This learning goes beyond preparation for a particular occupation. It equips students with transferable skills and strategies that allow them to be agile, resilient, and successful in a variety of occupations and settings. Such learning occurs through activities designed to build resilience and wellness, an understanding of your learning style and personality type, strategies for focused work, time-management and study skills, and understanding and respect of the cultures and unique perspectives of others.

Research plays an essential role in advancing the field of Complementary and Integrative Healthcare (CIH). Research can enhance our understanding of natural therapies, the context in which they are used, and their impact on health and well-being. Results from meaningful research help clinicians, clients, policy makers and other stakeholders make informed decisions.
 

Specific disciplines of research interest in the School of Integrative Health include yoga therapy, herbal medicine, health promotion, nutrition, health coaching, and acupuncture. In addition, the school is dedicated to studying “healing presence”, best practices in teaching CIH, and the application of our practices to chronic pain.

The mission of the Research Department is to serve as a leader in diverse approaches to CIH scholarship through research publication, presentation, and partnerships; as a respected trainer of future CIH researchers; and as a center for evidence-informed healthcare practice and training. For more information on current research and future projects, please contact MUIH-research@muih.ndm.edu.

Research Literacy in the Curriculum

��������'s School of Integrative Health's (NDMU SOIH) Program Hallmarks (see above) include research literacy: students learn to access, evaluate, and apply the best available evidence to answer questions and inform decisions. Research can sometimes seem like a foreign language, and the best way to become fluent in a new language is to use it. Research literacy is a necessary step toward evidence-informed practice, which allows clinicians and other health and wellness professionals to integrate the best available evidence with expert opinion in their field and the preferences of the individual patient or client.

The foundational course offered by the Research Department is RSCH601 Research Literacy in Integrative Health, which is included in many NDMU SOIH Master’s degree programs and offers a broad view of diverse research approaches in CIH. Earlier courses help to prepare students for RSCH601, while later courses allow students to apply and integrate that literacy toward evidence-informed practice that will serve as a lifelong professional skill. Additionally, many programs include coursework in case reporting, which allows students to think critically about clinical cases and how they might contribute to the existing peer-reviewed literature. Doctoral students engage in specialized research courses. All students also have access to co-curricular opportunities that enhance research literacy, such as Student Journal Club and Student Research Group.

Journal Club

Journal Club is an educational meeting where university faculty, staff, and students gather to discuss articles in scientific literature. Journal Club is an opportunity to become more comfortable with reading and interpreting research articles and to explore a specific topic in the current literature. Many aspects of an article are discussed, including research design, the type of intervention, and the relevance of the research to current practice. Participating in Journal Club is an opportunity to hone research literacy skills, which can help students with the reading and assignments for their courses. It also helps participants to become more “evidence-informed” in their clinical or professional practice and discern when the evidence is strong enough to inform decision-making. Additionally, Journal Club provides an opportunity to learn about multiple CIH disciplines which can improve collaborative care and inter-professional communication.

NDMU SOIH offers bimonthly Student and Faculty Journal Clubs. The is open to all students and alumni, including those who attend classes on campus or online. A faculty member leads the discussion, which heavily emphasizes research literacy. Discussions in the Faculty Club include a deep analysis of the research and its application to current topics and emerging trends in health and wellness. Each Journal Club meeting is led by a faculty member who has chosen an article from the CIH literature to discuss. The article is shared in advance, along with a few questions to stimulate discussion. Attendees arrive at Journal Club having read the article and are able to submit questions in advance. The facilitator leads Journal Club participants through the highlights of the article, raises any interesting aspects, and responds to submitted questions.

Research Group

Research Group is a collaborative meeting where students and faculty gather to discuss their research interests and activities. Participants have the opportunity to share progress on current research projects, ask questions or brainstorm research ideas, and learn from one another about research design and execution. NDMU SOIH offers bimonthly Student and Faculty Research Groups. is facilitated by a faculty member, who also brings a research topic for discussion by the group.

Faculty Research and Scholarship

NDMU SOIH faculty regularly engage in a variety of research and scholarship activities. To view a representative list of recent research and scholarly works completed by integrative health faculty, click here.

Scientific Review Committee

The Scientific Review Committees (SRC) serve to evaluate the scientific rigor and institutional support available for proposed research projects. The SRC considers the fit between research objectives and study design, the study design feasibility and rigor, the expertise and skills of the study personnel, the feasibility of the project timeline and benchmarks, the potential for bias, the infrastructure and resource support necessary for the project, the legal and insurance implications, the fit with the university’s priorities and mission, and the funding and fiscal impact on the institution. Through this review the SRC provides feedback to the project’s principal investigator in preparation for submitting proposals to the Institutional Review Board.