College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences

The College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences (CIMHS) is dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary modalities that enhance optimal health and wellbeing for individuals and communities.  Influenced by humanistic principles and values, faculty and students are empowered to apply their knowledge and skills to facilitate mind, body, and spirit wellness in personal and professional life.  Recognizing the importance of collaborative, person-centered care strategies, CIMHS embraces an educational model that endorses a range of health-related disciplines, scholarship, evidence-based practices and skill development.

CIMHS offers MA, MS, and PhD graduate degrees and certificate programs in Mind-Body Medicine, Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Integrative Wellness Coaching, and Psychophysiology. These academic programs combine a cutting-edge curriculum with a university-wide emphasis on student-centered learning and faculty engagement. Faculty members, including world-renowned scholar-practitioners, offer mentorship, edit industry publications, lead professional associations, direct community health centers, conduct research, and develop protocols for treatments that support and complement those used in conventional, Western medicine.

The master’s degrees and doctoral specializations are designed for professionals from diverse career fields who wish to expand their expertise in health and wellness.  The degrees prepare students for clinical practice, academic teaching, and research in health and wellness. In addition, CIMHS students may add a minor or specialization to their general degree requirements if they are interested in extending their knowledge or skill set in a specific discipline. The MA, MS, and PhD degrees, including the optional minors and specializations offered in CIMHS, include:

MA Integrative Wellness Coaching

• Minor in Integrative and Functional Nutrition
• Minor in Mind-Body Medicine
• MS Integrative and Functional Nutrition
• Minor in Integrative Wellness Coaching
• Minor in Mind-Body Medicine

MS Mind-Body Medicine

• Minor in Integrative Wellness Coaching
• Minor in Integrative and Functional Nutrition

MS Psychophysiology

PhD in Mind-Body Medicine

• Specialization in Applied Psychophysiology
• Specialization in Integrative Mental Health
• Specialization in Integrative Wellness Coaching
• Specialization in Mindful Leadership in Healthcare

PhD in Applied Psychophysiology

• Specialization in Clinical Psychophysiology
• Specialization in Optimal Functioning

PhD in Integrative and Functional Nutrition

Distance Learning Model

The majority of the coursework is conducted online and at a distance, so students can live and work anywhere in the world as they engage with CIMHS faculty and peers. Classes incorporate a variety of instructional and assessment methods including asynchronous discussion forums, live videoconferences, interactive web-based activities, and written assignments. In addition, there are two residential conferences per academic year. These residential conferences are held in January (the start of spring semester) and August (the start of fall semester).

Courses for graduate degrees in the CIMHS are offered during three semesters each year: fall, spring, and summer. Fall and spring semesters each have two 7-week terms (A and B) and one semester long term of 15-weeks. The summer semester has one term of 8-weeks or 12-weeks.

Virtual Student Orientation and Residential Conference

In the fall and spring semesters, all new students in the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences participate in a virtual student orientation (VSO). During the VSO, these students are introduced to Saybrook University’s administrative staff, faculty, current students and University-wide policies. There are also workshops to review technology, student services, library databases, and more.

In the fall and spring semesters, new students enrolled in the Mind-Body Medicine and the Integrative Wellness Coaching degree programs are required to attend a four-day Residential Conference (RC). New students in the Applied Psychophysiology degree programs are required to attend a five-day RC. For new students in the Integrative and Functional Nutrition degrees, the RCs are optional.

The number of required RCs for continuing MBM students varies by degree program and selected coursework. Review the degree program requirements for more information about the RCs.

Houston Based Satellite Residential Conference Program for the MS and PhD Mind-Body Medicine

Mind-Body Medicine (MBM) students in the Houston Satellite program will participate in a total of four 4-day RCs to fulfill the residential training requirements for the MS and PhD MBM programs.  They will also register for online courses associated with their degree requirements. To review the details of these requirements, refer to the degree requirements in the academic programs section of this catalog.

The Houston cohort will convene at the offices of the Institute for Spirituality and Health in the Texas Medical Center in the Fall and Spring semesters: September 2019, January 2020, September 2020, and January 2021.  These four training sessions satisfy the course requirements of the MS and PhD MBM degrees, including the following PhD specializations: Mindful Leadership in Healthcare and Integrative Mental Health.  Students are welcome to attend additional RCs in California for elective courses that require a training component.  Students may also add a Certificate in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, with no further residential requirement.

Virtual Community in Nutrition

Students in the Master of Science in Integrative and Functional Nutrition and the PhD in Integrative and Functional Nutrition participate in a semester-long Virtual Community in Nutrition that helps orient them to Saybrook University and the Integrative and Functional Nutrition program. While participating in this distance-taught course, students will interact with faculty and classmates to establish a sense of community and develop best practices for academic success while learning about topics in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. This course is required in place of the RO and RC for all new MS and PhD students in Integrative and Functional Nutrition. Students may opt to participate in the RC, in addition to this course, if they choose.

Virtual Community in Applied Psychophysiology

All students in the MS in Psychophysiology and the PhD in Applied Psychophysiology participate in a virtual community that begins with the required first semester Graduate Colloquium course and continues throughout the degree program.  The virtual community includes invited lectures, research and administrative seminars, a Facebook page, and other elements intended to assist students in orienting to the program. The virtual community builds connections among students and faculty.