Mind-Body Medicine, Integrative and Functional Nutrition Specialization, Ph.D.

Requirements

Specialization in Integrative and Functional Nutrition

The doctoral degree program in Mind-Body Medicine with an IFN Specialization offers professionals a science-based approach to broaden and deepen their academic and professional development in the fields of clinical nutrition and integrative healthcare. The program provides the opportunity to build upon the foundation provided by a master’s degree from Saybrook or from another regionally-accredited college or university.

Requirements Overview

Candidates for the IFN specialization must demonstrate that they have completed a master’s degree or the equivalent.  They must show evidence of having earned 3.0 credits of Anatomy and Physiology and 3.0 credits of General Biochemistry as part of their undergraduate or graduate work. Applicants lacking these courses will take them as part of their Saybrook doctoral coursework. The PhD in MBM with an IFN specialization is a 79 credit degree. For students lacking one or both of the basic sciences, the degree will include 82 to 85 credits.

Applicants are allowed to transfer in up to 9 credits from a previous graduate degree program, leaving approximately 70 credits in required coursework for most applicants. To qualify for transfer, past coursework must have been completed within the past ten years, with a 3.0 (B) grade or better.  Students with a master’s degree in nutrition, and those who can demonstrate equivalent learning for some of the required classes, may waive those required classes and substitute additional electives into their program plan.

All students in the IFN specialization complete a regimen of research courses preparing them to conduct  a doctoral dissertation project investigating a nutrition and health-related topic, and also complete a minimum of 100 hours in a Doctoral Practicum placement or placements.

Students receiving a master’s degree in Mind-Body Medicine or a master’s degree in Integrative and Functional Nutrition from Saybrook who are admitted into the doctoral degree in Mind-Body Medicine can generally transfer many of these credits into their PhD program. These students must fulfill the doctoral degree requirements not completed at the master’s level, including the remaining required courses and the dissertation or project.

For further information on admission into the PhD MBM program with an IFN specialization after completion of a Saybrook M.S. degree, contact the Program Director. Some credits from a master’s degree earned in other programs at Saybrook may also be transferable into the doctoral degree program. Contact the Dean of CIMHS for additional information. 

• MBM 1009 - Information Competency & Research Skills 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5511 - Graduate Colloquium I 1 credit(s)
• MBM 5670 - Foundations of Integrative and Functional Nutrition 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5510 - Imagery for Health 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5540 - Fundamentals of Research 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5557 - Advanced Research Method 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5584 - Doctoral Level Professional Seminar in Mind-Body Medicine 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5615 - Movement, Exercise, and Health 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5628 - Evidence-Based Coaching 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5632 - Intermediate Health and Wellness Coaching 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5678 - Advanced Nutritional Physiology 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5688 - Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry - Macronutrients 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5689 - Advanced Nutritional Biochemistry - Micronutrients 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5635 - Spirituality and Health 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5555 - Doctoral Research Pilot Study 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5586 - Ph.D. Practicum 3 credit(s)

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• MBM 5553 - Quantitative Research Overview 3 credit(s)

• OR

• MBM 5556 - Qualitative Research Overview 3 credit(s)

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• MBM 5500 - Ethics in Healthcare 3 credit(s)

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• MBM 5525 - Grant Writing 3 credit(s)

• OR

• MBM 5533 - Health Informatics: The Science of Healthcare Information 3 credit(s)

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• MBM 5655 - Mindfulness and Meditation in Health 3 credit(s)
• MBM 9501 - PhD Dissertation Proposal 3 credit(s) *
• MBM 9601 - PhD Dissertation Research 3 credit(s) *

• Nutritional Electives Included 9 credit(s)

• General Electives Included 6 credit(s)

Total Credits (Years 1-4): 79

* (Note: Students will remain enrolled in this course each term during culminating phase until completion.)

Degree Requirements for 2016-2017 Academic Year approved by CIMHS Degree Program Committee.

NOTES:

• The degree completion time for a student following the default course sequence will average between 5 ½ to 6 ½ years. Some students may complete degree requirements in fewer terms and some may require more terms to complete the degree.
• A listing of acceptable CIMHS courses and electives is available in the Saybrook catalog. Students may also choose an elective from the required courses in other specializations.
• This is a structured cohort program and the sequence of courses is different for students who start in the fall than for students who start in the spring.

Learning Outcomes

A PhD in Mind-Body Medicine with a specialization in Integrative and Functional Nutrition provides healthcare practitioners with a comprehensive preparation to integrate nutritional interventions, mind-body skills, and a person-centered approach into healthcare.  Graduates will be prepared to offer clinical treatment within the scope of their licenses and certifications, augmented with a variety of complementary therapies and integrative medicine interventions. In addition, graduates will be prepared for academic jobs in universities, colleges, and medical schools, teaching an integrative approach to health and mental health.

Students enrolled in the IFN specialization can earn nationally recognized certificates in health and wellness coaching, further adding to their toolbox of evidence-based skills in demand in healthcare today. They also can acquire the knowledge and skills for work in chronic pain, palliative care, and integrative hospice services, areas where nutritional and mind-body approaches have been demonstrated to be clinically effective.