Mind-Body Medicine, Ph.D.

Degree Requirements

Students entering the Mind-Body Medicine doctoral program must have completed a master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to enrollment. Doctoral students must complete a minimum of 76 credits. Students in the PhD degree program in Mind-Body Medicine pursue a 25-credit sequence of core courses in mind-body-spirit based paradigms, techniques, and therapies, preparing them for a broad range of employment opportunities in integrative healthcare and mental health care. Students in the PhD in Mind-Body Medicine also complete a 21-credit sequence of research courses, culminating in a doctoral dissertation, pursuing an original research project on a topic relevant to mind-body and integrative healthcare.  Students in this PhD also complete 30 credits of elective courses, 18 of which can be dedicated to one of the doctoral specializations.

Note, this program is not a clinical psychology program. However, it can offer more flexibility in program planning to those wishing to enhance and further develop their clinical knowledge and expertise, but who do not intend to use the degree to qualify for licensure.

Licensed healthcare professionals who complete this doctoral degree will strengthen their already existing careers by applying integrative approaches to treatment and a variety of mind-body skills. Graduates with the PhD in Mind-Body Medicine are prepared to excel in integrative medicine, holistic nursing, and a variety of allied health professions. Graduates without healthcare licenses will be prepared to utilize a variety of mind-body skills to address and enhance mental and physical wellness of individuals and communities while working in private practice, public health, education, corporate, or research settings. 

By approval, Saybrook may accept up to nine graduate transfer credits into the PhD degree in Mind-Body Medicine from other regionally-accredited colleges and universities prior to entrance. Transfer credits are applied to the required number of elective credits or required courses for degree completion. These credits must be suitable for transfer to the intended degree as determined by the Department Chair and Registrar. For further details regarding transfer credit policies, consult the Institutional Transfer Credit Guidelines section of the University Catalog.

Students receiving a Master of Science degree in Mind-Body Medicine, the Master of Science degree in Integrative and Functional Nutrition, or the Master of Arts degree in Integrative Wellness Coaching from Saybrook who are admitted into the doctoral degree in Mind‐Body Medicine can generally transfer all master’s degree credits that match either a required course or an elective into the PhD program. Past students have transferred up to 38 credits. The exact number depends on which master’s degree the student has completed, and which PhD specialization the student selects. These students must fulfill the doctoral degree requirements for a minimum total of 76 credits.

For more information about the PhD Mind-Body Medicine degree following one of the master degree programs in CIMHS, contact the Department Chair.

• MBM 0505 - Mind-Body-Spirit Integration Seminar
• MBM 5500 - Ethics in Healthcare 3 credit(s)

•  

• MBM 5511 - Graduate Colloquium I 1 credit(s)

• OR:

• IFN 5514 - Virtual Community in Nutrition 1.0 credit(s)

• For students in IFN specialization

•  

• MBM 5586 - Ph.D. Practicum 3 credit(s)

•  

• MBM 5600 - Mind-Body Medicine: Overview 3.0 credit(s)

• OR:

• MBM 5660 - Foundations of Integrative Mental Health 3 credit(s)

• Students selecting the Integrative Mental Health will take 5660, others take 5600

•  

• MBM 5615 - Movement, Exercise, and Health 3 credit(s)

• OR:

• MBM 5664 - Somatics: Body-Oriented Approaches to Mental Health 3 credit(s)

•  

• MBM 5620 - Basic Training and Education in Hypnosis 3 credit(s)

•  

• COA 5628 - Evidence-Based Coaching 3.0 credit(s)

•  

• MBM 5655 - Mindfulness and Meditation in Health 3 credit(s)

• OR:

• MBM 5510 - Imagery for Health 3 credit(s)

•  

• MBM 5690 - Complementary and Integrative Medicine 3.0 credit(s)

•  

• Core Requirements 25 credits

• General Electives 12 credits

• Electives or a Specialization (Each of these specializations will be discussed in a subsequent section)  18 credits

•  

• Research Course Sequence

• MBM 1009 - Information Competency & Research Skills 3 credit(s)
• MBM 5540 - Fundamentals of Research 3 credit(s)

•  

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

• OR:

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

•  

• Select one course from Advanced Research course options

• MBM 5555 - Doctoral Research Pilot Study 3 credit(s)
• MBM 9501 - PhD Dissertation Proposal 3 credit(s)
• MBM 9601 - PhD Dissertation Research 3 credit(s)

• Research Course  21 credits

Notes:

• The degree completion time for a student following the default course sequence will average between 4 ½ and 5 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 specialization
• This is a structured cohort program the sequence of courses is different for students who start in the fall than for students who start in the spring.

Learning and Career Outcomes

Licensed healthcare professionals who complete this doctoral degree will strengthen their already existing careers, utilizing integrative approaches to treatment and a variety of mind-body skills. Graduates with the PhD in Mind-Body Medicine are prepared to excel in integrative medicine, holistic nursing, and a variety of allied health professions. Graduates without healthcare licenses will be prepared to work in the private practice of coaching and stress management, and as consultants, educators, and employees in corporate and medically based health promotion and wellness programs.