How Do I Earn a Holistic Medicine Degree?

A holistic medicine degree is a credential you can earn after studying an approach to medicine that encompasses the mind, body, and spirit. This differs from traditional medicine, in which the body is usually the primary focus. To earn a holistic medicine degree, you will typically need to secure a high school or General Educational Development® (GED®) diploma and then gain admission to a bachelor's and possibly a master's or doctoral program. The degree you seek may depend on your career goals. You could, for example, choose an undergraduate degree if you want to become an acupuncturist or massage therapist, but you would need a graduate degree to focus on research or become a holistic medicine doctor.

You will most likely need a high school diploma to gain acceptance to a holistic medicine degree program, though this requirement may depend on the school to which you apply. While you are in high school, working to excel in all of your classes will generally improve your chances of getting into the higher education institution of your choice and may also provide knowledge upon which you can build in years to come. Health courses, in particular, will typically prove important, and those that teach communication skills may help you prepare to communicate with professors, other students, and eventually patients and other medical professionals.

Earning a bachelor's degree in holistic medicine will likely require you to spend about four years on your education. The classes you will take for such a program may depend on the school you wish to attend, but many of these programs include classes in such subjects as meditation, massage therapy, nutrition, and naturopathy. You might also take basic science courses, such as those in biology and anatomy, and study spiritual healing and the use of holistic medicine techniques in dealing with common types of disorders.

If you decide to earn a master's level holistic medicine degree, this will likely mean committing to another couple of years of schooling. A master's degree program will typically provide you with a more extensive view of holistic medicine and allow you to choose a specialty on which to focus. Some of the courses you might take as part of a master's level program include such subjects as herbal medicine, nutrition, molecular physiology, and integrative health. You may also continue your study of biology and anatomy and learn more about aromatherapy, massage, and reflexology. Such programs might also include a study of acupuncture.

To have the most career opportunities once you have earned a holistic medicine degree, you may want to seek a doctoral degree to prepare for a career as a holistic medicine doctor. Your study of the human body will continue in this program, though the courses will prove more advanced than those at the bachelor's or master's level. You'll take courses in such subjects as biomedicine, microanatomy, homeopathic medicine, psychology, and personality; such a program may also include studies of chronic diseases, diagnosis and treatment methods, pathology, and research design. Additionally, this type of degree program usually includes dissertation and internship components.