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Fellowship MS offered by the MIU College of Integrative Medicine

For physicians and advanced practice providers

  • Gain a solid scientific foundation in the holistic knowledge and practice of Integrative AyurvedaSM and other evidence-based integrative medicine approaches
  • Study online and part-time with expert medical professionals
  • Discover how to practice medicine for the whole person: mind, body, environment and spirit
  • Utilize latest advances of evidence-based integrative medicine and the time-tested system of natural holistic medicine and health care – Integrative Ayurveda
  • Join a supportive community of like-minded medical professionals to support clinician wellness and prevention-oriented patient care
  • Structured as a two-year, online program requiring 10-12 hours a week and includes 1 week a year of residential clinical training at the MIU Center for Integrative Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa

Register for the webinar Diet, Inflammation, and Immunity: Modern and Traditional Perspectives, Thursday, March 23, 7:00 PM CST

Provisionally approved by the American Board of Integrative Medicine

Developed in collaboration with University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine

The faculty of the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine have contributed their Foundational Fellowship Curriculum (FFC) to the MS program. The FFC provides state of the art knowledge in all the major domains of integrative medicine recommended by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM). The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has been teaching physicians and health professionals for 20 years in their fellowship programs.


Discover a new paradigm for medical practice

Patients are increasingly demanding whole person, prevention-oriented healthcare without harmful side effects.

During your program, you’ll gain knowledge and skills to optimize your clinical effectiveness while minimizing adverse effects of conventional medicine. You’ll learn to empower your patients and increase satisfaction through whole-person care utilizing best practices of modern Integrative Medicine and Integrative Ayurveda.


Prevent clinician burnout, practice self-care

Clinician burnout and exhaustion is a grim reality, with more than half of physicians and healthcare providers reporting burnout.

This one-of-a-kind training for healthcare professionals engages you in an ongoing program of clinician-oriented self-care using evidence-based practices of mind-body medicine, lifestyle medicine, Integrative Ayurveda, and the Transcendental Meditation technique.


Practice the science and art of personalized integrative medicine

You’ll learn Maharishi AyurVeda pulse assessment and mind-body types.

This will help you to detect imbalances in mind and body before clinical symptoms manifest, and to restore balance for prevention.


Study at home with a flexible schedule

Our two-year, part-time online MS requires 10-12 hours per week of study on your own time and schedule.

You’ll meet biweekly with your medical instructors for live, online clinical sessions. Once per year, you’ll have the opportunity to come for a week of residential clinical study and experience on the MIU campus.

Learn without the strain typical of graduate programs and continue your clinical practice while enrolled in the master’s program with a fellowship.


Get started by contacting Noreen

Noreen Dillman, admissions counselorNoreen Dillman is this program’s admissions counselor for US students. Noreen will provide you with all the details of becoming a student, including connecting you with program faculty when you have questions. International students may connect with their admissions counselor through our contact form.

Noreen Dillman, admissions counselor

Contact Noreen >

Contact Noreen >


Featured faculty

arti prasad

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP, ABOIM – Director

arti prasad

Arti Prasad is Adjunct Professor, College of Integrative Medicine at Maharishi International University and Chief Strategic Development Officer, Hennepin Healthcare
Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota

“As a founding member of the American Board of Integrative Medicine and as a practitioner, teacher, and leader in the field of integrative health, I believe this is the first time in the nation that the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda as a whole system of medicine will be highlighted and integrated with modern medicine through this combined fellowship program.”

robert schneider

Robert Schneider, MD, FACC – Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine

robert schneider

Robert Schneider is Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine, Co-Director of the PhD in Physiology and Health, Director of the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, and Professor of Physiology and Health .

“For more than 35 years, I have researched, taught, and practiced Integrative Medicine based at MIU, which has been a global leader in bringing the holistic knowledge of Ayurveda to modern healthcare. It’s fulfilling to now offer this opportunity to physicians and health professionals in the US and worldwide. This will be the future of healthcare.”

charles elder

Charles Elder, MD, MPH, FACP – Executive Director

charles elder

Charles Elder is Executive Director of the Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda for Medical Professionals; Senior Investigator of the Center for Health Research; and Emeritus Physician in the Department of Internal Medicine of Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

“Learning Maharishi AyurVeda helped transform my clinical practice, and I am eager to share with fellows and colleagues the novel, time-tested, and science-based approaches that can improve outcomes, optimize both patient and clinician health, and reinvigorate medicine.”

Sankari Wegman

Sankari Wegman, PhD – Assistant Director

Sankari Wegman

Sankari Wegman is Assistant Professor, College of Integrative Medicine, at Maharishi International University.

“Over the last 20 years in my professional practice, I have seen firsthand how Maharishi AyurVeda has transformed the health and well-being of patients. I am excited to be a part of this program that will equip healthcare practitioners with tools to provide their patients with whole person care from the different modalities of Integrative Medicine, while also placing an emphasis on practitioner self-care.”

Featured courses

World,Health,Day,Concept:,Human,Hands,Holding,Earth,Global,On

Introduction to Integrative Medicine and Integrative Ayurveda

World,Health,Day,Concept:,Human,Hands,Holding,Earth,Global,On

This course begins with a survey of contemporary trends in health and healthcare, exploring the background and rationale underlying the emergence of Integrative Medicine as a field.

Students learn to practice tools for self-care that will form the basis for integrative patient care. These include principles and practices of mind-body and lifestyle medicine from Ayurveda, meditation, and Yoga. Students learn the basics of coaching patients to implement and sustain such lifestyle change.

The paradigm of consciousness-based health and foundational concepts of Ayurvedic anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment are introduced. Finally, we discuss how modern discoveries of Integrative Medicine and traditional insights into natural health care can be woven into contemporary clinical practice in a science-based, holistic framework called Integrative Ayurveda.

egg avocado salad

Introduction to Nutrition and Diet

egg avocado salad

This course offers in depth knowledge of the scientific basis for healthy eating patterns, from both modern scientific and Integrative Ayurveda vantage points. Students review the scientific literature on the role of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins in the diet, and gain a sophisticated understanding of the importance of dietary phytonutrients. The curriculum explores the rationale and evidence for common, popular diets, particularly the anti-inflammatory and Mediterranean diets.

The second part of the course explores how and why Integrative Ayurveda emphasizes the digestive process to facilitate absorption and utilization of nutrients, while minimizing toxic byproducts. Students learn simple protocols for Ayurvedic cooking, when and how to eat, and how to personalize dietary recommendations for an individual mind-body imbalance or mind-body type.

hiker in woods

Lifestyle Medicine

hiker in woods

In this course students expand their understanding and clinical skills in lifestyle medicine, including sleep, exercise, and substance abuse. The course reviews normal sleep patterns as well as common sleep disorders and their management from general Integrative Medicine and Ayurvedic perspectives. Students review the evidence for physical activity as therapy and learn how to create an exercise prescription. We introduce Yoga asanas as traditional movement therapy. From Ayurveda, students learn how to tailor exercise and movement prescriptions to the patient’s mind-body type.

The curriculum presents the evidence for utilizing meditation and other integrative methods for substance abuse. Finally, there is an in-depth discussion of chronobiology, based on both modern and traditional principles, leading to detailed prescriptions for health promotion through daily routine in accordance with chronorhythms.


  • Introduction to Integrative Medicine and Integrative Ayurveda
  • Introduction to Whole Systems of Health
  • Introduction to Mind-Body Medicine
  • Introduction to Nutrition and Diet
  • Integrative Medicine Business and Legal Issues
  • Lifestyle Medicine
  • Environmental Health
  • Five Sense Therapies
  • Botanical Dietary Supplements
  • Integrative Approaches to the Musculoskeletal System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Cardiovascular and Renal Systems
  • Integrative Approaches to the Gastrointestinal System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Respiratory System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Articular System
  • Integrative Approaches to the Endocrine and Reproductive Systems
  • Integrative Approaches to the Immune and Hematologic Systems
  • Integrative Approaches to the Nervous System, Mental Health, and Skin
  • Integrative Approaches to Obstetrics and Pediatrics
  • Integrative Approaches to Aging and Longevity
  • Integrative Approaches to Palliative and End of Life Care
  • Research and Scholarly Activity
  • Clinical Webinars
  • Residential Clinical Weeks

Cost & Aid, 2023–2024

US Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine & Ayurveda for Medical Professionals

The program duration is two years. The tuition listed here is for one year (two semesters).

One Academic Year Tuition and Fees
Tuition and fees$17,940
Federal loans-$17,940
Your payment$0
Optional: additional federal loans?-$10,000

Additional Financial Aid Information

$10,000 per year in optional federal student loans are available toward living expenses and travel to the residencies.
The cost of instruction, housing, and meals for residential clinical training is included in your tuition; other expenses, such as travel, are the responsibility of the student.

There are a variety of money-saving tax benefits to assist in reducing the cost of education expenses. More about education tax benefits.
Veterans should contact the VA for information on Veterans Education Benefits. Veterans eligible for BAH monthly benefits: The VA utilizes a scale of credits per block of courses; therefore, the VA sometimes pays part-time benefits for an individual month while the university delivers full-time federal aid for an entire semester. Our Veterans Certifying Official is our Director of Financial Aid.

Loan Repayment Options

Payments are a fixed amount that ensures your loans are paid off within 10 years (within 10 to 30 years for Consolidation Loans).
Payments may be fixed or graduated and will ensure that your loans are paid off within 25 years.
Payments are lower at first and then increase, usually every two years, and are for an amount that will ensure your loans are paid off within 10 years (within 10 to 30 years for Consolidation Loans).
Your monthly payments will be either 10 or 15 percent of discretionary income (depending on when you received your first loans), but never more than you would have paid under the 10-year Standard Repayment Plan.
Payments are recalculated each year and are based on your updated income, family size, and the total amount of your Direct Loans. Any outstanding balance will be forgiven if you haven’t repaid your loan in full after 25 years.
Your monthly payment is based on annual income, but your loan will be paid in full within 15 years.

Tuition, other fees, scholarships, and financial policies are subject to change prior to the entry date. For more information, contact us at finaid@miu.edu for a quick reply — normally one business day — or see more about financial aid.

International Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine & Ayurveda for Medical Professionals

The program duration is two years. The tuition listed here is for one year.

Annual Cost
Tuition and fees$17,940
Your payment$17,940


Tuition, other fees, scholarships, and financial policies are subject to change prior to the entry date.

Entrance requirements

  • Hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in any field with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
  • Apply for admission.
  • Completion of the MIU admissions process, including the submission of official transcripts, a recommendation, and an admissions interview.
  • Applicants must be licensed health care providers, defined as:
    • physicians (MD, DO)
    • advanced practice registered nurses (APRN, NP, CNM, CNS, CRNS)
    • physician assistants (PA)
    • naturopathic physicians (ND, NMD)
    • doctors of pharmacy/pharmacists (PharmD)
    • dentists (DDS, DMD)

English language verification

International applicants must submit official English proficiency test scores within the past 2 years of at least 110 on Duolingo, 6.5 on IELTS Academic, 90 on TOEFL iBT or 58 on PTE.

Before your first class

All MIU students practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique. If you have not learned it yet:

  • Once accepted as a US student, the cost of TM instruction is covered through a grant offered by MIU
  • Applicants are encouraged to learn before beginning the program or within the program’s first month during the self-care module.
  • Contact your admissions counselor for details
  • Find information on the TM technique or search for a TM teacher at TM.org

FAQ

On average, you’ll study about 10-12 hours per week, at your own time and pace.

Program study is part-time, online over two years. Plus there is one week per year of residential clinical training at the MIU campus in Fairfield, Iowa.

The program is delivered online using asynchronous study materials plus live clinical webinars every two weeks with expert medical faculty.

The residential clinical training takes place one week each year at the MIU Center for Integrative Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa. The cost of instruction, housing, and meals for residential clinical training is included in your tuition; other expenses, such as travel, are the responsibility of the student.
Yes, if there is sufficient demand, we’ll offer residential clinical weeks in Europe and/or Asia for residents of those regions.

MDs and DOs who successfully complete the program will be eligible to apply for the examination for board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM).

For all students, the program offers advanced training and a Master of Science degree in integrative medicine and Ayurveda.

The Fellowship MS in Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda for Medical Professionals is designed for physicians, advanced practice providers, and other selected licensed health professionals. It prepares MDs and DOs for board certification in Integrative Medicine through ABOIM. Approximately half of the curriculum is devoted to general Integrative Medicine, as defined by ABOIM, and about half is the specialty in Integrative Ayurveda. It requires two years of part-time study.

By contrast, the MAVIM program does not require a doctoral, advanced practice medical, or nursing degree. The curriculum is primarily Maharishi AyurVeda and offers preparation to become an Ayurveda professional or consultant according to appropriate regulations. Study takes place over three years part-time, and online.

  1. Facilitate whole person health. This includes mind, body, spirit, and environment.
  2. Practice self-care for your mind-body health and wellbeing. Prevent clinician burnout.
  3. Hone your skills in relationship-centered care
  4. Utilize all appropriate approaches of healthcare – conventional, complementary, and supportive methods.
  5. Emphasize the most effective, least harmful healthcare methods to facilitate the body’s innate healing response.
  6. Move prevention and health promotion to the foreground.
  7. Practice science-based integrative healthcare.
  8. Practice personalized Integrative Medicine
  9. Foster community, society, and planetary health.
  10. Develop expertise in the knowledge and practice of Integrative Ayurveda – a sophisticated and time-tested system of natural health care. Integrative Ayurveda specializes in simple, natural, practical and personalized methods to restore balance on all levels leading to whole person health.

Literally translated, Ayurveda is the Science (Veda) of Life (Ayu). Ayurveda derives from the ancient Vedic civilization of India. As such, it is widely regarded as the world’s oldest comprehensive system of natural healthcare.More than 40 years ago, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of MIU and the Transcendental Meditation technique, worked with leading Ayurvedic scholars, teachers and practitioners to revive the ancient, complete knowledge of Ayurveda in light of modern science. This restoration, called Maharishi AyurVeda, is based on profound insights into the universal and timeless laws of nature that govern our mind, body and environment and their basis in the field of consciousness. In this view, consciousness is the fundamental basis of mind and body. Further, disease or disorder arises when there is a loss of balance between this inner intelligence or consciousness and its expressions in mind, body and environment. The goal of Maharishi AyurVeda is to restore balance to all of these domains or levels of health to foster whole health for the individual and society.

Integrative Ayurveda is based on principles of Maharishi AyurVeda applied to contemporary Integrative Medicine clinical practice.

Years of experience of teaching Integrative Ayurveda at MIU shows that health professionals find using our online learning platform engaging and rewarding. To complement this, the program offers opportunities for co-learning amongst students and one-on-one interactions with our Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda faculty.
The faculty of the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine have contributed their Foundational Fellowship Curriculum (FFC) to the MS program. The FFC provides state of the art knowledge in all the major domains of integrative medicine recommended by the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM). The Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has been teaching physicians and health professionals for 20 years in their fellowship programs.
Yes. Maharishi International University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to offer the Master of Science degree.

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