Master of Science in Ayurvedic Sciences
Overview
Based on 5,000-year-old medical traditions of India, ayurvedic practices predate written records and were handed down via oral tradition. Ayurveda combines the Sanskrit words for life (ayur) and science or knowledge (veda) and translates into “the science of life.” Ayurvedic medicine is a complete system of medical therapies that focuses on preventive and rejuvenative therapies to balance body, mind and soul. Ayurveda includes a variety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities such as nutritional counseling, herbal medicine, massage therapy and other forms of bodywork, internal cleansing and immune system support. Ayurveda may also be described as the original natural medicine. However, ayurveda is different from other CAM modalities since it employs an entire system of unique diagnostic, preventive and disease management tools and practices.
As the popularity of ayurveda grows, it becomes more necessary to have highly qualified practitioners trained by accredited institutions that offer a rigorous academic and clinical curriculum, mirroring the education that ayurvedic doctors receive in India. This will ensure that practitioners in this country are qualified to provide the complete ayurvedic medical system. Bastyr University has developed the first regionally accredited master’s degree program in ayurvedic sciences in the U.S.
The master’s in ayurvedic sciences prepares the graduate to complement her/his health care professional skills with ayurvedic healing system modalities for physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social health. The training would allow graduates to apply the ayurvedic healing framework when considering disease and its management. It would also allow graduates to utilize ayurvedic preventive tools in terms of lifestyle, nutrition and body work.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the ayurvedic sciences master’s program will have the skills to:
- Assess an individual’s Prakruti (balanced state) and Vikruti (imbalanced state).
- Advise preventive measures using dietary and lifestyle recommendations based on ayurvedic principles of the Prakruti/Vikruti paradigm.
- Do a complete clinical assessment using ayurvedic methods including pulse diagnosis to determine patient’s current imbalances.
- Manage and treat disease using ayurvedic principles including diet, lifestyle, therapeutic herbs and formulations, ayurvedic cleansing and detoxification (Panchakarma), yoga therapy, and other measures to achieve balance at physical, psychological and spiritual levels.
- Understand ayurvedic principles of disease etiology and pathogenesis to effectively treat as well as manage disease.
- Understand and integrate Western anatomy, physiology and pathology to be effectively functioning as an integrated medical specialist and participate in patient management as a team member.
Clinical component
The program concentrates on training clinically oriented ayurvedic practitioners. Students will also be trained to understand modern research methodology and conduct research from an ayurvedic perspective.
In the first year, students will complete observation shifts at local preceptor sites with seasoned ayurvedic practitioners. Students begin clinical rotations at Bastyr Center for Natural Health in their second year, under the supervision of expert faculty. The required externship provides the opportunity to work in modern ayurvedic clinics and hospitals in India.
Ayurvedic Sciences Admissions
As ayurvedic medicine is not yet licensed in any state in the U.S., entrance to the program is limited to professionals who are currently licensed in naturopathic medicine, acupuncture and Oriental medicine, allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine or chiropractic medicine, or as a nurse practitioner, physical therapist (DPT), or physician assistant, as well as students currently enrolled at Bastyr University in a degree program that leads to licensure.
For general information on the admissions process, please refer to the Admissions section of this catalog. The information below refers only to the master’s program in ayurvedic sciences. Applicants are encouraged to research ayurvedic medicine principles and practices via the mainstream press and Internet, and should also familiarize themselves with the program materials provided on the University’s website.
Dual-degree options are available for graduate students enrolled in the University’s naturopathic medicine or acupuncture and Oriental medicine degree programs.
Required Abilities/Skills For Ayurvedic Sciences Master’s Program Admission
A candidate for the Master of Science degree program in ayurvedic sciences must be able to demonstrate appropriate observational and communication skills, motor function, intellectual-conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities, and behavioral and social maturity. A candidate should be able to perform in a reasonably independent manner.
Observation: A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. Observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and somatic sensation. These are enhanced by the functional use of the sense of smell.
Motor: Candidates should have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate should be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatment to patients, such as CPR, application of pressure to stop bleeding and opening obstructed airways. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium and functional use of the sense of touch and vision.
Observation and motor skills must be in coordination with each other in order to safely practice many of the diagnostic and clinical techniques specific to ayurvedic practices. A combination of observation and motor skills are required for acquiring diagnostic information from patients as well as for the clinical portion of the training.
Communication: A candidate should be able to speak, to hear and to observe patients in order to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. Communication includes not only speech, but also reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written form with all members of the health care team.
Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis and synthesis. Problem solving, which is a critical skill for health care practitioners, requires all of these intellectual abilities. In addition, the candidate should be able to comprehend three-dimensional relationships and to understand the spatial relationships of structures.
Behavioral and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of her/his intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgment, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and to learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the admissions and education processes.
Prerequisites
Current licensure in an accepted health care discipline or enrollment at Bastyr University in a degree program leading to licensure is required. This prerequisite requirement for entry into the program ensures that students possess a sound scientific foundation on which to build knowledge of ayurvedic principles.
In addition, completion of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university is required. No specific major is advised. Strong preparation in the sciences and a broad background in the humanities and liberal arts are encouraged. Prerequisite coursework is used to determine a student’s preparation for the program. No credit is given for prerequisite coursework earning a C- or lower.
These courses or their equivalent are required prior to the start of the program:
| Organic Chemistry |
1 course |
| Anatomy and Physiology |
2 courses |
| Biochemistry |
1 course |
| Introduction to Western Pathology/Disease Processes/ Pathology |
1 course |
| Introduction to Botany1 |
1 course |
| Research Methods |
1 course |
| Psychology |
1 course |
1Bastyr dual-degree students may substitute BO9128 to fulfill the program entry prerequisite for Introduction to Botany.
Other Recommended Courses:
- Public Speaking
- English Composition
- Pharmacology
Age Of Course
Required chemistry and biology courses not taken within seven years of matriculation into the program are subject to review by the admissions committee. Additional coursework may be required.
Transfer Credit and Advanced Standing
Transfer credit is granted for a Bastyr required course only for coursework completed at an accredited institution recognized by the American Council on Education Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation. Transfer credit grants credit for the Bastyr course and eliminates the need for the student to take that course. A petition to transfer may be requested by students who, at another accredited institution of higher education, have satisfactorily completed coursework that is the same in terms of content, level and credit as a specific Bastyr course, and meets or exceeds the academic objectives and competencies of a required course in Bastyr’s programs. Transfer credit will generally not be granted for classes that are part of another earned degree or for classes that are taught at a different academic level. For courses taken prior to matriculation into Bastyr, transfer credit can only be granted within the first year of attendance.
Students who apply to Bastyr University with credit from institutions outside the U.S. are required to have international transcripts evaluated by an independent evaluation service. The evaluation report must be issued by an NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) accredited evaluation service. Credits from schools outside the U.S. are evaluated according to nationally established norms.
Competency examinations are available when there is evidence on a student’s official transcript of coursework completed in an area of study, but the competencies, level of material or accreditation of the institution granting the original credit is in question. Competency examinations are also available when the age of the coursework exceeds the guidelines in the transfer credit policy. Competency examinations are not available when the coursework in question was completed at Bastyr University. If a student satisfactorily completes the exam, the student will be awarded transfer or waiver credit in accordance with the transfer credit policy. For more information, please see “Competency Examinations” in the Academic Policy and Procedure Manual accessible on MyBU.
Academic Status and Graduation Requirements
Students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to be in good academic standing and complete a minimum of 751 credits at Bastyr University. Academic sanctions occur when the quarterly or cumulative GPA drops below the minimum level or when a student receives PC, D or F grades. Students with a quarterly GPA below the minimum will be placed on academic warning status. Students who receive a PC, D or F in any one quarter, regardless of GPA, may be placed on probation status. Academic tutoring and support are available to assist students to return to good academic standing.
1Credits do not include prerequisites/corequisites.
Electives
Elective choices could include Bastyr courses in nutrition, psychology and botanicals as well as additional ayurvedic courses in subjects such as Vedic Astrology, Vedic Vastu and additional yoga therapy work.
If not enrolled in the Master of Science in Ayurvedic Sciences program, students must be in good academic standing and meet prerequisite requirements to take courses within the MSAS curriculum for elective credit.
The curriculum tables that follow list the tentative schedule of courses each quarter.
MSAS YEAR 1
Fall
| AY5101 | Fundamentals and Philosophy of Ayurveda | 2 |
| AY5105 | Medical Sanskrit 1 | 2 |
| AY5110 | Ayurvedic Body Systems 1 | 2 |
| AY5301 | Ayurvedic Psychology | 2 |
| AY5401 | Yoga Therapy, Theory and Practice 1 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
Winter
| AY5106 | Medical Sanskrit 2 | 2 |
| AY5111 | Ayurvedic Body Systems 2 | 2 |
| AY5201 | Ayurvedic Assessment (Prakruti and Vikruti) | 2 |
| AY5402 | Yoga Therapy, Theory and Practice 2 | 2 |
| AY5405 | Ayurvedic Herbology | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
Spring
| AY5107 | Medical Sanskrit 3 | 2 |
| AY5112 | Ayurvedic Pathology 1 | 2 |
| AY5202 | Ayurvedic Examination | 2 |
| AY5406 | Ayurvedic Herbal Therapies (Dravyagunavjinana) | 2 |
| AY5407 | Preventive Ayurveda 1 | 2 |
| AY5801 | Ayurvedic Observation 1 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 11 |
Summer
| AY5203 | Ayurvedic Assessment Lab 1 | 1 |
| AY5408 | Panchakarma | 1 |
| AY5410 | Ayurvedic Diet and Lifestyle (Ahara and Vihara) Therapies | 3 |
| AY5802 | Ayurvedic Observation 2 | 1 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
MSAS YEAR 2
Fall
| AY6100 | Ayurveda Pathology 2 | 2 |
| AY6102 | Preventive Ayurveda 2 | 2 |
| AY6201 | Ayurvedic Assessment Lab 2 | 1 |
| AY6401 | Ayurvedic Therapeutics (Bhaishajya Kalpana) 1 | 1 |
| AY6403 | Ayurvedic Nutrition Lab | 1 |
| AY6801 | Ayurvedic Clinic 1 | 2 |
| AY6802 | Ayurvedic Clinic 2 | 2 |
| AY6803 | Ayurvedic Clinic 3 | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Winter
| AY6402 | Ayurvedic Therapeutics (Bhaishajya Kalpana) 2 | 1 |
| AY6101 | Ayurvedic Pathology 3 | 2 |
| AY6804 | Ayurvedic Clinic 4 | 2 |
| AY6805 | Ayurvedic Clinic 5 | 2 |
| AY6810 | India Internship | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 10 |
Spring
| AY6105 | Jurisprudence and Ethics | 1 |
| AY6106 | Business Management | 2 |
| AY6405 | Rejuvenative Therapies (Rasayana) | 2 |
| AY6806 | Ayurvedic Clinic 6 | 2 |
| AY6807 | | |
| AY6808 | | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 11 |
Elective Requirements
| Elective & Special Topics | 4 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 4 |
The MSAS program requires a total of four (4) elective/special topics credits. These credits may include courses in nutrition, psychology and botanicals, as well as additional ayurvedic courses in subjects such as Vedic astrology, Vedic Vastu and additional yoga therapy work as long as the prerequisites for each course are met.
Total Requirements
| Total Core Course Credits & Hours |
50 |
| Total Elective Credits and Hours |
4 |
| Total Clinic Credits and Hours |
21 |
| Total Requirements |
75 |
Curriculum is applicable to students entering during the 2015-2016 academic year. Please refer to the appropriate catalog if interested in curriculum and courses required for any other entering year.