Graduate Certificate in Herbal Studies
Now Enrolling for Spring 2011

Program Highlights

For thousands of years, traditional peoples all over the world have had a vast knowledge of their local plants, using them as allies to tend to their health through the changing seasons. With a Graduate Certificate in Herbal Studies from Tai Sophia you can recapture that wisdom and create greater health, wellness, and vitality for yourself and others using herbs, food, and an increased awareness of the natural world.

This one-of-a-kind program combines modern, scientific knowledge with traditional herbal wisdom, using the cycles of nature to guide the integration of herbs into daily life. The program’s emphasis on practical skills ensures that you will learn to incorporate herbs into food preparation and a healthy diet and prepare simple and useful herbal remedies.

Tai Sophia’s Graduate Certificate in Herbal Studies is:

• Designed for individuals who have a keen interest in herbs, wellness, and self care
• Taught by internationally renowned experts and leaders in herbs, herbal medicine, nutrition, and wellness
• Focused on empowering you with the basic knowledge and skills to support self care
• Presented in an executive weekend format
• 12 graduate-level academic credits delivered over 9 months (one weekend a month)
• Approved for continuing education units toward licensure requirements for select professions
• Eligible for federal financial aid
• Easily paired with a Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching

Course Descriptions

ISci 632: Foundations of Health and Wellness

This course provides a context for a wide variety of studies relating to perspectives on health and wellness by introducing basic health philosophies, history of the current healthcare system, proposed healthcare reform legislation, balance/imbalance in health, and the investigation of how these issues apply to an informed perspective on our current healthcare system. Concepts of wellness and sickness are discussed, including the role that language plays in supporting health and wellness. The foundations of health and wellness are further examined focusing on the current knowledge of the physiologic basis for wellness practices.

HRB 530: Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine: Past to Present & Soil to Clinic

This survey course begins by looking at the history and use of herbal medicine around the world. The course continues with a more focused look at the history of herbal medicine in the United States, up to and including current practices and regulations. The second part of this course familiarizes the student with the fundamental areas of study relevant to medicinal plants, providing an overview of field botany, harvesting and drying, herbal preparations, phytochemistry, phytopharmacology, and materia medica.

HRB 655: Herbs and Wellness: Promoting Self-Care

This course will focus on the integration of herbs into daily life. Particular emphasis will be placed on utilizing herbs in cooking and as a way to enhance nourishment. Other areas covered will include identifying and utilizing local weeds as well as cultivating garden herbs. Building on skills learned in “Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine,” techniques for drying, storage, and the transformation of herbs into various preparations for home use will be incorporated.

HRB 618: Herbs for Home Use: Living in Harmony with the Seasons

This course looks in-depth at approximately 30 herbs that are most appropriate for self care and use in the home. Taking a seasonal approach, the course will cover herbs, such as ginger, for winter use, and hibiscus for the summer. Each herb will be discussed in terms of quality assessment, traditional use, and modern research perspectives. Time will be spent tasting each herb and discussing incorporation into beverages and foods. Traditional herbal formulation will also be covered with a focus on creating seasonal blends.

Faculty (2010 Program Faculty. Click name to review bio.)

Karl Ardo, M.F.A.
Elizabeth Bartlett, M.S., CNS
David M. Blaiwas, M.A., M.Ac., Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
Jillian Borchard, M.S., RH(AHG)
Robert Duggan, M.A., M.Ac. (UK), Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM)
James A. "Jim" Duke, Ph.D.
Sara Eisenburg, M.S.
Rosemary Gladstar
James S. Gordon, M.D., FACP
Jamiel Hafiz, M.Ac., RYT
Marta Hanson, Ph.D.
Paige Lescure, M.S., J.D., LL.M.
Tricia McCauley, M.S.
Helen Metzman, M.S.
Andrew Pengelly, Ph.D., RH (AHG), FNHAA
Rebecca Snow, M.S., LDN, RH(AHG), CNS
James Snow, RH(AHG)
Kevin Spelman, Ph.D., RH(AHG), MCPP
Cheryl Walker M.L., MCC

Class Dates

ISci 632: Foundations of Health and Wellness
April 8-10, 2011
April 15-17, 2011

HRB 530: Fundamentals of Herbal Medicine: Past to Present & Soil to Clinic
May 21-22, 2011
June 25-26, 2011
July 23, 2011

HRB 655: Herbs and Wellness: Promoting Self-Care
July 24, 2011
August 27, 2011
September 24-25, 2011
October 22, 2011

HRB 618: Herbs for Home Use: Living in Harmony with the Seasons
October 23, 2011
November 19-20, 2011
December 17-18, 2011

All classes are held on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with the exception of the opening course, which is held Friday-Sunday over two consecutive weekends. Class hours on Friday, April 8 and April 15 are 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Class hours on April 9-10 and April 16-17 are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Why Study at Tai Sophia?

Founded in 1974, Tai Sophia is a premier, accredited educational institution dedicated to the art and science of healing and wellness. For over three decades, Tai Sophia Institute’s pioneering founders, world-class faculty, and exceptional clinicians have redefined health, wellness, relationship, and community, setting the gold standard for relationship-centered care, transformative leadership and social change, and self care.

Each of Tai Sophia’s programs is powerfully rooted in the wisdom of nature, teachings from the world’s great healing and wisdom traditions, contemporary knowledge, and cutting-edge science.

Whether your ultimate goal is to coach your patients and clients toward optimum health and vitality, integrate herbs into your clinical practice or home life, become a master practitioner of acupuncture, or be a more powerful and effective leader on the job or in your community, as a Tai Sophia student you will become a keen observer of your own body-mind-spirit and its innate wisdom, and learn to be a healing and transformative presence through your thoughts, words, and actions.

While you pursue your chosen course of study, in partnership with your classmates and instructors, you will reveal and develop your unique gifts and talents, achieve greater clarity about your passion and purpose, and gain a deeper sense of community and service.

Herbal Studies at Tai Sophia

The Herbal Studies program is designed for individuals with a keen interest in herbs, wellness, and self care. People with a background or interest in horticulture and gardening, culinary arts and nutrition, public health and education, and the environment and sustainability, as well as parents and caregivers, will find the program both relevant and valuable.

Situated just miles from the renowned Green Pharmacy Garden, Tai Sophia’s main campus offers an impressive herbal dispensary, library, and herb garden to support all of its academic programs in herbal medicine.

Program Outcomes

• Gain an understanding of the principles of a wellness-based model of health care and apply these principles in self care.
• Identify local herbs in the field, recognize raw materials, assess quality and manufacture simple herbal preparations.
• Understand the safe and appropriate use of a select number of herbs as dietary supplements within the framework of a wellness based model of health care.
• Recognize how human life is intertwined with the natural environment and affected by the changing seasons.
• Utilize herbs to support self care througout the year and incorporate herbs into food preparations as a way to provide daily wellness support.

Admission Requirements

Prospective students must meet the following admission requirements:

• Have a minimum of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited educational institution and submit an official transcript to verify completion.
• Submit official transcript of highest degree earned beyond a baccalaureate.

Financial Aid

Federal financial aid is available for this program. To apply for federal financial aid, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Tai Sophia Institute’s school code for completing the FAFSA is G25784. A limited number of scholarships are also available. For additional funding options, such as private or alternative education loans, please contact Director of Financial Aid John Gay, Jr., at 410-888-9048 ext. 6628 or .

Tuition and Fees

Application Fee: $50
Matriculation Fee (due upon acceptance): $100
Tuition: $525 per credit for a total program cost of $6,300

To learn more about the Herbal Studies graduate certificate, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at or 410-888-9048 ext. 6647.