How to Get a PhD or EdD in Natural Health

Possessing a PhD in Natural Health means that you have true expertise in a field that many people wish they knew more about. Doctorate degrees in natural health, either PhD or EdD, formalize a level of expertise previously acknowledged through informal training.

Natural Health on the Rise

Holistic health and wellness concepts, many of Eastern origin, have been making steady progress towards mainstream acceptance in the last 20 years, and we may now be approaching a tipping point. A PhD in Natural Health can help you capitalize on increasing natural and holistic health and wellness awareness.

The aging of the open-minded Baby Boom generation and the new-found focus of the healthcare industry on disease prevention are two factors driving the expansion of natural health and the need for natural health experts. The acceptance of certain natural health practices by insurance companies--acupuncture, for example--is another fact suggesting natural health's ascendancy.

Researching Schools Is Key for Natural Health Doctoral Candidates

This is a field gaining credibility, and it's important that your degree have it too. Be very careful to research both on-campus and online PhD in Natural Health programs to verify that the doctoral degree in natural health that you earn will have real and lasting value.

Natural Health Areas of Specialization and Career Possibilities

Natural health education encompasses a wide variety of ideas and practices. There is some degree of informality in the natural health field because of its status as an alternative system to the extensively categorized and catalogued conventional Western medical system.

An online PhD in Natural Health may help you advance your goals in a number of different professions, including:

• Massage therapy
• Herbology
• Acupuncture
• Nutrition
• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic
• Iridology

A PhD or EdD in Natural Health can also put you in a strong position to teach natural health for a living, as a professor. Natural health courses are being taught at a growing number of colleges and universities, making the teaching option a prime benefit of obtaining a PhD or EdD in Natural Health.

Use WorldWideLearn.com to search for doctoral degrees in natural health by location, and find out if there is a school near you. If there is, visit the campus and ask to audit a class or two in their doctoral degree program in natural health, to get a feel for what is being offered.

If you are interested in a natural health degree but not quite ready for your PhD in Natural Health, search WorldWideLearn.com's database of online degree programs by degree levels.

Unconventional Natural Health Careers Are Not Uncommon

What about becoming an author?

Students sometimes use their PhD in Natural Health dissertation as the basis for a book. Natural health books often sell quite well in the marketplace due to public interest in this topic. Natural Health, Natural Medicine by Andrew Weil and The Green Pharmacy by James Duke are just two of the books about natural healing that have made an impact.

Another option for a holder of a PhD in Natural Health is to open a retail operation, either a brick-and-mortar storefront or an online store (or both). In that case, the breadth and depth of knowledge that a PhD in Natural Health may provide can be a definite competitive advantage in terms of product sourcing and product evaluation.

Career planning can be a creative act.

How to Apply for a PhD Degree in Natural Health

Current choices for obtaining a PhD degree in natural health are not as numerous as the doctorate degree choices for some other fields. However, as the natural health industry grows, it is likely that PhD degree programs in natural health will become more plentiful.

Do your research before applying for a PhD degree program in natural health. The quality of doctoral degree programs in natural health can vary widely.

Three Major Criteria for Choosing a PhD Degree in Natural Health

Choosing the right PhD program in natural health for you is not as easy as one, two, three, but there are three major criteria you can use to make a positive choice.

Accreditation

The importance of accreditation in a PhD degree program in natural health may depend on your chosen area of specialization. Chiropractors and massage therapists, for example, may benefit from choosing to obtain PhD degrees in natural health that are approved by the accrediting bodies of their professions: the Council on Chiropractic Education and the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, respectively.

Students interested in pursuing a more general doctoral degree in natural health studies may not need accreditation from specific places, but should still seek out institutions that have been accredited or endorsed by quality-control bodies such as the United States Distance Learning Association and the Better Business Bureau.

Quality of Faculty

The opportunity to work with specific instructors while pursuing a PhD degree in natural health greatly appeals to some students. The natural health community can be a tight-knit community, with certain teachers becoming extremely popular due to their presence through books and speaking events. PhD degree programs in natural health may hire some of these popular teachers as full-time professors, guest professors, advisors, or lecturers.

You can contact schools through WorldWideLearn.com to see whether or not your favorite speaker is a part of the program at the PhD degree program in natural health of your choice. Fill out a simple form and hear back from multiple doctoral degree programs. WorldWideLearn.com offers information on how to compare schools in its Educational Resources section.

In general terms, schools with faculty members who are active in the natural health community hold a special appeal for students since this industry is so interconnected.

Program History

With harsh criticism leveled at the natural health industry since its inception, it is impressive to see a college that has been teaching natural health as a serious discipline for a long period of time. Evaluating length of history is a way to measure the commitment of a school to a discipline that many people termed a "fad," until the fad didn't end but instead kept growing.

Even if a PhD degree program in natural health is relatively new, you may discover indications in the program history that tell you of its quality. For example, a passionate founder with a compelling story is a huge asset to any online PhD program in natural health.

How the school was originally funded is another example of using program history to inform your choice of doctorate degrees in natural health. Is this an educational institution or a purely commercial venture supported by a purveyor of natural health products?

You can find this information and more by contacting schools directly.

PhD Degrees in Natural Health

A PhD degree in natural health includes the study of science, philosophy, and health itself. Doctorate degree programs in natural health typically place the study of natural health issues in the context of a broader subject of inquiry, such as philosophy or education.

Doctorate degrees in natural health that are currently available include:

• PhD in Natural Health
• PhD in Naturopathic Medicine
• PhD in Holistic Health and Wellness

As indicated by those program titles, a doctoral degree in natural health indicates that you have attained a comprehensive understanding of the many issues involved in natural health, as opposed to mere mastery of an individual trade.

A PhD in Natural Health thus signifies that you have an understanding of the big picture, as well as a firm grasp of the details that comprise it.

EdD Degree in Natural Health

Natural health requires increasing numbers of expert-level teachers. If you are interested in joining those ranks, you might consider pursuing a Doctor of Education, or EdD degree in natural health, rather than a PhD in Natural Health.

The EdD degree in natural health is tailored to the needs of educators, including instruction on natural health topics as well as classroom-specific techniques such as curriculum development. A doctorate degree in holistic health and wellness, for instance, would focus on teaching you about holistic health and wellness theories and practice and teaching you how to teach others about holistic health and wellness theories and practice.

The EdD degree in natural health may prove a great choice for students who know they want to teach natural health as college professors. The continuing emergence of private colleges that teach health and wellness as a discipline bodes well for holders of the EdD degree in natural health.

PhD and EdD programs have adopted distance learning as an accepted mode of doctoral degree instruction, so don't be surprised if you end up teaching some college classes online.

Online Doctorate Degrees in Natural Health

Online doctorate degrees in natural health have three main benefits as opposed to their traditional classroom-based doctoral degree counterparts:

Global Availability

The advent of Internet-based education has changed education as a whole. Students in natural health especially benefit, as schools of natural health are somewhat few and far between.

You can take classes at an online doctoral degree program from any location at any time. This is a godsend for individuals living in rural areas or other aspiring students who may not otherwise have access to cutting edge PhD degree programs in natural health.

However, be sure to assess your learning style before choosing distance education.

Flexibility

When you are working a full-time job, a traditional on campus college schedule can be difficult to accommodate. Online doctorate degree programs may provide the flexibility to satisfy your existing obligations while pursuing higher education.

The independent character of online degree programs often fits well with the independent spirit of people who seek a PhD in Natural Health.

Resources for PhD and EdD Degree Programs in Natural Health

When doing research on PhD or EdD degrees in natural health, only accept information from trustworthy sources. The natural health industry sees its fair share of snake oil salesmen, so you must be vigilant in searching out information that is valid and truthful.

Internet Research

You can search for schools by degree level, by degree subject, or by school location at WorldWideLearn.com. Pick up a free copy of The Insider's College Guide for Working Adults if you are trying to figure out how to keep your day job while you pursue a doctoral degree in natural health. Use the guide to college majors to narrow down the options.

WorldWideLearn.com documents the accreditation of every school it catalogues and maintains partnerships with hundreds of top online degree programs.

Professional Associations

Natural health professional associations that have proven their worth and integrity over the years include:

• The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• The Natural Health Association
• The Council on Chiropractic Education

The importance of professional associations as a research resource for people considering a doctoral degree in natural health cannot be overstated. As noted, this is a tight-knit community and if you want to become a part of it, it's best to get directly involved.

Natural Health, Natural Medicine, by Andrew Weil, M.D.

Dr. Andrew Weil has done much to give natural health theories and practices credibility, and this book is acknowledged as a classic in that effort. Written by an M.D. and regularly updated to incorporate new research into the field of natural health, Natural Health, Natural Medicine by Andrew Weil remains the most comprehensive guide to natural health in existence today.

Why a PhD in Natural Health May Gain Value Over Time

Diet, nutrition, and lifestyle are now recognized as important parts of healthcare by all health professionals. Natural health experts have led this revolution and deserve credit.

Meanwhile, cultural factors such as the aging of the Baby Boom generation make a strong case for natural health and natural medicine growth as new research and facts enter the dialogue.

A 2007 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that thirty-eight percent of all Americans already use some form of alternative medicine. Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine in 2007 alone.

With numbers like those, it is not surprising that PhD and EdD degrees in natural health are gaining ground. The trend towards doctoral degrees in natural health is not a fad.

Sources

• American Association of Drugless Practitioners
• American Holistic Health Association, Wellness Research: For Career Research
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Massage Therapists
• Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, Institutional & Programmatic Accreditation
• Council on Chiropractic Education, Accredited Doctor of Chiropractic Programs
• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCCAM Facts-at-a-Glance and Mission
• National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
• Natural Health Association, History of the National Health Association
• Natural Health Magazine
• U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. News and World report, Americans Spend Billions on Alternative Medicine