CIH 510 — Social Psychology, Mental Well-Being, and Health Behavior

4 semester units

This course examines how social relationships, culture, identity, beliefs, stress, and environments shape mental well-being and health behavior. Students explore motivation, health literacy, stigma, social support, and inequities in access to health information.

Through scholarly readings and case analyses, students develop culturally responsive approaches to nonclinical health education and design an educational proposal with measurable outcomes. The course emphasizes ethical communication and professional boundaries; it does not provide psychological assessment, counseling, psychotherapy, diagnosis, or treatment training.

CIH 520 — Artificial Intelligence Applications in Complementary and Integrative Health

4 semester units

Students develop foundational AI and digital-information literacy for integrative health education and research support. Topics include machine learning, generative AI, natural-language processing, data quality, model limitations, and basic workflow design.

Activities explore AI-assisted literature discovery, accessible educational materials, and simulated administrative tasks. Students verify sources, document human review, and evaluate bias, privacy, and accuracy. Published clinical AI applications are studied critically as research examples. Coursework does not qualify students to deploy diagnostic or therapeutic systems.

CIH 530 — Theories and Foundations of Complementary and Integrative Health

4 semester units

This course examines complementary, integrative, and conventional approaches to health within their historical, cultural, and scientific contexts. Students distinguish traditional explanatory models from experimentally supported mechanisms and evaluate the evidence behind health claims.

Topics include health literacy, interdisciplinary collaboration, safety, uncertainty, and informed communication. Students prepare evidence-informed educational materials and examine the responsibilities and boundaries of nonclinical health educators.

CIH 540 — Molecular and Cellular Foundations of Human Health

4 semester units

Students develop a conceptual understanding of molecular and cellular processes relevant to human health, including cell structure, metabolism, membranes, signaling, genetics, gene expression, immunity, and environmental influences.

The course emphasizes interpretation of published research figures and experimental designs. Students learn to distinguish biological plausibility and laboratory findings from demonstrated benefits in humans. Laboratory methods are studied through readings and data interpretation; the course does not include hands-on laboratory or clinical procedures.

CIH 550 — Evidence-Based Herbal Integration Concepts and Materia Medica

4 semester units

This course critically examines herbal traditions and materia medica as subjects of graduate health scholarship. Students study botanical identification, plant constituents, preparation variability, quality control, contamination, adulteration, and the distinction between traditional use and clinical evidence.

Selected botanicals are examined alongside toxicity, herb–drug interactions, contraindications, vulnerable populations, and limitations in available research. Students develop referenced educational profiles and safety summaries. “Integration” refers to incorporating reliable herbal information into nonclinical education and interdisciplinary communication; the course does not train students to prescribe, recommend individual doses, dispense products, or provide treatment.

CIH 560 — Nutrition, Food Traditions, and Integrative Health

4 semester units

Students examine nutrition science, dietary patterns, food traditions, food access, and culturally responsive health education. Traditional food concepts are compared with contemporary evidence, with attention to the differences between cultural explanations and established biological mechanisms.

Assignments address nutrition claims, food safety, dietary supplements, health literacy, and social determinants of health. Students develop population-level educational materials while distinguishing general health education from individualized medical nutrition therapy.

CIH 610 — Acupuncture and Asian Bodywork: History, Theory, and Scientific Evidence

4 semester units

This course explores the historical and cultural contexts, theoretical models, and scientific evidence concerning acupuncture and Asian bodywork. Students distinguish traditional concepts from established anatomy and physiology and examine the challenges of evaluating these practices through research.

Topics include study design, comparison groups, outcomes, uncertainty, safety, and professional scope. Students prepare balanced educational explanations for nonclinical audiences. No needle insertion, treatment-point selection, manual procedures, diagnostic techniques, or supervised clinical practice are taught or performed.

CIH 620 — Mind–Body Practices and Energy Medicine: Concepts and Evidence

4 semester units

Students critically examine mind–body practices and energy-medicine claims, including meditation, qigong, music-based approaches, therapeutic touch, and related traditions. The course compares evidence quality, proposed mechanisms, contextual effects, outcome measures, and safety.

Traditional concepts such as biofields and chakras are studied as claims rather than established biological structures. Students learn to communicate findings and uncertainty accurately without implying that all practices have equivalent scientific support. Coursework is analytical and educational and does not train students to provide therapies.

CIH 630 — Research Methods and Evidence-Based Integrative Health

4 semester units

This course develops research literacy and methodological skills for integrative health scholarship. Students formulate answerable questions, compare quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods designs, conduct reproducible literature searches, and critically appraise primary studies and evidence syntheses.

Topics include sampling, bias, confounding, measurement, basic statistical interpretation, effect sizes, confidence intervals, and limits on causal inference. Students also examine research ethics, privacy, conflicts of interest, and responsible AI-assisted research. A structured evidence review and feasible capstone protocol prepare students for CIH 640. Human-subject research requires separate institutional review and any applicable authorization.

CIH 640 — AI-Enabled Cross-Cultural Healthcare Communication, Connected Health, and Capstone

4 semester units, including the capstone project

This culminating course integrates health behavior, integrative health scholarship, scientific appraisal, responsible AI, and cross-cultural communication. Students develop a connected-health educational prototype or functional web application using synthetic or public data, supported by a documented evidence base and evaluation plan.

Projects address cultural responsiveness, health literacy, accessibility, translation limitations, privacy, bias, and human oversight. The capstone includes a needs analysis, literature synthesis, design rationale, demonstration, testing results, limitations, and a professional presentation. Projects support education or simulated navigation and communication; they do not diagnose, prescribe, recommend individualized treatment, or operate as clinical services.

Learning and Assessment

Students demonstrate their learning through scholarly discussions, case analyses, staged assignments, evidence reviews, educational projects, and faculty feedback. The capstone integrates knowledge from across the program.

Faculty evaluate the quality of evidence, critical reasoning, ethical judgment, cultural responsiveness, and clarity of communication. The program does not require an internship, externship, or cumulative graduation examination.

Responsible Use of AI

AI supports learning, research, and educational design under human oversight. Students must verify factual claims and citations, disclose material AI assistance, consider bias and accessibility, and remain responsible for their submitted work.

Identifiable personal or health information must not be entered into public AI services. Course activities use public, synthetic, or appropriately de-identified information.

Professional Scope

The MSCIH program supports academic development and nonclinical work in health education, wellness programs, community education, and technology-enabled educational services.

The degree does not lead to professional licensure or authorize graduates to diagnose, prescribe, treat, provide psychotherapy, perform acupuncture, or deliver medical nutrition therapy. Employment and certification requirements vary by role and jurisdiction; completion of the degree does not guarantee employment or professional eligibility.

Learn More

For information about admissions, tuition, applicable curriculum requirements, and the status of the proposed refinements, contact:

International University of Life Sciences

600 N Mountain Ave, Suite A106

Upland, CA 91786

Email: support@lifesci.education

Learning Portal: https://class.lifesci.education/