Masters Degrees in Complementary Medicine, United Kingdom

The MSc Chinese Herbal Medicine extends your acupuncture practice into the other of the major modalities of Chinese medicine. It is a theoretical and clinical professional entry-training. You will develop your diagnostic and case formulation skills and also learn the materia medica and formulae of Chinese herbal medicine. Phytochemistry and pharmacokinetics are integrated into the understanding of the energetic interactions of herbs. Extensive practice with patients will take place in our on-site teaching clinic where theory is deconstructed and applied. Working in the dispensary with raw herbs will develop your kinaesthetic skills to deepen understanding. The aim is that you learn how to modify classic formulae to create new formulae which address complex patterns of illness.

This course contextualises Chinese medicine within its historical roots, and grounds it in the legal, ethical and inter-professional framework of the UK.

Course content

"The University of Westminster MSc CHM is accredited (approved) by the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association which accredits courses on behalf of all EHTPA Professional Associations, including the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine. This enables graduates from the MSc CHM to apply for membership of the RCHM. The EHTPA system of accreditation was endorsed by, and included in, the initial Steering Group Report to Government which recommended that a statutory register for herbal medicine practitioners be established".

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
-Chinese Herbal Medicine Clinical Practice
-Chinese Herbal Medicine in the UK
-Chinese Herbs and Formulae
-Formulas and Strategies
-Postgraduate Research Methods
-The Classics: Shang Han Lun and Wen Bing

Associated careers

This course is designed for acupuncturists who want to extend their practice repertoire to include herbal medicine, or for Chinese herbal medicine practitioners who wish to upgrade their academic skills to Masters level. Individual modules can be taken as consuming professional development (CPD)

Professional recognition

The course is accredited by the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association. This enables graduates to apply for membership of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine.

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The course is delivered by e-learning and is therefore potentially accessible to homeopaths in all parts of the world. It utilises www(web) technology to deliver multimedia teaching materials and includes live interactive sessions on a regular basis. On-line activities are supported by e-mail contact with tutors and peer groups, message boarding, and scheduled live personal tutorials.

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This one-year programme is intended for graduates of Chinese Studies programmes and native Chinese speakers who wish to gain further understanding and develop expertise in a range of subjects concerned with Chinese health and wellbeing and the impact of China, historically and in the present day, on health around the world.

Degree information

This MA offers an interdisciplinary approach to health in China including history of medicine in China, population studies, the built and natural environment, climate change, law and medical ethics, public health and policy making. Intensive training in academic English and translation for publication online is provided.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core course (15 credits), direct reading and translation modules (60 credits), dissertation (60 credits) and two or three options or elective modules (45 credits).

Core modules
-An Interdisciplinary Approach to China: Health and Humanity
-Translation and Direct Reading
-Dissertation (see below)

Optional modules
-History of Chinese Medicine I: the Classical World and its Legacy
-History of Chinese Medicine II: from Song Public Health to the Chinese Medical Diaspora
-Chinese Health and Heritage
-Chinese Law and Health
-Chinese Film and the Body
-Chinese Nutrition: History, Culture and Society
-Elective Modules within SOAS, Institute of Global Health, and Anthropology
-Suitable elective module from other departments at UCL

NB: Not all options will be available every year.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of up to 12,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is taught by specialists in the field and is delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, presentations, workshops and direct reading. Assessment is through examination, presentations, essays and the dissertation.

Careers

This programme aims to train the next generation of professionals in the interdisciplinary approaches and skills necessary for understanding and improving population and individual health in China and internationally. It will be invaluable for all those intending to work in professions with an interest in Chinese health including: health systems and reform, the health environment, integrated health, in NGOs and multilateral organisations as policymakers, administrators, and workers in the field. It will also prepare students to work in art and media where Chinese health issues are concerned.

Employability
Graduates from the MA will be well prepared to take advantage of job opportunities that are also available to graduates from the Institute of Global Health and Anthropology, but with the added advantage of an expertise in China: health administration policy and consultancy, health law, in bilateral and multiliteral organisations, NGOs, built and natural environment, climate change, health research in China and the UK. The programme also aims to create new expertise on China's health culture that will open up job opportunities as China begins a rapid programme of developing private health-care partnerships.

Why study this degree at UCL?

UCL History enjoys an outstanding international reputation for its research and teaching.

The department is strongly committed to the intellectual development of all our students; if you come to UCL, you will receive individual supervision from leading academics.

Located in Bloomsbury, UCL History is just a few minutes' walk away from the exceptional resources of the British Library, the British Museum and the research institutes of the University of London, including the Warburg and the Institute of Historical Research.

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Our Osteopathy degree/integrated Masters - accredited by the General Osteopathic Council - is the only course of its kind in the northern half of the UK. It's ideal if you need something that's flexible to accommodate your career/family commitments. Two virtually identical programmes delivered in Stoke and in London, with the option to transfer between the two. Delivered in partnership with the College of Osteopaths, this course is the UK's only 100 per cent part-time pathway into osteopathy. The College of Osteopaths is a small specialist not-for-profit educational institution. It has a 70-year history of preparing students for osteopathic practice via part-time study. Our students come from a range of backgrounds. Many have a full-time or part-time job. Several have family commitments. Whether you have a degree in another subject, or no formal qualifications since leaving school, you'll be a capable learner - particularly in the science subjects - and you'll be comfortable with the hands-on aspect of osteopathic skills. You'll be taught over 18 weekends spread across each academic year. You'll also complete 1200 hours of clinic-based learning throughout the course. We have excellent student-teacher ratios, so you'll get to know your tutors well. To help you to accommodate your other commitments, we're flexible about when you attend the osteopathic teaching clinic. It's open on weekdays, evenings and some Saturdays, so you can choose a time that suits. The clinic is run by experienced tutors and is open to members of the public. You'll combine clinic-based learning with classroom learning, self-directed home study, peer group learning and practical sessions. And you'll be assessed in a range of different ways - from clinic-based assessments, to written exams, coursework, critical appraisal and presentations. In addition to tuition fees, students are asked to purchase some clinical equipment such as a clinic coat, diagnostic testing kit, anatomical models, plus DBS certificate.

Graduate destinations

Our Osteopathy graduates follow a number of different pathways: Self-employed in own practice or as an associate in another practice As part of a consortium of osteopaths under contract to an NHS Primary Care Trust Employed in an established osteopathic practice or multidisciplinary health centre Occupational healthcare department of a large corporation Working for a professional sports club or for elite performers (e.g. a dance company) Employed in higher education (e.g. osteopathic lecturer or researcher) Some graduates go on to take post-graduate qualifications or a doctorate Some move into equine or canine osteopathy.

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Acupuncture is now well known as a system of medicine that involves the insertion of needles to specific points on the body. However, traditional practice also utilises other techniques such as moxibustion and cupping. The Chinese word for acupuncture is zhenjiu; literally needle and moxibustion. It originated In China around three thousand years ago and soon spread to other countries in Asia such as Japan and Korea. Acupuncture is now widely used around the world.

This course provides a strong foundation in the theory and application of acupuncture, as well as extensive clinical experience and a grounding in Chinese language and culture. Over the four year course, you'll also gain a thorough understanding of western bio-medical sciences and the skills to be a reflective and professional practitioner. Research will play an important role in the future development of the profession of acupuncture and this programme is designed to equip you with excellent research skills.

Modules covering Chinese medicine, language and culture will be taught by experienced lecturers from China. You'll benefit from this wealth of clinical experience and extensive knowledge of the various traditions and historical developments in Chinese medicine. You'll also learn from practitioners based in the UK to gain a more complete picture and understanding of the skills required to be a professional acupuncturist in the West.

Clinical experience is central to understanding and good practice of acupuncture. You'll train throughout the course at our teaching clinic. You'll also undertake an extended clinical placement in a Chinese hospital and study at our partner institution the Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.

All this combined will help you to develop the skills to be a reflective and professional acupuncturist.

Modules

Year 1

Chinese medicine 1: basic principles
Concepts of inter-professional practice in health and social care
Tuina and Jingluo 1
Clinic 1: observation 1
Chinese language 1
Biomedicine 1: anatomy and physiology
History of Chinese medicine
Concepts of inter-professional practice in health and social care

Year 2

Tuina and Jingluo 2
Clinic 2: observation 1
Biomedicine 2: pathophysiology and pharmacology
Sociology of health
Chinese language 2
Chinese medicine 2: pattern differentiation
Running a practice

Year 3

Expertise, evidence and research: Informing clinical practice
Clinic 3: Patient management 1
Chinese medicine 3: integration
Biomedicine 3: diagnosis and treatment
Research in health and social care

Year 4
Clinic 4: Patient management 2 Dissertation

Option 1: China trip

Chinese hospital placement
Chinese language 3

Option 2: Remain in the UK

Chinese Medicine 4: Plurality and classics
Chinese language 3

Timetable

The course is delivered mostly on weekends and evenings, with clinic attendance on weekdays.

Professional links

This course is accredited by the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board (BAAB). BAAB accredits courses on behalf of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC).

This course is run in partnership with London South Bank University, the Confucius Institute at LSBU, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine and Harbin Normal University. All students on the course are eligible to apply for scholarships through the Confucius Institute to undertake studies in Chinese medicine and language in China.

Career progression

This course will enable you to work as a professional acupuncturist, and many recent graduates from this course have gone onto be professional clinical practitioners in acupuncture.

As a graduate from this course, you will be able to apply for further study at postgraduate level.

LSBU Employability Services

LSBU is committed to supporting you develop your employability and succeed in getting a job after you have graduated. Your qualification will certainly help, but in a competitive market you also need to work on your employability, and on your career search. Our Employability Service will support you in developing your skills, finding a job, interview techniques, work experience or an internship, and will help you assess what you need to do to get the job you want at the end of your course. LSBU offers a comprehensive Employability Service, with a range of initiatives to complement your studies, including:

• Direct engagement from employers who come in to interview and talk to students
• Job Shop and on-campus recruitment agencies to help your job search
• Mentoring and work shadowing schemes.

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MSc Advanced Professional Practice (APP) Clinical Sciences Pathway.

This part time programme suitable for all healthcare professionals. The main learning environment is the student's own professional practice and attendance requirements are consequently minimal.

Course Overview

You are learning all the time as a professional and this MSc allows you to use this learning, no matter if you are a chiropractor, physiotherapist, osteopath, medical or another healthcare practitioner. As a practitioner, you will have areas that interest you, and in which you would like to learn more. No matter what these are, the programme will allow you to identify your own objectives, learn according to your own needs and in doing so, enhance your knowledge and skills, and most importantly, improve your own professional practice. Right from the start this MSc will get you thinking about what you do, and how you can improve! This isn’t just an academic qualification; it will change your practice.


•You attend CPD courses and seminars but you could also use these towards your MSc.
•Learn the skills necessary to be an evidence-based practitioner using our extensive library facilities and electronic journal resources.
•If you have any post-qualifying qualifications, or extensive professional experience, you may be able to use these to gain exemption from some parts of the course, making your study time shorter and less expensive!

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