Doctoral Curriculum

The Doctor of Naturopathy and Holistic Medicine (D.N. HM) is designed to be completed in approximately 2-3 years, with a maximum of 4 years allowed – see Doctoral curriculum below.

Each year is divided into 3 Trimesters – with a total of 100 US Credits. Each trimester is 12 weeks.

The Doctorate is ideal for graduates having a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in an appropriate topic, or qualified medical doctors, chiropractors, osteopaths and nurses with a Master’s degree or similar qualifications wishing to embrace the concept of Holistic Medicine.

The Doctorate is awarded by the School of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, University of America, USA.

What is required for the Doctoral’s dissertation?

The Doctoral dissertation is the most extensive of all three degrees and should be 320 pages minimum.

A topic of interest should be chosen and a thorough search of the literature pertinent to this topic must be made. It can be the same topic as chosen for the Bachelor's or Master's degree.

Each Doctroal student will be required to complete the Research Methodology and Biostatistics – Part 3 course which will help you to structure the research proposal, as well as help in writing the Doctoral dissertation.

The goal of the Doctoral dissertation is to present new and unique research that is publishable in a peer-reviewed journal.

You will be supervised throughout the whole research process.

What is the purpose of the Doctoral Dissertation?

The purpose of the dissertation is to prepare the student to be a professional in the discipline. Through this preparation the student learns and demonstrates the ability to conduct independent, original, and significant research. The dissertation thus shows that the student is able to

• identify and define problems

• generate questions and hypotheses

• review and summarize the literature

• apply appropriate methods

• collect data properly

• analyze and judge evidence

• discuss findings

• produce publishable results

• engage in a sustained piece of research or argument

• think and write critically and coherently

The Doctoral dissertation is an indication that you have a mastery of your topic and have been through a 5-6 year educational process, accumulating a huge knowledge-base in many topics of Naturopathy and Holistic Medicine.

Will I be required to complete a number of hours of clinical practice in order to qualify for my degree?

Yes, clinical practicums, working hands-on in a holistic medicine center, with an experienced Naturopath is compulsory before a student can qualify for a degree in Naturopathy and Holistic Medicine.

The clinical practicums in holistic medicine centers is an important part of the learning process where you will be confronted with real patients presenting their health issues – it is here that you will have an opportunity of seeing how your vast theoretical knowledge is converted into diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to help your patients.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to use different diagnostic and therapeutic equipment that is often used in the field of holistic medicine and naturopathy.

Do I need to do my clinical practicums in specific countries around the world?

Ideally, initially coming to the Da Vinci Holistic Health Center in Larnaca, Cyprus would be the best experience as this is a purpose-built, cutting-edge centre that is fully equipped with diagnostic and therapy devices, as well as having its own herbal pharmacy and laboratory facilities where students can conduct empirical research. It is one of the best Holistic Centers in Europe and the Middle East.

Dr Georgiou, the Founder of the Da Vinci Institute of Holistic Medicine will be your personal mentor throughout your stay, so your learning curve will be at right angles throughout!

During COVID days when traveling is more difficult, we encourage students to look for local Naturopathic and Holistic Centers in their own countries, or in neighbouring countries. 

These centers would need to go through a “vetting” process with us in order to ascertain whether they are true learning centers, run by experienced practitioners.

There are no Naturopathic Associations around the world that will accept students without any clinical practice. Many Naturopathic Associations around the world require a 450 hours of clinical practice for the Bachelors degree, climbing to over 1,000 hours before completing the Doctorate.

All these hours are recorded on your Clinical Practicum Log and will be signed by the supervising Naturopath. Most of these hours should be supervised by a qualified Naturopath or Integrated Medicine Doctor, but a proportion of the hours can be covered with other health professionals. 

Is there a fee for the clinical practicum?

This depends on the practitioner supervising - some Naturopaths do not mind having a helping hand by students, while others require payment. This is something that you would have to discuss with each Center you approach. 

Sometimes it is possible to offer something in return such as translations, writing handouts or proof-reading text etc.