Diploma of Phytotherapy

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The Diploma of Phytotherapy is a 3-year (6 semesters) program that explores the medicinal uses of North American and European herbs. Students study both traditional knowledge of herbal medicine - that which is passed down through various world traditions over the ages - and modern day, scientific-based knowledge. This, the most comprehensive program of western herbal medicine available in either Canada or the United States, is comprised of both theoretical and practical courses, implementing advantages of hands-on study of plants

Graduates are eligible for membership into the BC Herbalists Association (CHA of BC), the American Herbalists Guild (AHG), the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), the oldest professional herbalist association in the world, and the Modern and Traditional Herbalists Guild of BC. Please see Post-Graduation below for more information.

Below is a list of all courses that must be completed for a student to be eligible for graduation with a Diploma of Phytotherapy. Some course prerequisites do exist, and it is the responsibility of students to ensure that they are eligible to enroll in any particular course. Please see Study Options below for more information on course selection.

Biomedical/Biological Sciences		Total Requirements
BMS101/102 BMS111 BMS112 BMS201/202 BMS211 BMS212 BMS221 BMS222 BMS231 BMS431 BMS BMS	Anatomy and Physiology I/II Ethnobotany Botany/Horticulture Pathophysiology I/II Biochemistry Phytochemistry CPR and First Aid Natural Emergency Medicine Western Diagnosis/Laboratory Tests Western Pharmacology Biomedical/Biological Sciences Elective Biomedical/Biological Sciences Elective	6 credits 3 credits 3 credits 6 credits 3 credits 3 credits 1 credit 1 credit 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits	90 hours 45 hours 45 hours 90 hours 45 hours 45 hours 15 hours 15 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		38 credits	570 hours

Western Herbal Sciences		Total Requirements
WHS101 WHS102 WHS103 WHS111 WHS151 WHS201 WHS202 WHS203 WHS204 WHS301 WHS302 WHS303 WHS305 WHS306 WHS WHS WHS	Intro to Herbal Medicine Materia Medica I Materia Medica II Practical Herbal Pharmacy Energetics of Herbal Medicine Materia Medica III Herbal Therapeutics I Materia Medica IV Herbal Therapeutics II Materia Medica V Materia Medica VI Herbal Therapeutics III Herbal Therapeutics IV Herbal Case Studies Western Herbal Science Elective Western Herbal Science Elective Western Herbal Science Elective	3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits	45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		51 credits	765 hours

Professional Development		Total Requirements
PD301 PD302 PD304	Ethics Business Development & Practice Management Research Project	1 credit 3 credits 3 credits	15 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		7 credits	105 hours

Various Topics		Total Requirements
CNS NU201 Elective Elective	Counselling and Communications Elective Holistic Nutrition Various Topics Various Topics	3 credits 3 credits 3 credits 3 credits	45 hours 45 hours 45 hours 45 hours



Total		12 credits	180 hours

Phytotherapy Clinical Practice		Total Requirements
PCP101 PCP200 PCP200/300	Clinical Observation I Community Clinic Clinical Supervised/Independent Practice	6 credits 1.5 credits 12.5 credits	90 hours 45 hours 375 hours



Total		20 credits	510 hours

Total Requirements: Diploma of Phytotherapy		Total Requirements
	Biological/Biomedical Sciences Western Herbal Sciences Professional Development Counselling Nutrition Various Topics Phytotherapy Clinical Practice	38 credits 51 credits 7 credits 3 credits 3 credits 6 credits 20 credits	570 hours 765 hours 105 hours 45 hours 45 hours 90 hours 510 hours



Total		128 credits	2130 hours

The School of Phytotherapy offers year-round educational opportunities with an academic calendar based on 3 semesters per year. New students may enroll every January, May and September and students may either choose to pursue year-round studies or to take a semester or more off at their discretion. By choosing their course load each semester, students may complete any semester on a part-time or a full-time basis. Students who wish not to enroll in any program are also eligible to take individual courses for personal enrichment provided that applicable course prerequisites have been met.

What follows represents only a suggested template of courses for students aiming to complete the program in 6 semesters.

Semester One				Semester Two
BMS101/102 BMS111 BMS221 BMS222 WHS101 WHS102 WHS PCP101	Anatomy and Physiology I/II Ethnobotany CPR and First Aid Natural Emergency Medicine Intro to Herbal Medicine Materia Medica I Elective Clinical Observation	6 cr 3 cr 1 cr 1 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	90 hrs 45 hrs 15 hrs 15 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs	BMS112 BMS211 BMS WHS103 WHS111 WHS151 WHS PCP101	Botany/Horticulture Biochemistry Elective Materia Medica II Practical Herbal Pharmacy Energetics of Herbal Medicine Elective Clinical Observation	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs
Total		23 cr	345 hrs	Total		24 cr	360 hrs

Semester Three				Semester Four
BMS201/202 BMS212 BMS WHS201 WHS202 PCP200 PCP300	Pathophysiology I/II Phytochemistry Elective Materia Medica III Herbal Therapeutics I Community Clinic Clinical Practice	6 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 1.5 cr 1.5 cr	90 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs	BMS231 CNS NU201 WHS203 WHS204 WHS PCP300	Western Diagnosis/Lab Tests Elective Holistic Nutrition Materia Medica IV Herbal Therapeutics II Elective Clinical Practice	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 90 hrs
Total		21 cr	360 hrs	Total		21 cr	360 hrs

Semester Five				Semester Six
BMS431 PD304 WHS301 WHS303 Elective PCP300	Western Pharmacology Research Project Materia Medica V Herbal Therapeutics III Various Topics Clinical Practice	3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 4 cr	45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 120 hrs	PD301 PD302 WHS302 WHS305 WHS306 Elective PCP300	Ethics Practice Mngmnt/Business Dvlpmnt Materia Medica VI Herbal Therapeutics IV Herbal Case Studies Various Topics Clinical Pratice	1 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 3 cr 4 cr	15 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 45 hrs 120 hrs
Total		19 cr	345 hrs	Total		20 cr	360 hrs

Students in the Diploma of Phytotherapy program can complete all clinical training in PRC's on-campus Student Clinic, or can participate in our Clinical Externship Program. We are currently researching international herbal clinical partners for our Global Outreach Program, which would allow Phytotherapy students to complete clinical training overseas. Full-time students generally begin clinical training via observation during the very first week of studies.

Please click here for more information on clinical training at PRC.

Graduates of the Diploma of Phytotherapy program are eligible for membership into the Canadian Herbalist's Association of British Columbia (CHA of BC), the American Herbalists Guild (AHG), the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), the oldest professional herbalist association in the world, and the Modern and Traditional Herbalists Guild of BC.

Graduates may enter directly into a professional career or potentially continue on to earn a Masters of Science in Phytotherapy through pending articulation agreement with the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine (SSHM), granted by the University of Wales.

Graduates may also potentially continue on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Phytotherapy through a pending collaboration between PRC and Edinburgh Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Students who pursue the latter route will be required to complete an additional year of coursework via correspondence. More details will be announced in the Summer 2010.

The following chart compares PRC's Diploma of Phytotherapy with the requirements for professional membership into the American Herbalists Guild.

Admission into the Diploma of Phytotherapy at Pacific Rim College is on a competitive basis. Entering students must have a high school diploma or an equivalency test, and all non-native English speaking applicants must demonstrate a mastery of written and spoken English. Any foreign applicant may be required to submit an official score report from an English proficiency exam such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Test System).

To apply for admission into the Diploma of Phytotherapy program, please click on the link below.

International students are welcome to attend Pacific Rim College and are encouraged to apply. Canadian law requires foreign students to have a valid study permit to study in Canada. Pacific Rim College provides international students with the necessary documentation to receive a valid study permit. In some cases students can apply for and obtain a permit upon entering Canada.

Canadian law requires that foreigners obtain a work permit for work within Canada during academic studies. See http://www.cic.gc.ca/ for more information.

	Fall 2009	Winter 2010	Summer 2010
Orientation	September 1	TBA	TBA
First Day of Class	September 2	January 4	May 3
Reading Break	October 8-12	March 1-5	June 29-July 2
Holidays	September 7 (Labour Day); October 12 (Thanksgiving); November 11 (Remembrance Day)	April 5 (Easter Monday)	May 24 (Victoria Day) July 1 (Canada Day) August 2 (BC Day)
Last Day of Class	December 14	April 19	August 16
Exams Begin	December 15	April 20	August 17
Exams End	December 22	April 26	August 23

Please click on the button below for the Winter 2010 class schedule for the Diploma of Phytotherapy.

Tuition is based on a per credit system. Although the college provides a template for course completion within each program, ultimately each student determines his or her course load and schedule and thus per semester tuition. Audited credits do not apply towards graduation requirements. All prices listed are in Canadian dollars. For each semester, full tuition payment is due on the first day of class.

CREDITS	$210/credit

AUDITING	$150/credit

Please click here for a description of Academic Fees in PDF format.

American Herbalists Guild Requirements
vs.
PRC's Diploma of Phytotherapy

AHG
(in hours)

Diploma of Phytotherapy
(in hours)

Basic Human Sciences
Botany and Plant Identification
Materia Medica/Therapeutic Herbalism
Pharmacy/Pharmacognosy/Dispensing
Clinical Skills
Career Preparation/Practice Development/Ethics
History and Philosophy/Introduction to Research
Aromatic Medicine
Flower Essences
Nutrition
Counselling
Ethnobotany

200
60
400
80
400
20
40
0
0
0
0
0

510
90
585
112.5
510
75
90
45
45
45
45
45

This program is approved for Canada Student Loans. Please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca for information about Canada Student Loans.

For a list of all financial aid programs available to PRC students, please visit our Financial Aid page.