If you landed here searching for an “integrative medicine degree,” you’re in the right place. Most students searching that phrase are looking for an integrative health degree, and the difference matters more than you’d think. We’ll get to that below.Â
What Is Integrative Health?
Integrative health is an approach that brings conventional and complementary care together in a coordinated way, treating the whole person rather than one symptom or one organ system. That’s the working definition from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the federal agency at the National Institutes of Health that funds research in this area.Â
The key word is together. Integrative health isn’t a replacement for conventional care. It’s the practice of combining evidence-based approaches like nutrition, movement, stress management, and manual therapies with mainstream medicine so a patient’s care fits together.Â
NCCIH has also broadened the idea to include whole-person health, meaning the biological, behavioral, social, and environmental factors that shape how healthy someone is. That’s a big reason the field has grown inside hospitals, clinics, and wellness programs across the country.Â
Integrative Health vs. Integrative Medicine: What's the Difference?
The terms get used interchangeably online, but they aren’t the same thing.Â
- Integrative medicine usually refers to clinical care delivered by licensed providers, such as physicians who add integrative training on top of a medical degree. You can’t earn it as a standalone bachelor’s degree.Â
- Integrative health is the broader field. It covers health promotion, prevention, education, coaching, and the science behind whole-person care. This is what an undergraduate degree prepares you for.Â
If your long-term goal is to practice integrative medicine as a doctor, an integrative health bachelor’s is a smart first step, not the finish line. If your goal is to work in wellness, health education, or coaching, the bachelor’s degree can get you there directly.Â
One more distinction worth knowing: NCCIH defines “complementary” care as non-mainstream approaches used alongside conventional medicine, and “alternative” care as those approaches used instead of it. Integrative health lives on the complementary side. A good program will teach you to tell the difference and to ask what the evidence actually shows.Â
What Should You Look for in an Online Integrative Health Program?
Not every online program labeled “holistic“ or “wellness” is built the same. Here’s what separates a degree that opens doors from one that doesn’t.Â
Accreditation
This is the first thing to check, and it’s non-negotiable. Accreditation affects whether your credits transfer, whether graduate programs will accept your degree, and whether you can use federal financial aid. Parker University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).Â
A real science foundation
If a program skips anatomy, chemistry, and physiology, it won’t prepare you for graduate school or for credible work in healthcare. The strongest integrative health programs are science degrees first. Holistic approaches build on that foundation, they don’t replace it.Â
Training in evidence
Integrative health is a field where unproven claims are everywhere. You want coursework that teaches you to read research, judge the quality of a study, and separate what’s supported from what’s popular. At Parker, one of the program’s stated learning outcomes is the analysis and application of current scientific literature.Â
Flexibility that fits a working life
Many integrative health students are working adults, career changers, or parents. A fully online format means you can take classes without relocating or commuting. Check how courses are scheduled, how many credits count as full time, and whether you can study part time if you need to.Â
A clear path to what's next
Ask where graduates actually go. A good program should point you toward specific careers and specific graduate degrees, not vague promises about “the wellness industry.” We break down Parker’s pathways below.Â
Transfer credit
If you’ve already taken college courses, you shouldn’t have to start over. Look for a program that evaluates your previous transcripts and tells you exactly what counts toward your degree.Â
What Will You Study in an Integrative Health Degree?
Parker’s Bachelor of Science in Integrative Health requires 120 credit hours: 31 in general education, 20 in electives, and 69 in the major. The major is where science and the whole-person coursework meet.Â
| Area | What You’ll Take |
|---|---|
| Core sciences | Anatomy & Physiology I and II, General Chemistry I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II, Physics I |
| Nutrition | Nutrition and Diet Therapy, Nutrition for Exercise Performance, Nutrition for Healthy Aging |
| Integrative and natural health | History of Natural Healing, Introduction to Herbology, Advanced Herbology, Fundamentals of Oriental Medicine, Integrative Manual Therapy Techniques, Foundations of Chiropractic |
| Lifestyle and behavior | Lifestyle Intervention, The Meaning of Health, Introduction to Physical Fitness & Wellness, and “Health, Stress, and Coping” |
| Capstone | Integrative Health Capstone |
Your 20 elective hours let you lean toward the career you want. Options include Community Health, Epidemiology, Introduction to Health Promotion & Wellness, Health Behavior Theories & Planning Models, Introduction to Ethics, and First Aid & Safety.Â
You can see the full course list in the Parker University catalog.Â
What Can You Do With an Integrative Health Degree?
You have two real options after graduation: go straight into the workforce or use the degree as your foundation for graduate or professional school.Â
Careers right after your bachelor's
Parker’s integrative health graduates are prepared for roles such as:Â
- Health educatorÂ
- Health coachÂ
- Community health workerÂ
- Nutrition counselorÂ
- Patient coordinatorÂ
Health education is the clearest example of where the degree leads. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, health education specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree and earned a median of $64,070 a year in May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 6,900 openings each year.Â
Graduate and professional programs
If you’re aiming for what’s next, the BS in Integrative Health is built to feed directly into advanced study. At Parker, that includes:Â
The degree also prepares you to apply to programs outside Parker, including medical school (MD or DO), nursing, and naturopathic medicine. If one of those is your goal, check each program’s prerequisites early. Many professional schools require courses beyond what’s in any single major, and it’s much easier to fit them into your electives now than to add them later.Â
If you continue into Parker’s Doctor of Chiropractic program, you can also stack an online master’s alongside your DC coursework starting as early as your sixth trimester, with a 100% tuition scholarship for the master’s. Admission requirements and timing rules apply, so check the DC program page for details.Â
Is an Online Integrative Health Degree Legitimate?
It’s a fair question, and one prospective students and their families ask often. Plenty of “holistic” certificates and unaccredited programs make big promises without the science to back them up.Â
Here’s how to tell a legitimate degree from the rest:Â
- It’s accredited. Parker’s program is SACSCOC-accredited, the same accreditation standard held by major public and private universities across the South.Â
- It’s built on science. A legitimate program requires anatomy, physiology, and chemistry, not just wellness theory.Â
- It teaches you to question claims. Integrative health done right is evidence-based. Students should come out able to explain what the research supports, what it doesn’t, and when to refer someone to another provider.Â
- It leads somewhere specific. Real programs can name the jobs and graduate degrees their students pursue.Â
Parker University has been training healthcare professionals in Dallas since its founding as a chiropractic college, and it grew into a full university with a broad range of health sciences programs in 2011. The integrative health program sits inside that same evidence-based tradition.Â
Questions People Are Asking
Can you get an integrative health degree completely online?Â
Yes. Parker’s Bachelor of Science in Integrative Health is 100% online, so you can complete it without relocating or coming to campus in Dallas.Â
How long does an online integrative health degree take?Â
The degree requires 120 credit hours. How long that takes depends on how many credits you transfer in and whether you study full time (12 credits per term for undergraduates at Parker) or part time. Students who bring in previous college credit can finish significantly faster.Â
Do you need the SAT or ACT to apply?Â
The SAT and ACT aren’t part of Parker’s listed admission requirements for the integrative health program. You’ll need proof of high school graduation or a GED, or a transcript showing at least 60 hours of college coursework.Â
Can you go to medical school with an integrative health degree?Â
Yes, it can serve as your pre-professional degree. The program includes anatomy, physiology, general and organic chemistry, and physics. Medical schools set their own prerequisites, though, so compare their lists against your plan early and use your electives to fill any gaps.Â
Is integrative health the same as naturopathic medicine?Â
No. Naturopathic medicine (ND) is a separate professional doctorate with its own licensing rules. An integrative health bachelor’s can prepare you to apply to an ND program, but it doesn’t make you a naturopathic doctor.Â
Does an integrative health degree make you a licensed practitioner?Â
No. A bachelor’s in integrative health prepares you for roles like health educator, health coach, and community health worker, or for graduate school. Clinical licenses, such as a chiropractic or medical license, come from completing a professional program and passing its licensing exams.Â
How much do integrative health graduates earn?Â
It depends on the role. Health education specialists, one of the most common paths, earned a median of $64,070 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graduates who go on to professional degrees typically see their earning potential rise with that next credential.Â
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you want a degree that respects the science and the whole person, the Bachelor of Science in Integrative Health is built for exactly that. You can request information to talk with an admissions advisor, or start your application today.Â
