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Core College

Become a Master Herbalist

Study traditional herbalism in a progressive environment with a focus on clinical training in a working herbal clinic

Herbal Medicine Practitioner

Course Delivery

Online with Site Based Clinical Training

Duration

4 Years

Start Date

February 2025

The Licentiate is designed to prepare the student for clinical practice as a Medical Herbalist in the tradition of Master Herbalism. As such it covers the subject of herbal medicine in depth with a particular emphasis on the use of herbs that grow in Ireland.

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The Herbal Medicine Programme

There is a growing demand for this kind of professional service, as people are increasingly seeking safer, more effective, and less invasive forms of healing. While the primary focus of this course is on herbalism, it also covers natural healing protocols, vitalist nutrition, and detoxification regimes.

Master Herbalists use Iridology as a health assessment tool, and students become qualified in this modality during the first two years of the course. Iridology is a non-invasive natural diagnostic tool. It is used to suggest a particular healing regime for each patient. This assessment tool highlights the key areas of a person's emotional and physical health that may require attention and suggests specific methods of treatment.

Most participants in this course are mature people, often in full-time employment, raising a family, or both. With this in mind, the academic content is delivered entirely through online learning, allowing for the face-to-face experiences of the student to be entirely dedicated to clinical training.

 

Clinical Training

The college places great emphasis on clinical training, and the course is essentially built around the apprenticeship model. Clinical training is currently provided by the college at its herbal clinic and gardens, college buildings housed in the former Presentation Convent in Castlecomer, as well as in Maynooth University Conference Centre.

Clinical training is by far the most important component of any professional training in medicine or natural healing. It allows the student to experience the reality of working in a clinic and dispensing herbal medicines.

Apart from the required subjects, such as plant chemistry, botany, and human and clinical sciences, 'vitalist' nutritional principles, or the belief that plant-based and living food is optimal for health, are central to the teaching of Master Herbalism.

Alongside clinical training at the college clinic in Castlecomer, students attend workshop-style clinical training at Maynooth University Conference Centre. These take place over two weekends each year.

Upon completion of the first year of the programme, students will be awarded a Certificate in Herbal Studies, and after a further two years, the Vitalist Nutrition Diploma, allowing them to start practising as a Nutritionist and Iridologist. This means that they can also use the herbal knowledge they have gained to recommend herbal products available in health food stores to their patients, alongside specific dietary and lifestyle advice.

In order to be qualified to prepare and dispense herbal medicines and practise as a Master Herbalist, students must complete the full four-year programme.

 
 

Course Format

The Herbal Medicine Practioner programme is designed as a part-time course in terms of attendance but demands a level of study commitment equivalent to a full-time programme.

The academic content is delivered entirely online, making extensive use of digital resources, including podcasts, videos, and discussion forums. Each student is assigned a personal tutor who moderates group activities and online discussions while being readily available to address individual queries. This structure fosters a sense of connection to a wider academic community, enabling students to engage with peers regularly.

Thanks to the online format, in-person attendance is focused entirely on meeting the programme's requirement of 600 clinical training hours. These are held at the school's clinic and at  Maynooth University Conference Centre.

Students are expected to attend an average of twelve days per academic year at the college clinic, in addition to two weekends at Maynooth University Conference and Accommodation Centre.

For overseas students travelling long distances, clinical training can be scheduled in two intensive blocks, conveniently aligned with the Maynooth University weekends.

Module Schedule

Qualification

On successful completion of the course, the examination, and clinical training, students will receive a Licentiate in Master Herbalism from the Irish School of Herbal Medicine. Graduates can join The Irish Association of Master Medical Herbalists in Ireland and the Association of Master Herbalists in the UK.

 

 

Application Procedure

To register for a place on the course, applicants should first arrange an interview with the Course Director. Places are allocated based on this interview/discussion, during which students can also have further questions answered.

To progress with this process, please complete the online application form below.

Fees

Study fees are €3,850 per year. This includes full clinical training each year. An optional payment plan is available on request. 

 

Start Date

Courses start twice yearly. The next course commences in February 2025. 

 

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