Learning Abroad Center
The Dalai Lama poses for a photo with a group of students and staff

Tibetan Medicine in India

Asia & Oceania

This graduate-level program offers you the opportunity to study with expert practitioners in India and examine ancient Tibetan healing traditions that promote optimal health.

Program Details

Location
Location
New Delhi, Dharamsala, India
Term
Term
May Session
Housing
Housing
Hostel
Hotel
Languages Taught In
Languages Taught In
English
Sponsor
Sponsor
Center for Spirituality and Healing

Program Eligibility

Student Type
Student Type
UofM Students
Non UofM Students
Student Year
Student Year
Juniors
Seniors
Graduate Students
GPA
GPA
2.5

About

This course provides a unique opportunity to study Tibetan medicine from its source in India. While studying with native Tibetan doctors and local experts in India, you will get to observe and experience Tibetan medicine in its cultural milieu.

You will fly from MSP to New Delhi, where you can visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Study Tibetan
medicine at the Men-Tsee-Khang Tibetan Medical College in Dharamsala and visit the Dalai
Lama’s temple, Dolma Ling Nunnery, Tibetan Children Village school, and other cultural sites. During free time, go trekking in foothills of the Himalaya mountains.

Program Model

Instructor-Led

Housing & Meals

You'll spend 5 days at New Delhi YWCA in air-conditioned double rooms with twin beds, private bathrooms, and breakfast provided. You'll spend 15 days at Hotel Tibet in Dharamsala in rooms with twin beds and a private bathroom with a shower and Western toilet. Breakfast is provided.

Application Deadline

February 16, 2024

Program Dates

May 19–June 8, 2024

Academics

CSPH 5318: Using critical thinking, you will investigate scientific evidence for Tibetan medicine and propose additional research needed. You will synthesize the philosophical, psychological, and ethical teachings of these medicinal traditions with your experiential knowledge in order to meet the course objectives and your own needs personally and professionally.

Through a combination of classroom-based activities and experiential learning, you will be able to:

  • Examine and explain the intersection of ethics, spirituality, and healing through the lens
    of Tibetan medicine at a deeper level.
  • Examine the relationship between Tibetan medicine and Indo-Tibetan Buddhist
    philosophy and psychology.
  • Explain theories and practices of Tibetan medicine in India
  • Analyze health and well-being from the perspective of the mind-body relationship in
    Tibetan medicine
  • Compare and contrast Tibetan medicine with allopathic (modern) medicine in India.
  • Evaluate research using Tibetan medicine and propose additional research needed.
  • Describe characteristics, qualifications, and licensure of traditional Tibetan doctors in
    India.
  • Use critical thinking to integrate Tibetan medical theories and practices into personal
    and professional life.

Prerequisite: CSPH 5315—Traditional Tibetan Medicine: Ethics, Spirituality & Healing. This is a 2-credit course that is offered online. You can take 5315 Spring semester 2024 and be eligible for the 2024 India course.

Program Leader

Excursions

Excursions include:

  • visits to a Sikh temple
  • sightseeing in New Delhi
  • the Taj Mahal in Agr
  • Men-Tsee-Khang in Dharamsala
  • Delek Hospital
  • temples
  • McLeod Ganj
  • hiking in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains
  • Tibetan Children's Village
  • Yoga at Universal Power Yoga in Dharamsala

More Information

Contact Tenzin Namdul at [email protected] for more information about this program.

Program Fee

May 2024 cost of participation

The program fee covers:

  • 4 credits (undergraduate for undergraduates; graduate for graduate students).
  • 60+ hours of instructional time.
  • Round-trip airfare between MSP and New Delhi.
  • International health insurance in India.
  • Meals: breakfast every day and some other meals (listed on Schedule in India).
  • Group classes at the University of Minnesota and in India.
  • Lodging in India: (Each room at the New Delhi YWCA and Hotel Tibet have twin beds, private bathroom with shower and Western toilet; students choose their own roommates.)
  • Group ground transportation in India.
  • Group sightseeing in India.
  • Service tips and payment for Group activities.

Billing & Payments

Visit Billing for information about the billing process for application fees, deposits, and program fees.

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Visit Financial Information for information on using financial aid and scholarships for study abroad.

Cancellation Policy

This program follows the Center for Spirituality & Healing's cancellation and refund policy. Please contact that department with any questions regarding these policies. The cancellation policy is listed below:

Individual students cancelling their participation (prior to program start date) will be billed based on the schedule below. Dates (and associated non-recoverable program costs) are based on the date of which written confirmation of cancellation was received.

DatesBilling Policy
75 days or more prior to start dateApplication fee + $1000 confirmation deposit + non-recoverable flight costs*
74–60 days prior to start dateApplication fee + $1000 confirmation deposit + non-recoverable flight costs* + 25% of remaining program costs
59–45 days prior to start dateApplication fee + $1000 confirmation deposit + non-recoverable flight costs* + 50% of remaining program costs
44–31 days prior to start dateApplication fee + $1000 confirmation deposit + non-recoverable flight costs* + 75% of remaining program costs
30 days or less prior to start dateApplication fee + $1000 confirmation deposit + non-recoverable flight costs* + 100% of remaining program costs

*Non-recoverable flight costs refer to those costs billed as a part of the overall program costs. It does not include any flight costs paid by students directly to airlines, travel agents etc.

May Session 2024

Tibetan Medicine in India

May Session 2024

Program Fee

  • UofM students pay program fee instead of on-campus tuition & fees while abroad
  • Billed through UofM account
Non-refundable deposit $400
Tuition and educational costs $2,775
International health insurance $48
Housing and/or meals $245
Transportation (if required and included in program fee) $1,969
Total Program Fee $5,437
Program discount for University of Minnesota and Big Ten students, if applicable $0
Total Program Fee with discount, if applicable $5,437

Estimated Additional Expenses

  • Financial aid-eligible but not included in program fee
Costs Typically Incurred Prior to Departure These costs may need to be paid before your financial aid is disbursed for your term abroad.
Transportation to and from program site $0
Passport/photos $150
Visa/required documents $100
Travel clinic/immunizations* $0
Housing deposit $0
Total Estimated Cost Incurred Prior to Departure $250
Costs Typically Incurred After Arrival in Host Country
Texts/materials $30
Housing and/or meals not included in program fee $50
Essential daily living expenses $50
Total Estimated Cost Incurred After Arrival in Host Country $130

Total Estimated Cost of Participation

  • UofM students—compare this to your estimated on campus cost of attendance
Total Estimated Cost of Participation $5,817
Spending money and personal travel Not included in financial aid calculation $200
Additional Notes & Information
* Immunizations Note: This estimate is based on approximate cost of travel-related vaccinations and medications required for entry or recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your costs may be higher or lower depending on your travel clinic, the specific immunizations and medication prescribed, and your insurance coverage.

Prepare

Complete pre-application advising.

Apply

The COVID-19 vaccine and booster are required by the host country and/or on-site partners and facilities for most study abroad programs. Complete your COVID-19 vaccine doses immediately.

You will be charged a $50 application fee for each application you submit.

Apply Now

Complete

When you submit your online application, you will be assigned an application checklist that includes:

  • First Step session

Next Steps

  1. After you complete all required application checklist items, you will receive an automated email message indicating your application is ready to be reviewed.
  2. Your completed application will be reviewed by the program leader in the sponsoring college/department.
  3. If admitted, the Confirmation & Payment Agreement form will be added to your checklist. Complete this form to secure your spot on the program. By submitting the form, you also give your approval for the program deposit to be billed to your UofM student account.
  4. Complete the confirmation checklist, which include the following items in additional to program-specific forms:
    • Passport Information
    • Emergency Contacts
    • Health Information Form
    • Online Health & Safety Orientation
    • Release & Waiver
  5. You will receive information about additional steps from the sponsoring college/department.