ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

The California College of Ayurveda offers the most comprehensive curriculum in the field of Ayurvedic Medicine in the United States. In addition to providing students with training in the fundamental principles and practices of Ayurveda, at CCA students study disease management and receive the clinical training necessary to become successful in practice. In order to achieve these goals, our training program is offered in three levels at several locations.

Programs are held at the main campus in Grass Valley as well as at satellite locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California (Cerritos). Satellite locations are auxiliary teaching sites. CCA's administrative office staff, student records, and services are located at its main location in Grass Valley.

Level One: Ayurvedic Health Educator (A.H.E.) Certificate (543 hours):

Students who complete the A.H.E. program (which is Level One of CCA's training program) will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate is a joint certificate of completion from both the California College of Ayurveda and the American Institute of Vedic Studies. The certificate is signed by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Marc Halpern. This program is for the student wishing to integrate their training in ayurveda with an existing health care degree or to receive the knowledge for personal growth and/or self-healing.

Ayurvedic Health Educator: Curriculum

Level Two: Ayurvedic Health Practitioner (A.H.P.) Certification Program
(882 additional hours; 1,425 total hours):

Students who complete this additional level of training receive certification to practice as an Ayurvedic Health Practitioner. Level Two of the course consists of a disease management curriculum, additional training in diagnostics and Pancha Karma theory, and the internship program.

It is during the internship that students begin to make the transformation from a student to a practitioner. All students attend six monthly weekend intensive seminars held in Grass Valley or Cerritos while beginning to provide Ayurvedic health care to other students, friends, family members, and acquaintances. The goal of clinical internship is to introduce and help students to become comfortable in the role of a professional health care provider and to help the intern gain experience in supporting others to create an Ayurvedic lifestyle. This program is for students wishing to go into private practice on their own or within an existing health care clinic

Ayurvedic Health Practitioner: Curriculum

During the internship phase of the program, students' work will focus on the promotion of health and well-being and on the removal of the root causes of disease and its manifestations in the digestive system and the mind. Disease management will not be practiced in this portion of the program. Students will perform 40 client visits, providing ongoing support to their clients as they implement the treatment program. Interns will gain experience working with diet, herbs, aromatherapy, color therapy, sound and mantra therapy, yoga therapy, and other Ayurvedic and yogic practices. Health care consultations provided by interns are free to their clients. There is, however, a small fee charged to the client for personalized herbal preparations.

Interns are expected to make the time necessary to complete their internship in a timely manner. This may require work during the week. Interns who cannot complete their internship within the required six-month period may apply for one or more three-month extensions for a fee of $300 each. For more information, please see the internship disclosure form available from the school.

On-Site Internship

All internship students are encouraged to participate in this program interning under direct supervision at the College's health care center in Grass Valley. Students also will receive a minimum of 50 hours of supervised, on-the-job professional training in the College's herb dispensary. This will include a four-day, intensive workshop in making herbal medicines. On-site interns will also prepare herbal medicine for their clients.

Off-Site (Field) Internship

Students living at a distance from the College may perform their internship by serving in their own communities. All field interns may attend weekend classes in either Grass Valley or Seal Beach. Each field intern is supervised by a field intern supervisor, who oversees individual cases, monitors progress, and assures completion of all required hours and reporting. In addition to attending a four-day, intensive workshop on making herbal medicines held in Grass Valley, field interns will perform several projects working with herbs to complete the internship's fifty-hour herbal preparation training. Case discussions and reviews are scheduled in person or by telephone. Field interns may incur additional minor expenses for postage, phone calls, faxes, etc.

Level Three: Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist (C.A.S.) Program (Residency)
(307 additional hours; 1,732 total hours):

Students wanting to receive our highest level of certification will complete a six-month residency at CCA's health care clinic in Grass Valley, seeing patients and working in the fields of both disease management and Ayurvedic lifestyle management. This outstanding training is the only one of its kind in the United States and will help assure that the graduate is capable and competent to practice Ayurvedic medicine. Residents work under the supervision of Dr. Halpern and his staff. Residents perform patient examinations as well as design and implement appropriate treatment plans using all of the modalities available in the field of Ayurveda. Students prepare the herbal medicines for each of their patients in the College's herbal dispensary under the supervision of the Herb Department Director.

Residents also participate in the school's community outreach and public education programs. Residents begin giving public education classes and participate in public education booths at health fairs. The skills gained from these experiences help students to build their practices in the future.

Residency students attend an additional six weekend classes (one per month) focused on clinical management and case discussion. Students will present their cases, receive feedback and input from the instructor and their classmates, and discuss their results. Students must complete a minimum of 40 patient visits during their residency in order to complete this level and graduate. Students meet in person with the clinical supervisor to discuss each case. Students are credited for a minimum of 50 clinical hours with patients, 30 hours meeting with a supervisor, and 80 case research hours. Students are responsible for attracting the patients needed to complete their residency by giving public lectures, participating at health fair booths, and supporting other outreach activities of the College. Residents who do not complete their 40 patient visits within the six month allotted time period can apply for an additional 3-month extension at no charge.

Resident Stipend

The College establishes the fees for clinical services. Residents receive a $50-per-visit stipend for each patient visit (both initial and follow-up visits). There is no limit to the number of patient visits a resident may perform.

Yoga Classes

It is important for all Ayurvedic students to develop a yoga practice, since yoga and Ayurveda are like two sides of the same coin. Yoga is the subtle, internal aspect of Ayurveda. Ayurveda is the gross, external aspect of yoga. Together they are a complete body, mind, and spirit approach to living and healing. Since Ayurvedic studies are largely intellectual with practical applications and yoga asana is largely physical, the practice of Ayurveda and yoga bring the mind and body together. When the meditative aspects of yoga are added to one's practice, there is an integration of body, mind, and consciousness, leading to greater Self-realization and higher awareness. Students of all levels should practice the yoga postures within their own physical capability. Over time, physical limitations tend to soften, and the body and mind become more flexible.

Students in Grass Valley may participate in the Yoga, Sadhana and Healing Course described below.

Yoga, Sadhana, and Healing certification course (Grass Valley students only):

243 Hours

Description

This program exists to support the student to integrate the principles of Ayurveda and yoga into their lives. The course consists of 81 classroom hours plus 162 hours of projects and homestudy.

Curriculum

- Dinacharya: The implementation of a daily Ayurvedic lifestyle regime. Techniques learned and practiced include: tongue scraping, neti, eye wash, self-abhyanga.
- Yoga: An exploration of the eight limbs of yoga and several important yogic texts with special focus on the practices of asana and pranayama.
- Healthy Lifestyle: Facilitated discussions will take place and students will support each other as they work on creating a harmonious lifestyle. The focus of this aspect of the program is on the yamas and niyamas and the harmonious use of the senses.
- Ancillary Healing Techniques: Students will learn and practice a variety of meditations that support the self- healing process.

Fee: $1250 (with $100 non-refundable deposit)

Educational Formats

The California College of Ayurveda recognizes that a variety of educational formats are needed to meet the needs of differing student situations. The College offers students the opportunity to study Ayurveda at a distance and receive the same credit toward the A.H.E. certificate and the A.H.P. certificate.

Full-Time Program

The Ayurvedic Health Educator program may be completed in five to six months. The Ayurvedic Health Practitioner Program may be completed in about an additional year. Classes are held three days per week for three hours each day.. Full time programs are available only in Grass Valley and in San Francisco at this time. Internship classes for both groups are held in Grass Valley only. Students may continue their studies in our residency training program for an additional six months in order to receive the Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist certification.

Weekend Program

The Ayurvedic Health Educator program may be completed in approximately eleven to twelve months meeting one weekend each month. The Ayurvedic Health Practitioner program (including internship) may be completed in an additional seventeen to eighteen months. Weekend programs are held at our Southern California and Grass Valley locations. Students may continue their studies in our residency program in Grass Valley for an additional six months in order to receive the Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist certification.

Distance Learning Program

The College's Distance Learning Program is a revolutionary program that integrates home schooling, classroom education and a one-to-one relationship with a Master Teacher who guides the students’ education. Distance Learning is available up to the beginning of internship. At that time, the student joins with interns from the classroom program. Completion of the academic content of either the A.H.E. or A.H. P. programs can take 11-13 months each, depending on the schedule chosen by the student. Completion of a full A.H.P. or C.A.S. program will take approximately the length of time indicated in the preceding section for the Weekend Program

Distance study includes reading assignments, projects and regular examinations. For each section of the study program, there is a monthly phone meeting with an assigned Master Teacher with additional shorter, more frequent contacts also possible. At the end of the academic studies for each level of the program (A.H.E. and A.H.P.) distance learning students also spend one week (5 days) in Grass Valley at the College with an instructor in a small group study session. The College can assist students in making local housing arrangements. The fees and credits for each level of the training program are the same as in the classroom programs.

Summary of Course Hours
The following chart details the hourly breakdown for each format for our program.

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