Complementary medicine is now recognised as a $1 billion a year industry in Australia. With almost half the Australian population having visited a natural therapist at least once, there is a growing interest in the field and pressure for its practitioners to pursue more formalised qualifications.

In a first for Australia, Charles Sturt University (CSU) in conjunction with two private complementary health educators, The College of Somatic Studies (COSS), and Health Schools Australia (HSA), has developed a course that enables students with an Advanced Diploma in Complementary Medicine to articulate this into the Bachelor of Health Science Degree, offered by distance education.

An advancing and expanding industry, it incorporates areas such as naturopathy, herbal medicine, aromotherapy, nutritional science, sports therapy and oriental therapy, to name a few.

There is a general move within the industry towards registration of natural therapists, however more formalised qualifications are required such as the Health Science Degree, which is recognised by the Complementary Medicine Association, the leading professional body representing qualified complementary practitioners throughout Australia.

This program will provide complementary medicine practitioners the opportunity to access broader based mainstream studies and post graduate studies if desired.

Course coordinator Charles Fogliani said the difference between this and other degrees in this area is the industry link provided by the College of Somatic Studies and Health Schools Australia.

“The natural therapy training is provided by the recognised experts and the science subjects for the degree are completed through CSU.

“The University had wanted to offer its health science expertise to the complementary medicine profession for some time. We wanted to make sure the degree we offered addressed the needs of the profession. We also wanted to establish links with reputable government accredited complementary medicine colleges who we could work with to further this cause, ” he said.

Brenda Lomas, Principal The College of Somatic Studies said it is pleasing to see that complementary practitioners are finally getting the recognition they deserve from universities.

“We have been pleased to play a part in helping CSU create this new and exciting higher education option for our graduates.”

Sentiments echoed by Dr Peter Derig, Principal of Health Schools Australia. “This is a tremendous step forward for the profession as a whole as we enter the new millennium. The fact that our students will graduate with a degree from CSU, based in part upon their studies with us as an articulated complementary college, is not only a vote of confidence in us as educators, but also complementary therapies.”