Is this M.Sc. for you?
M.Sc. Life Sciences (Ayurveda Biology)
Transcending the functional boundaries of life sciences.
TDU believes in a trans-disciplinary approach to knowledge. In the area of healthcare, this belief is manifest in the word "Ayurveda Biology". Both Ayurveda and Biology, seek to understand ‘changes in life process’ using frameworks and principles that are expressed to different ways. A cell, the fundamental unit of life, in biology may be understood as beeja, depending on the context. But can "cell" and "beeja" be used interchangeably? To answer this question requires knowledge of both domains.
Traditionally, after +2, students get siloed into studying either medicine or fundamental science. Even within medicine, the curriculum is fixed and students are exposed solely to modern medicine and in the case of Ayurveda, to classical texts combined with selective topics in human anatomy and physiology. Hence, India does not have graduates who can appreciate a perspective from both fields – Ayurveda and Biology.
The large gap between classical Ayurveda texts, modern medical practice and biology can seem insurmountable. Yet, time and again we have discovered that paradigm shifts occur when individuals are willing to look beyond prescriptive definitions. Use TDU's MSc program to turn the past into the future!
Thus, was born the MSc Life Sciences (Ayurveda Biology) program in 2021. Here, graduates from Ayurveda (or other indigenous knowledge systems like yoga) and other fundamental biology backgrounds study together. In the curriculum they are exposed to courses from both domains. Laboratory training, computational skills, field visits, seminars and discussion sessions are assimilated into theory classes to provide students an experiential learning experience. In the 1st year, students acquire foundational knowledge of biology subjects such as biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology along with theoretical aspects of Ayurveda, medicinal plants, pharmacognosy, conservation and biodiversity. In the 2nd year, they have a short third semester where research methodology and electives are offered, followed by 8 months to do a hypothesis driven thesis project. Students of the 2021 batch visited Japan on a study tour in their second year. Read about their experiences on TDU blogs.
The MSc thesis project can be in the clinic, lab, field, industry or a combination of the two. A 100-bed integrative hospital, IAIM Healthcare, affiliated to TDU, offers our students a chance to combine lab and clinic studies. With our extensive experience in the field, having been seeded by the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), we offer students a chance to combine lab and field studies as well.
Graduating from the MSc program will not only make you a more informed clinician but also provide the degree to go abroad for higher education. Careers in research, both in academia and industry beckon. In fact, our student from the 1st batch, Dr Jyothish landed a job at Vaidyaratnam. The unique combination of biology and Ayurveda offers a chance to work in industrial functions where combined domain knowledge are necessary; such as supply chain logistics in herbal industry, design and development of botanical products for the cosmetic and food industry as well as practice in integrative healthcare clinics.