Master of Science in Yoga

MS (Yoga) is a four-semester, 30 credit program providing a unique well-rounded wholistic Yoga degree that balances theory/philosophy from Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita to modern day yoga practices using a scientific and evidence-based approach, while training students in ‘Yoga as Therapy’ as practiced in the
West. Students specialize in Philosophy, Yoga Therapy, and/or Research in their 4th semester. Prior certifications in Yoga Training is transferrable.

Prerequisites: 4-Year degree, or, a 3-year degree with 3 years of work experience.

Duration: 21 months.

PhD in Yoga

For serious students interested in exploring Yoga Science, Philosophy or Therapy, this doctoral program has three components: preparatory coursework, qualifier for advancement to candidacy, and submission of an original dissertation under the direction of a VaYU Research Faculty.

Prerequisites: MS (Yoga) or equivalent.

Duration: 3-5 years

(Offered from Fall 2022)

Online Program Format

In an online format, faculty are in charge of academic engagement through video lectures, interactive tutorials and managing discussion boards for individual and collective interaction with the students.

Student time is spent on online faculty tutorials at their own time, online chats, faculty moderated group discussions, online faculty office hours (optionally offered by faculty), online study or group projects, online assignments and peer interactions.

Detailed syllabus, weekly topics, assignments (homework, quizzes, tests, final exams, and class participation such as discussion boards, etc.) are provided by each Course Instructor and will be available to registered students. Some Instructors may provide course notes and prescribe textbooks (student purchases this) and references (usually found in VaYU Online Library). No internship or externship is required.

Personal Contact Program (PCP)

Courses in the odd semesters that the student will be enrolled in will have a Personal Contact Program (PCP). This is indicated by the odd semester courses that end with a "P." PCP is mandatory, and is offered at our main campus in Norwalk (near Los Angeles) and will be conducted in the 15th Week of the semester.

PCP is a week-long personal contact program to train students in Asanas (poses), Kriyas (purification practices), Mudras (hand gestures), Bandhas (locks), Pranayama (controlled breathing) and Dhyana (meditation). PCP will be offered at our main campus in Norwalk (near Los Angeles) in all required semesters. PCP would also be offered in many VaYU satellite campuses in North America and some cities in Asia such as our sister campus in Bengaluru, India or Singapore depending on student interest and faculty availability. PCP class hours may range from 28-40 hours.

Credit Hour Definition

For VAYU courses in an online lecture format, “1 credit hour” represents the subject content that can be delivered in one academic hour of contact time each week for the full duration of one academic semester, which is typically sixteen weeks (fourteen weeks along with a week for two midterms combined, and, a final examination week).

For graduate courses, 3-4 hours of outside work is expected for each academic hour of contact time. For courses taught in other than lecture format such as Personal Contact Program (PCP) or research project, one credit-hour represents an amount of content and/or student effort that in aggregate is no less than that described before – typically 28 hours per semester or 2 hours/week/credit.