The individual pace of each student is honored. Each student completes the course offline at her or his own pace. The student has up to twelve months to complete the course material. It can be completed sooner if the student chooses. In some cases more time may be needed.

Learning Materials are presented via online readings, books purchased by the student, web resources and occasionally by online streaming audio and video.

Online Group Chats are held almost weekly for the students to meet with the instructor to discuss various questions they have about the course material. The online group chats are for all students no matter what Process of the course they are currently completing. The majority of the course study is completed offline by the student at his or her own pace.

Online Office Hours are held by appointment for students to visit with the instructor, ask questions, get advice, etc.

Software Programs necessary for the course are free and can be easily downloaded from the internet.

Computer System can be Windows or Apple. The student needs to be proficient at sending and receiving email, email document attachments, and browsing the internet. A broadband connection is highly recommended.

Tuition: A one-time full payment for the entire course: $4,200 when received no later than the Final Early Enrollment Period ; $4,900 regular tuition. It's strongly recommended that you register as soon as possible as the number of students accepted for each course date is limited.

NEW! A payment plan is now available starting with the June 15, 2009 course. To help students during this challenging ecomomic time we now offer the following two payment plan options:

A. Payment Plan Option #1
Two payments of $2200 each, one at the start of
the course, and one at the beginning of the fourth month of the course.
(If the payments are made by credit card, add an additional 5% per payment for
covering the cost of credit card processing charges that we incur.) The first payment is due before the end of The Early Registration Period.

B. Payment Plan Option #2
A $1000 down payment prior to beginning of the course, and
$300 monthly for 12 months, paid by automatic credit card billing. The down payment is due before the end of The Early Registration Period.

(Plan B monthly payments can also be made by personal check or other methods
when pre-approved and with certain requirements that must be strictly met.)

For questions about the payment plans, please contact us.

The course may be started on January 15 (Final Early Enrollment October 15- December 15), June 15 (Final Early Enrollment March 15-May 15) or September 15 (Final Early Enrollment June 15- August 15). Early enrollment is also possible prior to the Final Early Enrollment period. It is highly recommended that you register as early as possible in the Final Early Enrollment period to secure a place in the course.

Withdrawal/Refund Policy for Full Tuition Payment: The following refund policy applies only to the student who has made the full tuition payment prior to the beginning of the course:  The tuition includes a $600 non-refundable Administrative / Online Technical Set-Up Fee covering the adminstrative and technical set-up costs that take place imemdiately after enrollment. If the student withdraws from the course before the starting date, a tuition refund minus the $600 Administrative/Online Technical Set-Up fee is made. If withdrawal takes place within the first six months after the starting date, the $600 Administrative/Technical Set-Up fee and $600 for each month or part thereof of the first 6 months of enrollment will be deducted from the $4200. If withdrawal takes place after the first six months of enrollment, there is no refund. However, should the student want to place the enrollment on hold after the first six months rather than withdraw completely, it may be requested to resume with the remaining months of the course, within one year, at no extra fee.

There is no refund available when taking the couse by payment plan.

Q: Who may apply for the 12-month course?

A: Anyone who is personally practicing macrobiotics and has a sincere desire to be of service to humanity may apply. Prior macrobiotic counseling experience is not necessary. Willingness to work hard, think for yourself, and to be highly self-motivated for independent study are a must.

The online student is a person who enjoys learning and communicating via online technology such as email, downloadable documents, chat room discussions, online bulletin boards, streaming audio and video, etc.

Q: How is it possible for the tuition for the Macrobiotics America online counselor course to be so much less than similar in-person courses?

A: We are happy to offer an affordable tuition cost so that more students can afford to become macrobiotic counselors. Since we do not have the high expense of a large on-site staff, and since we do not have a physical facility to maintain for the online course, we can pass along big tuition savings to the students. In addition, being an online course, there is no need to add the expense of housing and meals to the tuition cost, allowing even more savings to be passed along to students.The students in our course also save even more by not having to pay for travel expenses and the personal expenses of being away from home.

Q: How can I finish the Macrobiotics America online course in 12 months when the time to complete in-person certification courses usually takes much longer?

A: Our course allows the students to complete their studies at home, avoiding the time-consuming factors of adjusting their schedules and then traveling back and forth to a physical site to attend sessions that can sometimes be weeks or months apart. As a result, students have reported that the amount of information and learning in our online course is actually far more than when they took an in-person course, even though it takes less time to complete our course.

Q: Will I really be able to do quality macrobiotic counseling at the end of this course?

A: Yes, if you dedicate yourself, study hard, and have the true desire to be of service to humanity, you will be able to do quality macrobiotic counseling by the end of this course. Actually, students do macrobiotic counseling during the course itself. This is a practical course that is 100% designed toward the goal of eventually doing macrobiotic counseling, not just studying and thinking about it.

Keep in mind that it will not be a certificate, the teachers you can name, or the amount of time studying that will determine your success as a macrobiotic counselor. It will be your spirit of service, dedication, hard work, on-going experience, endurance and compassionate realtionship with others that will build your practice, skill, and reputation over time.

Q: What is the difference between this macrobiotic counselor training course and other macrobiotic training I might find?

A: There are several good macrobiotic training programs. They all offer useful information and instruction. For our training program we only accept students who have the goal of being a macrobiotic counselor. It is not a general macrobiotic program. Our course provides focus on macrobiotic counseling, on-going support during the studies, a certificate of completion, membership in the world-wide association of Macrobiotics America trained counselors, regular opportunity for interaction with the instructor and other students from around the world, practical guidance for becoming a counselor, and support for establishing your own local macrobiotic counseling and education program. Macrobiotics America trained counselors who have distinguished themselves by hard work and service to humanity may be invited to teach and counsel at Macrobiotics America events in North America and elsewhere.

Q: What if I've already studied and/or graduated from a macrobiotic training program?

A: Students who received previous macrobiotic training elsewhere have expressed pleasant surprise that they learned so much that was new and interesting from this course.