A holistic approach to health and healing, Naturopathic medicine is a set of ancient practices that are regaining popularity today. Instead of isolating and treating the symptoms of patients individually, naturopathic physicians concentrate on a person’s full well-being and consider the patient an active participant in their own healing and well-being. Naturopathic students are focused on naturopathic philosophy and theory and explore an exhaustive variety of both Western and Eastern medical methods in addition to the same biomedical research and clinical instruction that traditional medical doctors undertake. These include traditional Chinese medicine, nutrition, homeopathy and herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, and manipulative naturopathic therapy, as well as western medical procedures such as pharmacology, diagnostic medicine, and surgery.
It takes a master’s degree in Naturopathic Medicine to become a naturopathic doctor. It is a minimum of a post-baccalaureate four-year program. For the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examinations (NPLEX), the two-step test is needed to receive a license, only students who graduate from one of the 6 AANMC accredited schools are entitled to sit. Of the 6, two accredited schools are in Canada, and the rest in the USA.
Below you will find the best colleges that offer academic courses in Naturopathic medicine. We have created a list, especially for you to choose from the available resources in the U.S. All the best!
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences
In the Southwest, SCNM has the only approved, full-time four-year degree program in naturopathic medicine. In a number of settings, including their on-site Medical Center and Neil Riordan Center for Regenerative Medicine, their groundbreaking program consists of rigorous academic research and comprehensive supervised clinical practice. In addition to exposure to the widest variety of naturopathic treatments, you can also learn the same fundamental sciences as you would in a traditional medical program. Throughout the curriculum, clinical milestones are completed and provide the required advancement in medical education for graduates to become successful naturopathic doctors.
More students select SCNM than any other naturopathic medical school in the U.S. You will learn all of the naturopathic therapies within the ND curriculum under Arizona’s broad scope of practice, including acupuncture and injection therapies. The progressive model of education is focused on tested, productive methods used by the most prestigious medical schools in the world. These approaches consist of early clinical experience, team-based learning, and a fundamental science teaching approach to body systems. ZIn addition to this, you will also be qualified to sit for the NPLEX board test.
Founded In: 1993
Tuition: $144,095 (4-year) and $144,647 (5-year)
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Ranking: 1
Contact: 480-858-9100
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Bastyr University
Naturopathic medicine is primary health care that, through the use of healthy living and natural remedies, emphasizes prevention and the self-healing process, combining centuries-old wisdom and a belief that nature is the most effective healer with modern research on health and human systems. In the emerging field of natural medicine, the School of Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University develops future experts of the field. For its rigorous curriculum, intensive clinical training, and pioneering research, Bastyr’s certified naturopathic doctor (ND) degree program is globally renowned.
In the Naturopathic Licensing Exams (NPLEX), their graduates consistently earn top scores and continue to lead varied, meaningful careers in natural medicine. There is no better place than Bastyr to receive a well-respected, nationally recognized natural medicine degree. The program for the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine is approved by the Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME), which is a U.S. Education Department recognized specialized accrediting board.
Founded In: 1978
Tuition: $43,015
Location: Kenmore & San Diego
Ranking: 2
Contact: 425-602-3000
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National University of Natural Medicine
Founded in 1956, the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) is the oldest approved university in North America for naturopathic medicine. NUNM provides an engaging learning experience and a vital, innovative community of research that includes its schools, health centers, and beyond. Their complex campus offers students the chance to become agents of change through preventive medicine and whole-person treatment in the field of health care. As a medical student, you can serve in their neighborhood clinics with diverse patient groups and develop an understanding of various settings of practice. Your experience will be central to the health centers and the acclaimed Helfgott Research Institute. They incorporate primary care at NUNM with the basis of evidence-informed natural medicine.
They concentrate on experiential education and profit from a preceptorship program, simulation laboratories, different clinical encounters, internships, and research for their students. In an advanced, clinically integrated framework, the curriculum is provided where students experience actual patients and clinical experiences as early as their first year, preceded during the rest of the program by progressive and demanding clinical rotations. In their fourth year, this design prepares students to move seamlessly into the role of student-physician, taking care of their own patients under the watchful mentorship of experienced academic and clinical instructors.
Founded In: 1956
Tuition: $39,473
Location: Portland, Oregon
Ranking: 3
Contact: 503-552-1555
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National University of Health Sciences
Since 1906, the National University of Health Sciences has set standards of educational quality in health professional education. NUHS offers a diverse environment with a steadfast dedication to integrative medicine, where students and faculty in different medical specialties will work together as colleagues. The naturopathic medicine program of the National University provides a comprehensive and academically demanding curriculum that incorporates a detailed scientific basis with intensive training in naturopathic treatment.
Together with a comprehensive analysis of modern, evidence-based approaches from a variety of viewpoints, the program brings a strong emphasis on naturopathic values and theory. Offering the only degree program in naturopathic medicine in the Midwest, NUHS maintains a lovely 35-acre campus in a peaceful suburb just minutes away from Chicago’s academic, entertainment, and cultural resources.
Founded In: 1906
Tuition: $27,854
Location: Lombard, Illinois
Ranking: 4
Contact: 800-826-6285
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