Council on Naturopathic Medical Education

Accrediting naturopathic doctoral programs in
the U.S. and Canada

Public Comment Notice

Regarding Reaccreditation of the Naturopathic Doctoral (ND) Program offered by Bastyr University

The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education (CNME)—a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency for Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine programs—seeks public comment on whether the CNME should reaccredit the Naturopathic Doctoral (ND) Program offered by Bastyr University, with campus locations in Kenmore, Washington, and San Diego, California.

The CNME Board of Directors will consider this matter at its next meeting, which will be held virtually on Thursday, October 31 & Friday, November 1, 2024.

Comments must be received by October 15, 2024, in order to be considered. Please use the form on this page to submit comments.

To submit comments by mail, send them to:
Council on Naturopathic Medical Education
PO Box 178
Great Barrington, MA 01230

See our Naturopathic Program Accreditation page for information on CNME’s accreditation standards, policies, procedures, and the CNME Handbook of Accreditation, which can be downloaded as a PDF.

If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Seitz by telephone at 413-528-8877 or by email at danseitz@verizon.net. Thank you for your comments.

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Our Mission

Our mission is quality assurance. The Council on Naturopathic Medical Education serves the public by accrediting doctoral programs in naturopathic medicine in the U.S. and Canada that meet or exceed our educational standards.

Purpose of Accreditation

The Council’s in-depth accreditation process promotes high-quality naturopathic education and training, and safe and effective practice. Our educational standards provide the basis for licensing/regulating naturopathic doctors in the U.S. and Canada. CNME is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit doctoral programs in naturopathic medicine.

All CNME-accredited naturopathic doctor schools/programs (ND programs) are primarily campus-based and typically take four years to complete; CNME does not accredit programs that are delivered primarily or entirely online.

Naturopathic Medicine: An Overview

Blending modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural forms of medicine.

Naturopathic Education

ND programs educate students in a range of natural modalities as well as in biomedical and clinical sciences, and complete two years of clinical training.

Naturopathic Accreditation

Accreditation process promotes high-quality naturopathic education and training, and safe and effective practice.

CNME-Accredited Programs

Graduates of CNME-accredited programs are qualified for licensure in Canada and the U.S.

Naturopathic physicians look beyond surface symptoms to determine the underlying causes of illness.

Photo courtesy of Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic physicians look beyond surface symptoms to determine the underlying causes of illness and provide natural approaches for restoring health.