Naturopathic Medicine (N.D.)
Naturopathic medical schools offer the doctor of naturopathic medicine (ND) degree following four years of medical training. As a general rule, the first two years of the naturopathic medical school curriculum involve primarily course work, while the third and fourth years involve clinical rotations and training.
Naturopathic medicine is a patient-centered primary care approach that uses natural means to restore and maintain good health. It includes the use of natural therapies, and it involves individualized health care that goes beyond superficial symptoms to the root cause of disease. Naturopathic medicine uses natural, non-invasive and non-toxic therapies to treat illness and promote wellness.
Currently, 26 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Canada have licensing laws for naturopathic doctors. At this time, Texas is not one of these states. Legal provisions that allow for the practice of naturopathic medicine exist in some unlicensed states.
There are currently four accredited naturopathic medical schools in the United States and two in Canada. These accredited naturopathic schools are represented by the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC).
Students apply to each naturopathic medical school independently.
Texas does not have a naturopathic medical school. Below is a table listing the names, locations and Web sites for the five U.S. naturopathic medical schools.
Name | Location | Web site |
Bastyr University | Seattle, WA and San Diego, CA campuses | |
National University of Natural Medicine | Portland, OR | |
National University of Health Sciences | Chicago, IL | |
Sonoran University of Health Sciences | Phoenix, AZ |