ND education includes a 4 year didactic education that includes at least 100 hours of clinical practice as preceptorship. The education is a hybrid distance education combined with classroom education. The purpose of this is to provide strong hands on training as well as accommodate the ever growing needs of students in post secondary education.

Naturopathic Colleges operate under the laws and legalities of their various charted states. The college is under the supervision of a full time Dean as well as faculty. Classroom attendance is not less than 90% to be able to graduate. The college at this time must be recognized by the ANMA, the second oldest institution representing Naturopathic Doctors. American Naturopathic Medical Association.

To enter into the study of Naturopathy, the applicant must submit preliminary education issued by the state education authority. The student entering must have a high school diploma or equivalent as well as some form of Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in the biological sciences such as biology, chemistry, etc.

The coursework is 4 school years of 36 weeks each. Each school week consists of not less than 25 clock hours of instruction, exclusive of laboratory and clinic attendance time.

Clinical internships must be approved prior to attendance with a qualified professional, ie. ND, DC, MD, PHD of various disciplines.

Class “A” curriculum for ND training contains a minimum of the following:

800 hours of Anatomy to include histology, embryology, dissection, osteology, etc.
330 Credit Hours of Chemistry. Inorganic, Organic, Biochemistry, and Toxicology.
270 hours of Physiology.
300 Hours of Pathology.
100 Hours of Bacteriology.
200 Hours of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
600 Hours of Diagnosis broken down into Physical, Laboratory, Xray, and Clinical.
400 Hours of Theory, Practice, and Philosophy of Naturopathy.
100 Hours of Pediatrics.
100 Hours of Physiotherapy.
100 Hours of Hydrotherapy.
100 Hours of Electrotherapy.
300 Hours of Anatomical and Manipulation.
100 Hours of Psychiatry.
300 Hours of Naturopathic Farmocopenia and Cell Salts Therapy.
250 Hours of Protology, Fractures, Genito-urinary,
100 Hours of Anesthetics, Minor Surgery, and First Aid.
100 Hours of Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat.
395 Hours of Clinical Naturopathy.
50 Hours of Jurisprudence.
Total Credit Hours of 5345 including clinical hours to be completed in 4 years and 9 months.

Curriculum is a combination of reading, assignments, classroom activities, tests, quizzes, etc.

Upon completion, a proctored Board Exam is provided that is 4 hours long and tests a graduate candidate on skills, concepts, learned within the approved class curriculum. Currently, there are two prep courses that can be taken prior to the exam.

Currently, none of the Naturopathic Doctorate Schools have decided to become accredited through the Board of Education. The Board of Education does not create a standard in education and does not certify that the standard in education meets the standards within the field. Therefore Naturopathic Medical Programs cited in this study have not been certified for accuracy towards the Naturopathic profession. Because there is a lack of education in this profession, confusion, and miseducation the Naturopathic Medical Colleges have largely been able to pass as a Naturopathic school even though they have split off from the original Naturopathic roots as defined by the founder. Most recently, the Virginia College of Naturopathy has been formed and plans to go through all of the necessary requirements laid out by the Board of Education to create standardization of true Naturopathic Doctor education within the state of Virginia.