The American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) today announced that it has been reaccredited without conditions by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) (fomerly Distance Education Training Council) for five years, the longest period allowable.
“The renewal of ACHS’s accreditation is a validation of the role that our staff, faculty, policies, and curriculum play in the education of holistic health practitioners and demonstrates our commitment to educational standards and ethical business practices that assure quality, accountability, and achievement in online accredited higher education,” says ACHS Founder and President Dorene Petersen.
Jane Thomas, Associate of Applied Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine graduate and Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) 2013 Famous Alumni of the Year, exemplifies the high level of achievement students attain after completing ACHS’s accredited distance learning courses. Thomas and her husband own and operate JB’s Healthmart in West Plains, Missouri, which earned the 2012 Rising Star of Entrepreneurship Award. Thomas was also recognized by the Missouri House of Representatives for investing in her local economy. (A YouTube interview with Thomas can be viewed online here.)
In addition to excellence in online holistic health education, accreditation brings with it a number of obligations, including continuing to meet accreditation and business standards while continually striving to improve. ACHS first received DEAC accreditation in 2003. This is ACHS’s second reaccreditation. Following the DEAC protocol, the reaccreditation process included a self-evaluation document generated by the school, as well as a site visit, which was conducted in March 2013 by a five-member delegation and Oregon State observer, Jennifer Diallo, Director of Degree Authorization, of the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission. The team presented its findings and recommendations to the larger DEAC Commission, which in turn voted to grant the maximum five-year renewal.
The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency and a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (http://www.deac.org/). The DEAC Accrediting Commission defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence in distance education institutions. The process includes appraisal of the online education students receive through an examination of the school’s organization, finances, facilities and equipment, clinical resources, library and information resources, students, admissions, faculty, curriculum, research offerings and outcomes assessment.
The Scope of ACHS’s renewal of accreditation extends to the programs listed below (program information available online here):
• Certificate in Aromatherapy
• Certificate in Dynamic Phytotherapy Consulting
• Certificate in Herbal Retail Management
• Certificate in Holistic Nutrition Consulting
• Certificate in Homeopathy Consulting
• Certificate in Iridology Consulting
• Certificate in Natural Products Manufacturing
• Certificate in Wellness Consulting
• Graduate Certificate in Anatomy and Physiology
• Graduate Certificate in Aromatherapy
• Graduate Certificate in Botanical Safety
• Graduate Certificate in Complementary Alternative Medicine
• Graduate Certificate in Herbal Medicine
• Graduate Certification in Nutrition
• Graduate Certificate in Wellness Coaching
• Diploma in Aromatherapy
• Diploma in Dynamic Phytotherapy
• Diploma in Herbal Studies
• Diploma in Holistic Health Practice
• Associate of Applied Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine
• Associate of Applied Science in Health and Wellness
• Master of Science in Aromatherapy
• Master of Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine
• Master of Science in Health and Wellness
• Master of Science in Herbal Medicine
• Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition
ACHS is recognized throughout the healthcare community. ACHS is one of the only accredited, completely online college offering holistic health education, with certificate, diploma, and undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The mission of ACHS is to provide leadership in holistic health education through comprehensive professional online and on-campus education and high-quality natural products with a commitment to sustainable practices and principles. Through their mission, ACHS fosters competence, professionalism, and cooperation in holistic healthcare and works to preserve and share knowledge in natural medicine.
Classes start September 16 and October 21. Contact ACHS for more information online here.
Editor’s Note: This blog post was originally published in August 2013 and was last updated 2-8-16 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.