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Associations for Homoeopathic Medical Colleges

The Council on Homeopathic Education (CHE), founded in 1982, is the main organization responsible for assessing homeopathic education in the United States and Canada. The Accreditation Commission for Homeopathic Education in North America (ACHENA) is the division of CHE that accredits courses and develops standards in homeopathic education. Other relevant organizations for homeopathy students and teachers are the American Institute of Homeopathy (AIH) and the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH).

  1. Council on Homeopathic Education

    • CHE members represent various homeopathic organizations, accredited schools and individual teachers of homeopathy. The council's purpose is to establish and regulate standards of homeopathic education, to accredit homeopathy schools, to provide certification for continuing education and to support homeopathy students and teachers. In addition to regulating homeopathy education, CHE provides lists of accredited schools teaching homeopathy; as of 2011, only four schools in North America are listed.

    Accreditation Commission for Homeopathic Education in North America

    • In 2000, CHE held a summit meeting of homeopathic teachers and educational organizations from all over North America. At the meeting, members agreed on medical and homeopathy standards necessary to practice homeopathy. In its outline of standards CHE and ACHENA state that students may use three methods of acquiring competency to practice: self-study, formal teaching and clinical supervision. It stresses that standards are always evolving as homeopathic practice develops in North America. A downloadable copy of the standards document is available at the CHE website. ACHENA accredits colleges based on these standards.

    American Institute of Homeopathy

    • AIH members are practicing homeopaths and homeopathy educators. The main aim of the organization is the dissemination of homeopathic medical knowledge and the maintenance of practice standards based on Samuel Hahnemann's original concept. Hahnemann founded homeopathic medicine in the early 19th century based on his research into plant medicines. Unlike CHE, AIH does not accredit educational organizations, but accredited schools are members of AIH. AIH does provide information on courses and seminars taught by AIH members, many of which are at CHE listed colleges.

    National Center for Homeopathy

    • NCH is an umbrella organization with three main functions: educating the public about homeopathy; educating homeopaths; and liaising with government departments and the media to improve knowledge of homeopathy. Unlike AIH, NCH is not a professional organization in the sense that membership is open to anyone with an interest in homeopathy. CHE points out that the NCH is a good educational starting point for anyone who wants to learn homeopathy basics or find out if they want to pursue s full training program. The NCH has affiliated study groups around the United States and a list is available from the NCH website.

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