Expert: Kay Larson - 11/6/2010

Question
Dear Larson,

You are doing a great job. I live in Boston, MA and I am ND studentdoing my final works in the teach-out program. My question is the following: Because CCNH is not accreditated by the US government, can a ND graduate from Clayton College practice Naturopathy in a foreign country in the Carribean or South-America? Can he use the title ND there?  And as CCNH was a legal institution,will the Secretary of State of Alabama authenticate the degree certificate issued by CCNH  for approval for a foreign country ?

Thanks

Answer
Your degree from CCNH is not going to say anything about foreign approval and will not be "authenticated" from the state of Alabama.  But I wouldn't worry about that in the least.  You should be able to set up a business with your degree from Clayton, as  USDE accreditation is an issue with Americans, and obviously not with foreigners living in their native countries. There are some countries where being a graduate from any US school is a big deal, accredited or not. I am an adjunct professor and admissions advisor for Kingdom College of Natural Health, a non-USDE accredited school. We have graduates from many nations who have very successful practices. The issue is that you not practice medicine without a license, which you will not do. But I would think that as a consultant who teaches basic naturopathic principles, you should not have a problem. To be safe, check with the country you are contemplating moving to. Good luck to you, what you're doing sounds very exciting!