Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic physicians (ND) are primary care providers trained to diagnose and treat patients with a range of acute and chronic health conditions. Naturopathic medicine combines both nature and modern medicine to stimulate the body to heal itself and maintain optimal health. The naturopathic medicine model believes in looking at more than just the body and takes into account the mind and spirit of the individual. NDs focuses on the whole patient wellness through health promotion and disease prevention while also addressing underlying causes of the patient’s condition. 

To learn more about naturopathic medicine, check out the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC): What is Naturopathic Medicine?

Naturopathic Medicine Preparation

  • Timeline

  • 1. Obtain a Bachelor’s degree and complete all pre-naturopathic medicine requirements, including prerequisites and experiences (4+ years)
    2. Attend an accredited naturopathic school (4 years) and earn a doctorate in naturopathic medicine (ND)
    3. Pass the Naturopathic Physician Licensing Examinations (NPLEX) to become a naturopathic doctor
    4. Become licensed in the state you wish to practice
    5. Maintain certification and complete continuing medical education

    Upon matriculation into a health professional school, there are additional steps students must complete in order to obtain licensure or professional certification. These steps vary by field and by school, and may include board examinations, supervised clinical hours, background checks, or other program-specific milestones. Once you are in your graduate program, your graduate program advisor will provide guidance on the post-graduation next steps.

  • Pre-Requisites

  • Prerequisite courses are the academic foundation that most schools require students to complete before beginning naturopathic school. No matter which major you choose, you will need to fulfill the specific science and non-science prerequisites set by each school. Always review and cross-check the requirements of your major with the prerequisite coursework for your chosen health profession to ensure you  are completing both UCD requirements as well as the requirements of your intended health professional school(s).

    While HPA has developed a suggested prerequisite chart from a sample of schools, prerequisite coursework and entrance requirements will vary by program, hence it is important to check individual schools' websites to familiarize yourself with their exact prerequisites.

    Program Prerequisites

    Courses to Take at UC Davis

    Most schools require: 

    		 

    General Biology 

    BIO 1 & 2 & 3 AND BIO 1L & 2L

    General Chemistry 

    CHE 2ABC OR CHE 4ABC

    Organic Chemistry

    CHE 118ABC 

    Biochemistry

    BIS 105

    Physics

    PHY 7A OR PHY 9A 

    Psychology

    PSC 1

    Math

    1 college-level algebra course 

    Some schools may require:

    		 

    Microbiology

    MIC 102 AND MIC 103L

    Physiology

    (NPB 101 & NPB 101L) OR (NPB 110C & NPB 101L)

    Anatomy 

    (EXB 106 & EXB 106L) OR (CHA 101 & CHA 101L)

    English

    Combination of writing-intensive ENL and UWP courses

    HPA recommendations:
    1. Complete all prerequisite courses for a letter grade, not P/NP.
    2. Earn a “C” or higher in all prerequisite coursework. Some programs may require no lower than a B in any of your prerequisite courses.
    3. Maintain a minimum undergraduate and science GPA of 3.0 or higher. A competitive GPA will likely be higher for most programs.

    Please note that naturopathic schools do accept community college work in varying degrees, some accept all transferable work, some a certain amount of units, and others accept a very limited amount. If you have any questions about your major, prerequisite courses, or grade/GPA concerns, you are encouraged to make an appointment with one of HPA Staff Advisors.

  • Exam
  • There is no entrance exam required for admission into naturopathic medicine schools.

Applying to Naturopathic School

  • Choosing Schools

  • There are 7 naturopathic schools in the U.S. Check out the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges (AANMC)’s list of accredited U.S. naturopathic schools.

    There are a variety of factors that go into choosing which naturopathic schools to apply to, including degree awarded, location, environment (i.e. urban), tuition, class size, focus or mission statement, etc. Spend some time researching schools online and create a spreadsheet that tracks the factors most important to you. On average, pre-health profession students apply to 2 to 3 naturopathic schools. HPA also recommends meeting with an advisor to discuss your school list.

  • Application System

  • Applicants typically apply the year before they matriculate into the naturopathic school and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Centralized Application Service (NDCAS) is a centralized application system that is used by most naturopathic schools. To learn more about NDCAS, visit the webpage, NDCAS Quick Start Guide and FAQs. Students are encouraged to refer to the NDCAS Applicant Help Center for additional guidance on how to complete their applications. Some schools will have applicants participate in NDCAS and will also have applicants complete an application through their own internal graduate school applications, while other programs do not use NDCAS at all. HPA recommends for applicants to carefully review the application process of each individual school that they are applying to.

    The NDCAS opens in September and closes August of the following year; these dates may vary for schools who are not utilizing the NDCAS. While NDCAS closes in August, participating schools of NDCAS may have earlier deadline dates, which are the deadlines applicants should be submitting by. These deadlines may also vary by schools or some may admit students on a rolling basis; please check your individual schools for specific dates. If that is the case for your school of choice, be sure to submit your application early, but only when you are ready. Come see an advisor at Health Professions Advising to review your application.

    Schools and application systems may have specific guidelines about what is considered a completed application, and these components may vary based on the application system and/or individual school. Some examples include but are not limited to submitting the application fee and receiving letters of recommendations and official transcripts. Students are responsible for ensuring their applications are complete, submitted, and verified by the application deadline.

    To learn more about applications and application timeline, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications and Application Timelines.

  • Personal Statement
  • The prompt and/or character or word count may vary per year. HPA recommends applicants  begin drafting their personal statement in advance of the application opening. It is very common for applicants to write multiple drafts before they finalize their personal statement. To learn more about approaching personal statements, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Personal Statements.
  • Experiences and Activities

  • Experiences and activities help students learn more about their motivations, interests, and goals, and to explore the field of naturopathic medicine. What you do with your time helps define who you are in your application. Whatever you choose to do, be sure you are dedicated, passionate about it, and understand your motivation for pursuing it. It is important that you balance your co-curricular activities with your academics to ensure you are maintaining strong academic performance while still engaging meaningfully outside the classroom.

    To learn more about experiences and various on- and off-campus opportunities, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Experiences. UC Davis students are also encouraged to subscribe to HPA Today (HPA’s newsletter). 

  • Letters of Recommendation

  • Letter of recommendation requirements vary by health professional schools. For many health fields, HPA recommends two lecture-based science instructor recommendations (this excludes research PI), one lecture-based non-science instructor, and additional letters from your co-curricular experiences. This can include a research PI, mentor, volunteer coordinator, professional you shadowed, etc. Your specific school list will determine what letters you may actually need.

    To learn more about the etiquettes for letters of recommendation, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Letters of Recommendations.

  • Supplemental Applications
  • Supplemental applications (or secondaries) may be required for some naturopathic schools and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the schools they are applying to. Supplemental/secondary applications may include additional fees and/or essays. To learn more about supplemental applications, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Applications.
  • Interviews
  • Interviews may be required for some naturopathic schools and some may not require it. Students should carefully review the application process of the schools they are applying to. To learn more about preparing for interviews, please visit HPA’s Application Preparation tab on Interviews and HPA’s Interview Week.

More questions? Check out the frequently asked questions or schedule an appointment with an advisor.