The NHAA Course Accreditation System (CAS) is currently under review. It is anticipated the new CAS Standards and Guidelines will be available mid-2022.
CAS documents are used by educational providers to assist in their application for NHAA course accreditation and by the Education & Examiners committee of the NHAA Board to assess professional courses in Naturopathy and Western herbal medicine.
Educational providers who deliver government accredited Bachelor degree courses are eligible to apply for NHAA accreditation. If successful, graduates of these courses are automatically eligible for full membership of the NHAA.
A range of other benefits apply for institutions with NHAA accredited courses, such as free subscriptions to our quarterly publication (the Australian Journal of Herbal and Naturopathic Medicine) for their library and access for new graduates to the NHAA Graduate Award program.
CAS Documents
Below are all of the Course Accreditation System documents necessary to make an application, as well as some other associated documents.
For enquiries about Course Accreditation please contact our Examiners on: nhaa@nhaa.org.au
CAS Main
This contains the Curriculum and Course Accreditation Guidelines and is the main document describing required course content and procedures for Course Accreditation.
Download: CAS Curriculum Document
Download: Course Accreditation Standards
CAS Mapping
This document allows training institutions to directly indicate how content is delivered in relation to the NHAA requirements. Provided as a Microsoft Word form to allow for completion on your computer, the completed version can be sent to the NHAA electronically or in hard copy with the other documents included in your application.
Download: CAS Mapping
CAS Fees
The schedule of fees for the course accreditation system. A tax invoice can be issued if required, please contact the office on nhaa@nhaa.org.au
Download: CAS Fees
CAS Agreement
The Agreement between your institution and the NHAA in regards to Course Accreditation.
Download: CAS Agreement
For Institutions & Teachers
Some commonly asked questions about NHAA Course Accreditation and how to get it.
What is NHAA Course Accreditation?
NHAA Course Accreditation is a partnership between your institution and the Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia; a partnership built on the common goal of striving for the highest quality of herbal medicine education.
Your course(s) potentially gain recognition with the oldest complementary medicine association in Australia, and the only specialised national association for professional herbalists. Your students will have access to the resources, support and recognition provided by the NHAA. And the standard of herbal medicine training in Australia, now and in the future, is assured.
Upon successful awarding of Course Accreditation, your institution will receive numerous benefits. In order to maintain accreditation, the course will be required to undergo a Reaccreditation process every four years.
It should be noted that NHAA Accreditation is course dependant. The policy of the NHAA is not to accredit teaching institutions, but rather to examine and accredit individual courses on their individual merits. Thus your institution may be required to submit multiple accreditation applications if you wish to gain NHAA Accredited Status for each course.
What are the advantages of Course Accreditation?
Firstly your course is recognised as meeting the highest standards of herbal education in the country. Additionally there are a range of other benefits:
- Free subscription to the Australian Journal of Herbal & Naturopathic Medicine for your institution’s library for the duration of your course accreditation.
- An “NHAA Certificate of Course Accreditation” for the duration of Accreditation.
- Availability of the Examiners of the NHAA, for questions, assistance or feedback regarding herbal education standards and NHAA Course Accreditation.
- Free advertising in the form of a listing of your institution, and the course(s) you have which are accredited, on the NHAA website.
- Prospective students enquiring about herbal medicine courses will be provided with the names and contact details of institutions with accredited courses.
- Entitles students to apply for Student Membership of the NHAA.
- Entitles graduates to apply for Full Membership of the NHAA.
- Students from your course(s) can be nominated for the NHAA Graduate Award.
Does the NHAA Accredit Naturopathy courses?
Yes!
The NHAA is happy to accept Naturopathy courses with a significant herbal component, provided the herbal component meets our Standards.
How do the Health Training Packages relate to the NHAA standards?
The National Health Training Packages (HTPs) as outlined by the Australian National Training Authority, are a set of guidelines in regards to areas of competency in various sections of the health care profession, including herbal medicine. The NHAA believes that the existence of such a set of guidelines can only be beneficial to the profession in the long term.
However in their current form, we believe that these Training Packages do not provide training institutions with enough direction in regards to course content. We are also of the opinion that there remain some deficiencies. For both of these reasons we have formed our own Course Accreditation System.
You will notice areas of crossover between the training requirements of the NHAA and the competencies as outlined in the Training Packages. Where possible we have tried to indicate these similarities to make your task of meeting both the NHAA and the Health Training Package requirements easier.
The NHAA Curriculum takes a slightly different approach to the description of education requirements than the HTPs. The HTPs are designed for the VET sector, with emphasis on “competencies” rather than knowledge and concepts (such as philosophy). Although there are certain strengths to this system, there are also weaknesses especially within the context of university education. For these reasons the way our requirements are described and formatted is different, but complementary to the systems found in the HTPs.
What is the basic process of applying for Course Accreditation?
To make an application for NHAA Course Accreditation, you need to download and complete the documentation available on this website. All documents can be found on this page.
The evaluation of Applications is conducted by the Examiners, a subcommittee of the Board of the NHAA.
A Contact Examiner will be appointed for your application, who will be responsible for directing the Examiners in the process of evaluating the application and determining its suitability for Accreditation. If necessary, the Contact Examiner may be in contact with your institution to clarify points, or request further documentation to support your application.
Submissions are accepted at any time of the year.
What are the fees for Course Accreditation?
The fees for NHAA Course Accreditation are very generous.
Application Fee: $250 (GST inclusive) – non-refundable, payable upon application.
Accreditation Fee: $750 (GST inclusive) – 4 year duration, payable upon application, refundable in the event of an unsuccessful application.
How long does Course Accreditation last?
Once successful, a course is Accredited for 4 years. Towards the end of the 4 years you will be contacted with information regarding reaccreditation.