Is Clayton College of Natural Health a legitimate learning institution?

I've read so many articles bashing this school, people saying to beware of the lack of accredations and alumni. I can't imagine why…I am looking to go to school for nutritional therapy and have received a catalogue in the mail. It seems like a really great school. Does anyone have any information on this? Thanks!

Unfortunately, anything considered as alternative medicine will be strongly criticized by Quackwatch, being it is an organization comprised of medical professionals. Most of the arguments they post are more opinion based then based on facts, and should be taken as such.

The main reason Clayton is not accredited is because it only requires 60 credit hours for a B.S. degree, where "traditional" schools require 120 hours. Accreditation does not equal quality education, it just means it is recognized by the government.

From all the research I have personally done, Clayton seems to be a very good school and is legit. Basically it all boils down to what you read or who you talk to. Those who believe in natural medicine have a far different opinion about these types of schools then those who practice the more excepted forms of medicine. The best thing to do is just find the school that best suits your needs and be sure to also research the "sources" of any negative publicity before assuming it is a bad school.

Some other schools you can also look into are Bastyr University, Westbrook University, and the University of Natural Medicine.

Hope this helps