2008-09-25 18:28:34 - Australasian College of Health Sciences announces that ACHS has been approved as an Institution of Higher Learning by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Portland, OR - Following close on the heels of President Bush signing the new GI Bill in late June, Portland, Oregon based Australasian College of Health Sciences is pleased to announce that effective July 11, 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs approved ACHS as an Institution of Higher Learning. This approval of the school was followed by approval of ACHS's

fully online career training and Associates degree programs. Approval for the Master's degree is anticipated shortly. This approval represents a great achievement for the holistic health education industry and provides a long-awaited opportunity for service members to maximize their education benefits by completing career training and degree programs in the fastest growing area of healthcare.

In 2003, ACHS became one of only 17 schools in the United States to have qualified for approval with the VA as a correspondence school. At the time, this was the only approval available for non-degree distance learning programs. ACHS was approved by the Oregon Office of Degree Authorization in March 2008 to become a degree-granting institution, approved and authorized to offer and confer both an Associate and Masters degree in Complementary Alternative Medicine.

"Increasing access to holistic health online degrees with increased VA benefits has been ACHS's goal through this lengthy process. This approval helps support the men and woman in our armed forces who have the vision and inspiration to embark on a health and wellness degree that provides exciting career and personal life enrichment in a growing segment of the industry" says ACHS President Dorene Petersen.

ACHS Dean of Admissions Tracey Miller shares, 'This is an incredible opportunity for our students and for the field of complementary and alternative medicine. Our programs are the only VA Approved career training and Associate degree programs available fully online in the United States. We have several students that have been waiting for the opportunity to use their hard-earned VA benefits to study a field they are truly passionate about.'

ACHS's Undergraduate VA students now receive their full monthly entitlement benefits for their studies, based on the number of credits they are taking per semester. ACHS is excited to announce that VA approval is also pending for our new Master of Science in Complementary Alternative Medicine degree program, also the first and only accredited and state approved online Masters degree in complementary alternative medicine available in the United States.

ACHS is Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, a US Department of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) approved accrediting agency. ACHS.edu specializes in holistic health online programs providing students with dynamic, interactive, and immersive online learning with comprehensive, scientific, and research-based curricula. Visit www.achs.edu for more program information.