Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COM)

The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Bureau of Professional Education (AOA Bureau) is recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the only accrediting agency for predoctoral osteopathic medical education in the United States.

Accreditation action taken by the AOA Bureau means a college or school of osteopathic medicine (COM) has appropriately identified its mission, has secured the resources necessary to accomplish that mission, shows evidence of accomplishing its mission, and demonstrates that it may be expected to continue to accomplish its mission in the future. Accreditation of a COM means that the COM: incorporates the science of medicine, the art of caring, and the power of touch in a curriculum that recognizes the interrelationship of structure and function for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes; recognizes the importance of addressing the body as a whole in disease and health; and recognizes the importance of homeostasis and self-regulation in the maintenance of health.

For a list of colleges of offering programs in osteopathic medicine click here .