Our History

ACHS was originally founded in 1976 as the extramural or distance education department of an on-campus naturopathic college in Auckland, New Zealand. Dorene Petersen, a graduate of the South Pacific College of Natural Therapeutics, Inc., was assigned head of the new department. In 1978, ACHS split off into a stand-alone institution to better meet the needs and goals of distance education students. Dorene Petersen became the head of the new institution.

Since its inception in 1978, ACHS has remained an industry leader, well respected worldwide for its distance education holistic health programs. The U.S. office opened in 1991 and is now owned and operated independently from the New Zealand school and has expanded exponentially since its inception. In 1998, ACHS achieved state licensing with the Oregon Department of Education, becoming the first state-licensed holistic medicine college in the U.S. offering distance education programs.

ACHS moved to its present campus in 2002. The Portland, Oregon, campus features a botanical teaching garden, the Apothecary Shoppe College Store, and more than 4,500 square feet of custom-designed and accessible classroom and administrative offices. We invite you to visit us at anytime!

In 2003, ACHS achieved national accreditation with the Distance Education and Training Council after a rigorous two-year review process. Also in 2003, the College changed its name from the Australasian College of Herbal Studies to the Australasian College of Health Sciences to reflect the expanded curricula of holistic medicine education programs available at ACHS.

ACHS offers the first and only accredited courses in aromatherapy and many other holistic medicine modalities. In 2009 the College launched seven new career-oriented certificate programs, six new graduate-level certificate programs, and celebrated its 20th year of operations in the U.S. Also in 2009, ACHS changed its name from the Australasian College of Health Sciences to the American College of Healthcare Sciences to better reflect the College's geographical location and future plans.