The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) is a specialized accreditation agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE). ACAOM is a 501 (c) (3) not for profit corporation, incorporated in the District of Columbia. National, regional, and specialized accreditors are reviewed by the USDE to ensure that the accrediting body meets specific standards established by Congress. The Secretary of Education is charged with review of accrediting bodies and providing recognition to those accrediting agencies that meet the Secretary of Education’s criteria. ACAHM’s scope of recognition from the USDE is: "The accreditation and pre-accreditation throughout the United States of professional non-degree and graduate degree programs, including professional doctoral programs, in the field of acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine, as well as freestanding institutions and colleges of acupuncture and/or Oriental medicine that offer such programs."