Mesa in 2007. In 1997, a physician assistant program was established at the Glendale campus, followed by the College of Pharmacy the next year. In 2006, the College of Dental Medicine-Arizona opened, then the Arizona College of Optometry opened in 2008, and the College of Veterinary Medicine opened in 2012. The College of Health Sciences' podiatric medicine program became the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine in 2020. In 2010, the university received a Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards from the Environmental Protection Agency for restoring 9 acres of wetland and oak-hickory woods on the Downers Grove campus. In 2012, the Downers Grove Multispecialty Clinic opened in a five-story, 193,000 square foot building at a cost of $112 million. Also that year, the College of Veterinary Medicine opened at the Glendale campus, at a cost of $90 million, with a 109,000-square-foot veterinary teaching hospital, a 36,000-square-foot large animal teaching facility, and a 76,000-square-foot classroom building. The school was the first veterinary medical school in the state of Arizona, and was the 29th veterinary medical school in the United States. Academics and accreditation Midwestern University offers multiple academic programs at two campus locations. All programs are graduate-level and focus on the health professions. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Doctoral degree programs include: Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Doctor of Dental Medicine Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Doctor of Occupational Therapy Doctor of Pharmacy Doctor of Physical Therapy Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Doctor of Psychology Doctor of Optometry Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Doctor of Nursing Practice. The university also offers the following degrees: Master of Arts (M.A.) Master of Biomedical Sciences (M.B.S.) Master of Medical Sciences (M.M.S.) Master of Nurse Anesthesia Practice (M.S.) Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) Master of Cardiovascular Science - Perfusion (M.S.) Research Midwestern University researches a variety of areas related to health and biomedical science. Areas of research include environmental toxicology (as a part of the One Health Initiative), COVID-19, pharmacology, physiology, and anatomy. As of the 2020-2021 academic year, the university held $1,603,231 in active externally funded research awards. Sources of funding for research include: National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Health Resources & Services Administration, American Heart Association, American Optometric Foundation, HonorHealth, Leakey Foundation, Marfan Foundation, PhRMA Foundation, PetSmart Charities, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, National Assoc. of Chain Drug Stores, Pharmaceutical Research