Northwestern Health Sciences University Reaches Record Enrollment Numbers

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - Five different enrollment records were recorded this fall at Northwestern Health Sciences University, according to Ruth Ann Marks, chief records officer and registrar.

Enrollment records set included:

• Highest total University enrollment with 936 students; the previous record enrollment was 894 in fall 2006.
• The Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM) program total enrollment reached 125 students, which is also the highest enrollment this program has experienced in its history; the previous record enrollment was 112 in fall 2006.
• The MCAOM program also has the largest incoming fall class in its history, with a total of 39 new students.
• The Massage Therapy’s total program enrollment reached 85 students, which is the largest Massage therapy total enrollment ever, and is up 18 students from fall 2006, which was the previous record. 
• Massage Therapy also has the largest incoming fall class ever, with a total of 50 new students.

In addition, the Massage Therapy program opened two sections to accommodate all the students, which has never been done before. 

Dale Healey, DC, dean of the School of Massage Therapy, said it was a conscious  decision to add the sections. Healey said this was partially done in order to eliminate the summer program, which often wasn’t full enough; and to accommodate the fall entering class, which usually has a waiting list.

“Adding sections and removing the summer program shook the faculty up a little bit,” Dr. Healy said. “But it provided extra time for the summer faculty to plan for fall and one member even developed a new course over the summer.”

Dr. Healey said this fall they were able to accommodate all the students wishing to join the Massage Therapy program because of the extra section.

The Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is also experiencing a similar increase in enrollment.

"The record enrollment in the MCAOM program and the largest incoming class in history are due to a number of factors," observed Mark McKenzie, MOm, LAc, dean of MCAOM. "There is growing interest from consumers and allopathic doctors in this form of health care, and acupuncture treatment is increasingly being reimbursed by insurance providers. Prospective students are noting those trends and are more willing to seriously consider acupuncture and Oriental medicine as a career."

Bill Kuehl, BA, director of admissions for Northwestern, noted that MCAOM's faculty make a huge difference in his office's ability to recruit students. "The all-day preparatory sessions that we hold regularly give prospective students ready access to our faculty, and they are uniformly amazed at the quality of our faculty.”

Northwestern Health Sciences University offers a wide array of choices in natural health care education including chiropractic, Oriental medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, human biology, and integrative health and wellness. The University has more than 900 full-time students on a 25-acre campus in Bloomington, Minn.