Admissions Requirements for Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine

Doctor of Acupuncture

• Satisfactory completion of at least 3 years of undergraduate education (defined as 90-semester credits or 135 quarter credits) at a nationally or regionally accredited institution. All final decisions regarding applicable coursework are determined by the Dean of the College of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.
• Cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale
• Pre-requisite course work* to include (the prerequisite courses listed below must be passed with a grade of C or better):
  i) Chemistry
  ii) Biology
  iii) Psychology

*Doctor of Acupuncture requires all prerequisites listed below, plus chemistry. Students who meet all other admission requirements except biology, chemistry, and psychology may be conditionally accepted with completion of these courses within the first two terms of the program.

Master of Acupuncture – admission requirements include:

• Total credits and cumulative GPA
• Prerequisites
• Qualifications
• Admission application

1. Total credits and cumulative GPA

• A minimum of 60 college or university level semester (90 quarter) credits at a nationally or regionally accredited institution. All final decisions regarding applicable coursework are determined by the Dean of the College of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• The prerequisite courses listed below must be passed with a grade of C or better.

NOTE: A maximum of 16 of the 60 semester credits (24 of the 90 quarter credits) may be earned in a certificate or vocational/technical AAS program from a regionally accredited institution. These credits will be considered pass/fail and will not raise or lower the minimum cumulative GPA.

No more than 30 of the 60 semester credits (45 of the 90 quarter credits) may be acquired through CLEP examinations or challenging of courses and only in courses other than required science courses.

2. Prerequisites

Subject	Minimum semester credits	Minimum quarter credits
Biology (co-requisite) Animal/Vertebrate, General Biology/Zoology or Microbiology – no lab required. The Biology requirement can be taken either as a prerequisite or while in the program as a co-requisite to be completed by the end of the second trimester. Survey courses will not be counted.	3	4.5
English English, Composition, Literature or Speech	6	9
Psychology (co-requisite) General Psychology, Principles of Psychology or Introductory Psychology.	3	4.5
Humanities and Social Sciences Philosophy, Religion, General Humanities, Art History, Music History, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Political Science or Economics courses are acceptable. Business courses may not be used to meet this distribution requirement.	15	22.5
Electives Recommendations include Anatomy, Macroeconomics, Finance, Marketing, Small Business Management, Public Speaking, Technical Writing, Chinese Language, Asian Studies or Medical Terminology.	33	49.5
Total	60	90

3. Qualifications

You must meet all additional qualifications. These qualifications assist you in progressing through the curriculum and clinical training in a Master’s-level Acupuncture program.

4. Admission application

Students are encouraged to apply early. However, we continue to take applications if spots are available.

Note to applicants: Admission is competitive and enrollment is limited. Satisfying the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Transfer students from other Traditional Chinese Medicine schools who meet NWHSU’s admission requirements can be accommodated.

Transfer and prerequisite approval: Approval of transfer or prerequisite course work for one academic program does not guarantee transfer or prerequisite approval of the same courses for another program.