Admissions Requirements – Entry-Level Acupuncture

Entry-Level Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine / Doctorate of Acupuncture

– San Diego, Chicago

Applicants for admission to the DACM or DAc programs must have satisfactorily completed an associate degree or its equivalent or higher, defined as at least 90 semester credits of education at the baccalaureate level or the equivalent from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Applicants who do not meet these requirements should speak with an Admissions Representative to discuss their options.

Master of Science (Traditional Oriental Medicine)

-San Diego, New York, Chicago

Master of Science (Acupuncture)

– New York, Chicago

Applicants for admission to the master’s degree programs must have satisfactorily completed an associate degree or its equivalent or higher, defined as at least 60 semester credits/90 quarter credits of education, (including nine semester hours in the biosciences for applicants to New York campus), at the baccalaureate level or the equivalent from an institution accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Applicants who do not meet these requirements should speak with an Admissions Representative to discuss preparatory course option enrollment.

Applicants to doctoral and master’s programs who have not completed a BS or BA bachelor degree, an Associate of Science, or an Associate of Arts must demonstrate completion of 15 units of General Education classes contained within the 60 semester/90 quarter credits required for admission. An additional 15 units of general education must be completed prior to term five of the master’s program.

Six courses in the doctoral and master’s programs qualify as general education units and are taken within the first year. If all of the classes below are successfully completed, students will earn 15 units from four of the five required categories.

• Medical Terminology (1.5 units)
• Anatomy & Physiology 1-lecture & lab (3.5 units)
• Anatomy & Physiology 2 (3 units)
• General Biology (2.5 units) (MSTOM/MSAc only)
• Foundations of Chinese Medicine (3 units)
• Clinical Counseling 1 (1.5 units)

Pacific College’s associate of applied science degree qualifies students to apply to Pacific’s master’s degree program, however most of the required general education requirements must be met by taking coursework elsewhere or by taking courses offered in the associate of science degree program. An admissions representative would be happy to advise you regarding helpful general education courses to take.

Pacific College’s associate of science degree also qualifies students to apply to the master’s degree program. All GE categories are fulfilled within the required coursework for the associate degree, however to meet the master’s degree requirements for admission at least one course must be taken in each of the following five categories within the total of 30 general education units: written and oral communication; quantitative principles; natural and physical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and humanities and fine arts. The remainder of the required general education courses must be distributed among at least three of the following categories:

• Social and behavioral sciences
• Humanities and fine arts
• Quantitative principles

College Board College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams may be used toward fulfilling these GE requirements. A college admissions representative will describe these for you.

Students completing an associate degree program at Pacific College or elsewhere may enroll in co-requisite and/or preparatory courses to gain eligibility to the doctoral programs.

Applicants with an undergraduate grade point average of 2.75 or greater will be considered for full acceptance to the program.

Previous academic performance in didactic classes may hold greater weight in the decision for admission than previous academic performance in hands-on/practical coursework.

Applicants with lower grade point averages may be considered for full acceptance or conditional acceptance (or acceptance with requirements) to the program with evidence of recent, significant academic success, or professional achievement. Students who are accepted with requirements are assigned a course of study and academic goals to fulfill these for continued acceptance into the program.

Applicants for whom English is a second language must meet English language requirements. See “International Students“.

Prior Learning Equivalency for Prerequisite Requirements (Master’s and Doctoral degree applicants)

Pacific College does not accept prior learning assessment toward graduate level credits. Up to 30 semester units of undergraduate prerequisites may be earned through prior learning assessment using a combination of the following assessment techniques:

• College Board Advanced Placement (AP)
• College Board College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• American College Testing Proficiency Examination Program (ACT/PEP)
• U.S. Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) program
• Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) tests

Equivalency credit for corporate and military training may be assigned according to the recommendations established by the American Council on Education in The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs and The Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Forces. PEP, USAFI, DANTES and corporate training credit requires a passing score reference. Students who present a score of 3, 4, or 5 on a College Scholarship Service AP (Advanced Placement) Examination grant three semester units of credit per subject toward the general education requirements and may grant transfer credit toward the corresponding Pacific College course. Unit credit can be granted for passing these exams as indicated, but no letter grade will be assigned or computed in a student’s grade point average.