Doctor of Acupuncture with a Chinese Herbal Specialization (DAc)

To be eligible for admissions, prospective students must meet the following conditions:
1. A bachelor's degree or equivalent is preferred (120 semester credit hours with at least 30 semester credit hours of general education and 30 semester hours being upper-level) from college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency that is approved by the U.S. Department of Education or Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
2. An undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 grading system.

Applicants may be considered for admission if they have completed at least 90 baccalaureate-level semester credits (135 quarter credits) from a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency that is approved by the U.S. Department of Education or Council for Higher Education Accreditation with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
The 90 credits must include at least 30 credits of general education courses drawn from the following areas:

• Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum 6 credits)
• Social/Behavioral Sciences (minimum 6 credits)
• Natural Sciences/mathematics (minimum 6 credits)
• Communications (minimum 6 credits)

Certain courses require that the student have completed undergraduate-level Biology and Chemistry as a prerequisite. Students are required to plan ahead and complete basic science courses at another accredited school prior to enrolling in the courses.

English Proficiency

English language competency is required of all students seeking admission to the doctoral program. This must be demonstrated by one of the following means:

1. The student must have completed a two-year (60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits) undergraduate- or graduate-level, English-based education in an institution: (i) accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, or (ii) in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, or Ireland. In all cases, English must have been both the language of instruction and the language of the curriculum used;
2. Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL® iBT) - Acceptable score: TOEFL iBT total score - 80; or
3. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Format - Acceptable score: IELTS overall band score - 6.5.

Official documentation verifying one of the above options must be received by American College of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine directly from the issuing institution.

Applicants who do not have official documentation of one of the three options listed may submit a petition stating why they fulfill the English proficiency requirements along with any relevant supporting documentation.

The Admissions Committee may request additional supporting documentation or an interview as needed to consider the petition.  If the petition is denied, the applicant will need to acquire one of the three listed options above to be re-considered for admissions.