Curriculum: MSTCM & DACM
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Learn the fundamentals of meridians, TCM internal medicine and diagnosis, physical therapy (qi gong), massage (tui na/shiatsu), gua sha, cupping, moxibustion.
Acupuncture Therapeutics
Become skilled in needling techniques and point prescriptions in our Chinese medicine and acupuncture degree programs.
Herbal Medicine
Study Chinese herbal medicine and formulations.
Biomedicine
Understand the foundation of biomedicine care and practices.
DACM Additional Coursework
INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
is woven throughout the program, training professionals to meet the needs of patient-centered care in institutions providing multiple healing modalities.
SYSTEMS-BASED MEDICINE
RESEARCH LITERACY
EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE
integrates clinical findings, patient preferences, research, and clinical experience into the process of health-care delivery.
Clinical Options That Open Doors
- Explore diverse clinical opportunities in your area of interest at all levels of learning.
- Gain experience and hands-on knowledge as part of a team of integrative health-care practitioners who guide you in assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients.
- ACTCM partners with medical centers and academic institutions in the Bay Area and abroad, including Stanford and China’s Henan University. We also offer opportunities at our two on-campus and community clinics that get you out of the classroom and into the real world of caring for patients.
Read more about ACTCM'S Top Rated Acupuncture Degree Programs
FAQs
The Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM) is a first professional doctoral degree in the field of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Graduates of the program will be qualified to take the national certification and California acupuncture licensing exams, as will graduates of the master’s program. DACM students will graduate at the doctoral level with enhanced training and skills over the current masters level training.
ACTCM’s DACM was the first FPD program approved by ACAHM (Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine), formerly ACAOM, in November 2014. The program was also approved by WASC with the completion of the ACTCM merger with California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) on July 1, 2015. The Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM) program was granted initial accreditation by ACAHM in November 2018, effective through February 2025. Accreditation status and notes may be viewed here.
California Institute of Integral Studies is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). Students admitted to the DACM program are eligible for federal grant and loan programs through our WSCUC accreditation.
The DACM degree differs from the MSTCM degree in the number of hours of class and clinical work necessary to complete the degree, as well as differences in the curriculum. The DACM degree is a first professional degree at the doctoral level; the curriculum expands upon that of the MSTCM degree.
No. The MSTCM degree and the DACM degree will provide two different paths for pursuing a first professional degree and licensure as an acupuncturist.
No. The license to practice acupuncture is the same for graduates of both the MSTCM and DACM programs.
Transferring students are required by ACAHM to complete at least two years as a matriculated student in first professional doctoral degree program. For questions about transferring into the acupuncture degree program (DACM), please contact the Admissions office at actcmadmissions@ciis.edu.
If you are a current student in a master’s degree program in Chinese medicine and have completed nearly 50% or more of your master’s program, you should complete your master’s program. You can then enroll in ACTCM’s postgraduate doctoral completion program (the DACMCP). If you have completed less than two years of training in your master’s program, then transferring into the DACM program may be an option for you. Please contact the Admissions office for details at actcmadmissions@ciis.edu.
The Accreditation Standard for the First Professional Doctorate in Acupuncture and/or Chinese Medicine from ACAHM states: “The FPD program must ensure that transfer (or ‘advanced standing’) students take at least two academic years in residence before receiving the FPD degree.” This means that if you have less than two years remaining in your first professional degree program and transfer into the first professional doctorate, you may be required to repeat curriculum that you had previously covered in your master’s program.
In order to ensure that DACM graduates will be eligible to practice in California and many places throughout the country, including some states that do not yet recognize the first professional doctoral degree, students will receive an articulated degree. This means that they will be conferred both the DACM and a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine (MSTCM) degree concurrently at graduation after completing the degree requirements for the DACM program. Please see the State Licensure Requirement Disclosure page for more information on practicing outside of California with a degree form ACTCM.
No. For students in the DACM program, these two degrees, DACM and MSTCM, are conferred only when all requirements for both degrees are completed. Should you decide to work toward a MSTCM degree only, you will need to transfer to the MSTCM program.
Join us at an upcoming Info Session or Open House, or ask us! Email ACTCMadmissions@ciis.edu or request information through this website.
Learn about the merger in Acupuncture Today’s story, Merger Creates New Model of Care.