Master of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine

Courses & Labs

Respect for Chinese medicine’s cultural and philosophical roots forms the foundation of SCU’s MAcCHM program. The curriculum includes coursework in anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, clinical laboratory diagnosis, pharmacology, nutrition, emergency procedures, traditional Chinese classical medical theory and related techniques, acupuncture and meridians, Chinese herbology, business management, exercises such as tai chi and qi gong, and integrative clinical education.

DAYTIME and EVENING, NOT FLEX SCHEDULE STUDENTS

Year 1 – The Foundation

Focus on the basic sciences to set your foundation of the body’s organization on a cellular, tissue, and organ level, along with regional interrelationships. Learn traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) foundations, acupuncture needling technique, single herbs, meridian points, and begin clinical observations, integrating classroom learning with clinical skills.

Year 2 – Focus on Clinical Sciences

Build upon the previous year by focusing on the ways TCM principles and basic science knowledge translate into the clinical presentation of a patient in both health and disease. Begin guided clinical practice treating patients under the supervision of licensed doctors and with peers in other professions in SCU’s on-campus University Health Center.

Year 3 – Putting It All Together with Clinical Practice

Your final year combines your classroom learning and clinical skills into the practice of treating patients. Clinical proficiency culminates with off-campus clinical rotations in a specialized setting within one of SCU’s affiliated partners such as Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).

Flex Schedule: Students in the Flex Schedule may complete the program at their own pace. Courses are offered on-ground, blended, and in an online format. Classes are offered on days, evenings, and weekends, and students register for courses that best suit their schedules and availability.

  1. manifestations to construct Oriental Medicine differential diagnoses.
  2. Acupuncture and Moxibustion: Graduates will prescribe and formulate acupuncture, moxibustion, and related Oriental Medicine therapies.
  3. Herbal Therapy: Graduates will plan and prescribe herbal formulas and modifications.
  4. Biomedical Diagnosis: Graduates will synthesize pathogenesis and clinical manifestations to construct Western Medicine differential diagnoses.
  5. Evidence-based Practice: Graduates will synthesize and apply historical and scientific evidence in clinical practice.
  6. Business and Clinical: Graduates will assess business principles to develop a clinical practice.
  7. Communication: Graduates will effectively communicate verbally, non-verbally, and in written form.
  8. Professionalism: Graduates will demonstrate leadership, integrity, and respect for all, and actively engage in ethical, moral, and legal standards of the profession.
  9. Inter-professional Collaboration: Graduates will collaborate with appropriate professionals to plan and manage patient-centered care.

For full program information, view the catalog.