Beyond the Needles: Demystifying the World of Acupuncture Degrees
A Deep Dive into the Education Terminology and Transformations of Acupuncture Education in America
The landscape of acupuncture degrees in the United States is often complex and extremely confusing, even to those who are in practice within the profession. This is partially due to the young nature of the profession and its increasing popularity and adoption.
This is a short post discussing the related professional degrees of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, or the problematic title of “oriental medicine” and hopes to bring some clarity to the entire system.
Terminology
Firstly, about the profession’s name. The profession was known as Oriental Medicine (OM), acupuncture being a component of oriental medicine but sometimes listed separately as Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM). However, due to cultural and political reasons beyond the scope of this post, some stakeholders feel that the term “Oriental” is derogative, and the profession is in the process of finding a new acceptable term to describe itself. This has been proven to be difficult, and no universally adopted term has been accepted as of yet. I will continue to use the acronym AOM within this article as a placeholder for the profession’s full title as it is still commonly in use.
We have seen the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), the accreditation agency recognized by the US Department of Education that oversees all academic programs for the profession, recently changed its name to Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) (ACAHM News, 2021).
It is important to note that AOM signifies the diasporic systems of medicine that are foundationally influenced by Traditional Chinese Medicine, that is, the foundational theories found in the Han Dynasty classic, the Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經: Yellow Emperor’s Inner Cannon). This often includes the traditional systems of Korea and Japan.
Some schools and scholars have adopted the term East Asian Medicine (EAM) or Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM). However, some have pointed out that the continent of East Asia includes many traditional systems of medicine that are not Chinese-influenced or are only marginally influenced by Chinese Medicine, like traditional Tibetan and Vietnamese medicine that contains either Ayurvedic influences or local traditional beliefs. This has mostly halted the acceptance of the term EAM.
Within the academic arena, we see the continued discrepancies play out in the terminology of the degrees along with the tiered landscape of the profession as it evolves.
Entry-Level Masters Degrees
The entry-level degrees are masters level degrees (there are some remaining with certificates or diplomas that are holdovers from when the profession was unlicensed in some states, but it is quite rare at this point, so it will not be discussed further). These are called entry-level because they are the minimum requirement needed to practice AOM in the United States.
While the titles vary slightly from institution to institution, they come in two varieties and have now been standardized by ACAHM to the following:
1. Master in Acupuncture
2. Master in Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine specialization
The master’s degree may be Master of Science (M.S.) depending on the Higher Education authorities' requirements for the specific school, and the person may choose to include the “S” to signify the Master of Science; however, for the nature of the profession, these degrees are exactly the same.
The post-nominal for the master in acupuncture is often listed as MAc or MSAc.
The Masters in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, for those who specialize in both acupuncture and herbal medicine, is often listed as MAcCHM; this degree was formally listed as Masters in Oriental Medicine (MOM) or Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM).
The MAcCHM designation is new and is required by all institutions to adopt in January of 2023 (Program Naming – ACAHM, 2021). Some practitioners have decided to list their MSOM degrees as MAcCHM in solidarity with the name change. However, those who were issued these older degree titles may choose to continue to list them with their respective acronyms instead of adopting the newer terms.
The post-nominal for the master in Chinese Herbal Medicine is often listed as MAcCHM, MSOM, MOM, or MAcHM; all of which are variations of the same title.
Alternative Masters Level Names
Some have either earned a degree with an alternative title or chose to list their degrees as MEAM (Masters in East Asian Medicine) or something similar, as prior to 2023, there was no program naming convention established. These alternative titles are often used by those who are against the use of the term “oriental” when it is the case that the degree title earned contains the OM language. However, all of these master-level degrees meet the exact same accrediting standards, and no difference should be conferred to one who holds one degree title vs. another except for the difference between MAc and MAcCCHM.
Acupuncture vs. Chinese Herbal Masters
The difference between the MAc and the MAcCHM is that the professional who has the CHM component has studied herbal medicine and acupuncture, whereas the MAc has only studied acupuncture.
The acupuncture alone degree typically contains more coursework in acupuncture than the CHM degree; however, the CHM degree is often one semester longer in coursework and contains more clinical hours and classwork in total. Some states require CHM for licensure, and the MAc is often only offered in those schools that reside in states that do not require CHM. When it comes to the performance of acupuncture, there is no ostensible difference between the MAc and MAcCHM.
There are also those practitioners who went back to school for herbs after completing their MAc. Depending on what time period they did this, they were either issued a new masters degree in OM/CHM, or they were issued a herbal certificate as a completion program, allowing them to use the OM/CHM designation. The certificate is now the only option for adding herbal medicine to a degree and falls in line with the MAc vs. MAcCHM naming convention (ACAHM, 2022).
Doctoral Level Degrees
The doctoral level gets a little more complex, but I will do my best to make it simple.
There is the transitional or professional doctoral degree, formerly known as “First Professional Doctorate.” This is a professional doctoral degree that is either transitional from the master's level or is issued as the entry-level degree to the field by a school (issuing the master's and doctoral degrees at the same time).
This entry-level professional doctoral degree is either a Doctor of Acupuncture (DAc.) or a Doctor of Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine specialization (DAcCHM) (Position Paper - ACAHM, 2022). This follows the masters-level naming convention and is to be standardized by January 2023.
Formerly, institutions issued different titles for entry-level doctoral degrees. They may be listed as:
· Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (DTCM)
· Doctor of Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (DAIM)
· Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM)
One institution was issuing for a short time, causing great confusion within the profession, the title Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) as an entry-level professional doctorate; more on this later.
The accreditation requirements for all of the above entry-level professional doctoral titles are the same. There is no difference outside of the rigor (or lack thereof, depending on the institution) of the school from which they received the degree.
Some schools allow a master's level professional to transition to a doctoral degree online in six months, whereas others require up to two years of internship, externship, and didactic training to complete their degree. I will reserve my opinion on the efficacy or academic proficiency of the shorter vs. longer programs; however, the clock hours and credits are all roughly the same.
The highest-level doctoral degree within the profession is the Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM). There is no alternative title for this degree as of yet, although, as I mentioned earlier, one institution was issuing this title for their entry-level professional doctorates for a brief time. This is considered an Advanced Practice Doctoral degree. This program is, at minimum, two years in length and requires on-campus education, and cannot be completed online (ACAHM, 2022). It also requires a program specialty (such as pain, gynecology, oncology, neurology, classics, etc.) and a research or capstone project, often with a defense of this research before graduation.
However, ACAHM is expected to announce DAOM title changes and programmatic changes as soon as the end of this year (2023) based on their mid-year call for comments on proposed changes.
The difference between the entry-level professional doctoral degree vs. the advanced practice doctoral degree is that advanced practice degrees provide advanced specialty training and emphasize research literacy, and are expected to be experts in their field; the entry-level or professional doctoral degree is expected to have distinguished practical performance above the masters level (Position Paper - ACAHM, 2022). A simpler way to differentiate the two is that the DAOM is an expert in a specific subject matter or niche and often has published or performed research, whereas the DAc./DAcCHM is often an expert in clinical practice.
Philosophy Doctorates (Ph.D.)
The AOM profession in the United States does not have any accredited Ph.D. programs (philosophy doctorates). The Ph.D. is a postgraduate academic degree awarded to students who complete original scholarly work in a field that offers a new contribution to the subject.
A Ph.D. is often not used for licensure in most professions. If an AOM professional says they have a Ph.D., they either have one in another subject that could have intersected with AOM in some way, such as history or anthropology, received one from a school while studying abroad, or purchased one from a degree mill online (unfortunately, not uncommon).
It is often important to ask a Ph.D. about their published work and their degree if the information is not clearly listed on their bio or curriculum vitae (CV). Those with a Ph.D. are usually proud of their work and will freely discuss this, and it is useful to know what their subject matter expertise is and often their dissertation is able to be located online.
At this time, the ACAHM is not authorized by the US Department of Education to accredit Ph.D. programs. This is why there are no AOM Ph.D. degree programs in the US and why the subject of Ph.D. will be different in those who have obtained one, falling under a different accrediting body (Position Paper - ACAHM, 2022).
Another strange phenomenon is that many acupuncturists, for reasons I care not to speculate, state they are in school for their PhD or they have a PhD, when in reality, they have a professional doctorate. I will admit this phenomenon spurred the original draft of this article since the entire educational model of the profession is very confusing (but I feel it is trending to a more cohesive regulated model).
DAOM vs. PhD
The DAOM degree is similar to an academic degree (Ph.D.); however, it has a clinical focus, whereas a Ph.D. often only focuses on academics. The DAOM has an academic component and does require research, but because of the split between academics and emphasis on clinical components of the degree, the research is often not as robust. This is why the DAOM degree is not an academic degree but a clinical degree. It is designed to create expert clinicians who are skilled in research literacy and the ability to use and apply research in clinical practice.
Doctor by License
One remaining point of confusion with doctoral titles is those that are “doctor by licensure.” This is when the license to practice AOM in a state grants the privilege of the title of Doctor without the person possessing a doctorate. This is often either the Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DOM) found in Florida or New Mexico, previously used now passé, Oriental Medical Doctor (OMD), or the Doctor of Acupuncture (DAc) or Doctor of Oriental Medicine (DAOM) found in Rhode Island (how confusing is that?). This doctor is often a masters-level practitioner but, because of the state’s practice act, is called a doctor while practicing with the entry level education degree.
Lastly, there are those who studied in China or Korea who may have obtained an MD or Ph.D. but specialized in AOM in their home country. The naming convention on these degrees is not regulated. The common methods of abbreviating these degrees are MD ([Country]) as in MD (China), signifying that the degree is not the same as the license of a medical doctor in America. I have seen Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (DTCM) also used on occasion, or DTCM (China) to show this as well.
Other AOM Doctoral Degrees
One obscure degree that is AOM related is the Doctor of Medical Qi Gong (DMQ) or Doctor of Chinese Energetic Medicine certificate (DCEM). To the best of my understanding, this is a non-accredited certificate in qigong. I cannot speak to the academic or clinical rigor of this degree; however, it looks comprehensive in its subject matter upon quick review (DMQ Program, n.d.; DCEM Program, n.d.).
Qi gong is a medical modality found within AOM. These practitioners seek to treat the disease of the body and spirit solely through working one’s qi (metabolism) using exercise and breath work. This work is seen as energy healing and can sometimes utilize religious cosmological beliefs and practices.
The profession of medical qi gong is not regulated in the United States but does fall within the scope of practice of AOM practitioners in some states practice act.
AOM Bodywork
Bodywork or AOM massage therapy practices fall within the profession of massage but are often included in the scope of practice for AOM practitioners. The training in massage, its varied degree, certificates, titles, and licensure is beyond the scope of this post.
References
ACAHM. (2022, August 5). Comprehensive Standards and Criteria Reference Copy. Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. https://acahm.org/comp-stds-reference-copy/
Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine [9 Aug 2021] – ACAHM. (2021, August 9). https://acahm.org/2021/08/09/accreditation-commission-for-acupuncture-and-herbal-medicine/
DMQ Program. (n.d.). International Medical Qigong College. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.medicalqigong.org/index.php/programs/medical-qigong-programs/dmq
Doctor of Chinese Energetic Medicine Certificate (D.C.E.M.). (n.d.). The Temple of Change and Transformation. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.daoistmagic.com/doctor-of-chinese-energetic-medicine-certificate-syllabi
Position Paper: ACAHM-accreditable Doctoral Programs – ACAHM. (2022, February 4). Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. https://acahm.org/position-paper-acahm-accreditable-doctoral-programs/
Program Naming – ACAHM. (2021, October 1). Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine. https://acahm.org/policies/program-naming/