Master of Acupuncture.
As the first accredited acupuncture program in the United States, Tai Sophia's Master of Acupuncture offers a comprehensive curriculum combining rigorous classroom teaching with rich clinical experiences. Our graduates are excellent practitioners with the business knowledge to create successful practices, and the theoretical and philosophical foundation to treat each patient with skill, compassion, and care.
Industry Overview
Originating in China, acupuncture is a system of healing that has been practiced in East Asian countries for thousands of years. In recent decades, acupuncture has grown in popularity in the United States as a holistic approach to the management of disease as well as for the maintenance of health.
Currently, there are more than 22,500 licensed acupuncture practitioners in the country, and according to the National Acupuncture Foundation, "Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is one of the most rapidly growing healthcare professions in the United States."
In a 2002 National Health Interview Survey - the largest and most comprehensive survey of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) - an estimated 8.2 million adults in the United States reported being treated by acupuncture, administered by acupuncturists, physicians, and dentists for relief or prevention of pain and other health conditions.
Program Overview
The three-year Master of Acupuncture (M.Ac.) program, beginning in either September or January each year, offers a comprehensive curriculum that combines more than 2,500 hours of rigorous classroom teaching with rich, clinical experiences.
Our graduates are excellent practitioners with the business knowledge to create successful practices, and the theoretical and philosophical foundation to treat each patient with skill, compassion, and care. The program is steeped in the understanding of the cycles of nature and a cosmology of diverse healing philosophies and traditions.
As a result, students can expect a merging of insight, compassion, and personal growth with practical applications. The Master of Acupuncture program is a journey that is both academically challenging and deeply transformative.
Program Highlights
- The first accredited acupuncture program in the United States, offered since 1981.
- Dynamic and distinguished faculty, including renowned leaders in the field of Chinese Medicine.
- Comprehensive knowledge and skills for building and maintaining a successful acupuncture practice, as well as training to the highest standard of ethical and professional conduct.
- 560 hours of supervised clinical practice and 150 additional hours of supervised clinical observation.
- Unique program feature: students progress through the program in a cohort and learn in small groups as well as in one-to-one settings during clinical rotation.
- Flexible, full-time format: two days each week (weekdays) and occasional intensives.
Professional Opportunities
The success of past graduates is a significant measure of any educational institution's value. More than 800 graduates of the Master of Acupuncture program are dispersed widely throughout the United States and abroad.
Our graduates are employed in hospital settings, university and health centers, HMOs, integrated health clinics, community services, and wellness programs. Many have independent individual and group practices in their communities; others have shared practices with physicians, chiropractors, and mental health professionals, as well as affiliations with drug detoxification programs, detention centers, and veterinary practices.
Graduates are often highly active in educating the public through wellness workshops and seminars, in public and private schools and institutions of higher learning.
Program Faculty
Tai Sophia presently employs more than 80 faculty members who are active practitioners as well as instructors. Most have trained at the Institute in the specific style of relationship-centered healing that is core to the program.
Learn more about the faculty.
Research and Scholarship
Highlights