MAcHM Program
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ACUPUNCTURE AND HERBAL MEDICINE (MAcHM) PROGRAM
Program Description
The Master of Science in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (MAcHM) requires 222 quarter credits (2,990 hours) including 990 hours of Clinical training to complete the program. The normal program length of MAcHM is 4 years. MAcHM program was created to educate students in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine while providing the population of Northern Virginia and its surrounding areas with the best alternative medicine treatments. Students are provided a solid foundation in the principles of Oriental Medicine as well as Western Allopathic Medicine. The MAcHM program includes an extensive study of diagnostics, methods of treatment, acupuncture, and Chinese Herbology. The program is specifically designed to prepare students to sit for the NCCAOM licensure examination in Oriental Medicine Certification and provide the necessary skills to practice safely and skillfully.
MAcHM program is offered in three different languages: English, Korean and Chinese. For the courses in different languages, only the teaching method is different: the course objective, learning outcome, study outline, and course evaluation are the same as courses in English.
Program Objective
The Objective of the Master of Science in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (MAcHM) Program is to create leading practitioners of Oriental Medicine through student-centered educational structures and experiences that will produce the following competencies:
Program Outcomes
- Formulate disease prevention strategies utilizing a justified etiology of disease from an Oriental Medicine perspective.
- Develop Oriental Medicine treatment principles and strategies that are logically supported by an Oriental Medical diagnosis and actionable through Oriental Medical modalities.
- Formulate patient diagnoses and develop treatment plans based on the Four Pillars of Diagnosis.
- Create acupuncture and herbal treatment prescriptions along with supplemental modality treatment plans that are logically supported by Oriental Medicine treatment principles.
- Administer a treatment plan during the clinical encounter.
- Recognize situations and symptoms which necessitate the need for referral to an appropriate health care professional and perform needed actions in such contexts.
- Communicate in a professional manner with patients, teachers, and other qualified complementary healthcare professionals.
- Maintain and exhibit the highest personal and professional ethical standards.
The MAcHM program differs from other traditional master’s programs where the normal time to earn the degree is 2 years. The MAcHM, which is accredited by ACAOM, has unique characteristics that require 4 years of program study: 2 years of upper-level courses (also called major courses) in undergraduate and 2 years of graduate-level courses.
Graduation Requirements
General graduation requirements are as follows:
1. Satisfactory completion of all required course work and clinical hours in accordance with the Residency Requirement
2. Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
3. Satisfactory passing of Graduation Examination
4. Passing of Phase Exams (each before entry of observation, intern level 1, 2, 3), among other requirements including First-aid and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification
5. Annual training of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
6. Complete the program within one and one-half time of the program length.
7. Meet all financial obligations to the University
A student must satisfy degree requirements, as outlined in the catalog in effect at the time of enrollment at the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine as a degree program student unless the student interrupts his/her program. It may become necessary to satisfy the program requirements as outlined in the catalog in effect at the time the student re-enters as a student.
License Requirements
The design and structure of the programs offered by the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine are in accordance with guidelines and requirements established by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV), and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Students with plans to practice Acupuncture in other states and locales are advised to review the licensure requirements for those states to determine if appropriate academic qualifications are being met for professional practice. The requirements to be licensed may vary in each state.
To be eligible for licensure as a Licensed Acupuncturist in Virginia, an acupuncture practitioner must have graduated from a school-sanctioned by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) and have passed exams required by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). To sit for the NCCAOM exams, students must complete a course of study that includes graduation from an ACAOM accredited school. VUIM (accredited by ACAOM) requires all students to pass a Comprehensive Graduation Examination during the final stage of their studies, which includes questions from four modules: Traditional Chinese Medicine Theory, Acupuncture, Herbology, and Western Medicine. Successful completion of the Comprehensive Graduation Exams, in addition to successful completion of coursework at VUIM, allows the student to graduate, sit for NCCAOM exams, and apply for licensure in Virginia.