Southwest Acupuncture College: Program of Study

<body> <h2>Program Of Study</h2> <p><font size="2">The program of study at Southwest Acupuncture College is a well-rounded professional degree program designed to gradually expose the emerging practitioner to the uses of Oriental and Western medical models of the human body, as well as the underlying philosophy, theory and clinical application of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. As a classical school of Oriental medicine, the program provides a broad yet deephistorical base of diagnostic approaches. These paradigms range from Yin/Yang, Five Elements, Three Treasures, Four Levels, Six Stages, and Qi and Blood, to Essential Substances, Zang Fu, and Eight Principles, versus a limited concentration in any one approach. A subspecialty in traditional and modern Japanese acupuncture is carefully woven into the program, and advanced studies in this rich lineage may be may be taken as electives. A wide spectrum of relevant Western sciences complements the Oriental infrastructure.</font> <p class="swca"><font size="2"> The academic program at Southwest Acupuncture College consists of 3000 hours of training in the five branches of classical Oriental medicine: acupuncture, herbal medicine, physical therapy, nutrition, and exercise/breathing therapy. The greatest number of hours are devoted to the study and practice of acupuncture and herbal medicine, with the balance of the hours completing the students’ education in graduate level studies in Oriental medicine and Western science. Upon graduation, the college confers the Master of Science in Oriental Medicine (M.S.O.M.) degree. The identical program is taught at all three campuses.</font></p> <p class="swca"><font size="2"> All campuses operate on a yearly schedule of two fifteen-week semesters and a ten-week summer session equivalent to a fifteen-week semester. With the exception of electives, classes are held only in the daytime. Clinic is held both in the day and the evening and on weekends. While course times are set, the college clinic runs many shifts from which the students may select so that reasonable flexibility is built into the program to accommodate individual student needs.</font></p> <p class="swca"><font size="2"> The professional degree program, which is the equivalent of four academic years, can be taken in one of three formats. The accelerated format, our most popular option, requires approximately twenty-two to twenty-five hours of coursework per week. It allows for completion in three calendar years. The full-time format takes four calendar years to finish and requires sixteen to twenty-two hours of coursework per week. This option permits students to have a lighter schedule while still allowing for a reasonable completion time. The part-time format is an option the students can take advantage of if financial burdens or other responsibilities require the student’s attention, or if the student prefers to study at a more gradual pace. Part-time study necessitates a minimum of nine to ten hours per week of class attendance. In all cases, part-time study must be completed within seven years of entry to the program. Regardless of the pace selected by the student, the quality of the educational experience at Southwest Acupuncture College is always the aim of the education, not the acceleration of studies.</font></p> <p class="swca"><font size="2"><strong>* Note: </strong><em>Oriental medicine is a form of natural medicine also known as Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and TCM. It is often referred to as a type of alternative medicine or complimentary medicine. The study of Oriental medicine includes acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tui-na (Chinese massage and body-work), tai chi and chi gong (meditation and exercise therapy) and diet or nutritional therapy. An acupuncture school, as part of its acupuncture education, may provide training or exposure to different styles and types of acupuncture such as Japanese acupuncture, Korean acupuncture, hand acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, ear acupuncture, hara diagnosis, pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis and even animal acupuncture. </em></font></p> <p><span class="swca"><a href="index.html"><strong>The Clinical Education</strong></a><strong> | <a href="index.html">The Oriental Herbal Medicine Curriculum</a> | <a href="index.html">The Biomedical Clinical Sciences Curriculum</a></strong></span> <p align="center"><img src="../images/divider2.gif" width="44" height="15" alt=" " border="0"></p> <p align="center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"><a href="../index.html">Home</a> | <a href="calendar.html"></a><a href="cont-edu2.html">Continuing Education</a> | <a href="calendar2.html">Academic Calendar</a> | <a href="faculty2.html">Faculty</a> | <a href="accredit2.html">Accreditation</a> | <a href="catalog2.html">Catalog</a></font>